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Reviews
How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need by Bill Gates
stmartin's review against another edition
4.0
This book was great. I felt the introduction was condescending - sort of what you would expect to hear from a millionaire. But once I got to the actual book, it was really good. I finished this book months ago and it has really stuck with me, influencing my ideas about politics and the governments role in directing climate change. It gave me a much better understanding about what the Federal Government should be doing to encourage electric cars and discourage carbon energy production. We really need a Carbon tax, however unpopular it will be. We also need to increase energy production by 300% and it needs to be green energy. There is a lot to do, and we all need to work together to accomplish it.
kate_albers's review
3.0
3.5 stars. I didn’t connect with this as I expected to, but I appreciate what Bill Gates has done, which is lay out an ambitious plan for us to tackle climate change on a global scale. To the haters who complain, I also appreciate that Gates takes the time to admit his own failings when it comes to climate change and how he is working to remedy them. Bottom line, elect people who believe scientists and do what you can to curb your own contributions. And do it now.
wanderingboomer's review
4.0
Easy interesting read, discusses carbon footprints in each of the five major areas: Transportation, Construction, Manufacturing, Agriculture, and Energy. There needs to be a lot more discussion and immediate policy and action around getting to Zero by 2050.
mfmcl's review
5.0
Information dense, but still digestible. An introduction to the world of climate change with concrete problems and steps forward. Great for anyone fatigued with news and social media coverage on the topic.
gregorygolz's review
4.0
This has been one of the more accessible books I've read about climate change. Bill Gates writes in the afterward that he had help on the style and lots of advice on the content. I think he came up with a clear message and plan to work on this global issue. Unlike other books, Gates lays out what we can do on many different levels. Spoiler alert, he says that our biggest personal action can be to advocate for government level policy change. I also struggle with the need for nuclear aspect, but he makes a strong argument why we need to be open to using it. Overall, if you want to understand what humans need to do as a global community about climate, this should be one you read.
maddenduncan's review
5.0
Excellent. The “how to” in the title is misleading, but if we knew how to solve climate change we already would have. Not the most comprehensive or in-depth book on the subject, but more of a one-two punch of the most important things you need to know. It’s short and optimistic. Innovation in climate technology won’t happen if there isn’t excitement and optimism about it. It helped me understand the most important breakthroughs that we need, some policies that can help us get there, and the reasons why certain trends in renewable energy or green tech are going the way that they are.
zoezreads's review against another edition
4.0
super interesting concepts on an realistic but optimistic view on an innovation heavy way to try to fix what we’ve screwed up