Audio: English: Narrated by the Author
DESCRIPTION: In this urgent, authoritative book, Bill Gates sets out a wide-ranging, practical--and accessible--plan for how the world can get to zero greenhouse gas emissions in time to avoid a climate catastrophe.
Bill Gates has spent a decade investigating the causes and effects of climate change. With the help of experts in the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, political science, and finance, he has focused on what must be done in order to stop the planet's slide to certain environmental disaster. In this book, he not only explains why we need to work toward net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases, but also details what we need to do to achieve this profoundly important goal.
He gives us a clear-eyed description of the challenges we face. Drawing on his understanding of innovation and what it takes to get new ideas into the market, he describes the areas in which technology is already helping to reduce emissions, where and how the current technology can be made to function more effectively, where breakthrough technologies are needed, and who is working on these essential innovations. Finally, he lays out a concrete, practical plan for achieving the goal of zero emissions--suggesting not only policies that governments should adopt, but what we as individuals can do to keep our government, our employers, and ourselves accountable in this crucial enterprise.
As Bill Gates makes clear, achieving zero emissions will not be simple or easy to do, but if we follow the plan he sets out here, it is a goal firmly within our reach.
NOTE FROM BILL GATES:
“I wrote How to Avoid a Climate Disaster because I think we’re at a crucial moment. I’ve seen exciting progress in the more than 15 years that I’ve been learning about energy and climate change. The cost of renewable energy from the sun and wind has dropped dramatically. There’s more public support for taking big steps to avoid a climate disaster than ever before. And governments and companies around the world are setting ambitious goals for reducing emissions. What we need now is a plan that turns all this momentum into practical steps to achieve our big goals. That’s what is How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: a plan for eliminating greenhouse gas emissions. I hope you’ll check out the book, but much more important, I hope you’ll do what you can to help us keep the planet livable for generations to come.” - Bill Gates
REVIEWS
“The most comprehensible explanation for what’s driving our warming planet; how to measure the impact of the myriad contributions to this staggering and seemingly incalculable problem; and ultimately how to go about finding more effective approaches to each of them. It’s the closest thing I’ve seen to a how-to guide for addressing the climate crisis.” —Clinton Leaf, Fortune
“How to Avoid a Climate Disaster presents ideas with the methodical approach of a college textbook . . . Remarkably, given the state of the world, it is an optimistic, can-do sort of book, chock-full of solutions.” —Christina Binkley, The Wall Street Journal Magazine
“The most refreshing aspect of this book is its bracing mix of cold-eyed realism and number-crunched optimism . . . Ultimately his book is a primer on how to reorganise the global economy so that innovation focuses on the world’s gravest problems. It is a powerful reminder that if mankind is to get serious about tackling them, it must do more to harness the one natural resource available in infinite quantity—human ingenuity.” —The Economist
“The author’s enthusiasm and curiosity about the way things work is infectious. He walks us through not just the basic science of global warming, but all the ways that our modern lives contribute to it . . . Gates seems energized by the sheer size and complexity of the challenge. That’s one of the best things about the book—the can-do optimism and conviction that science in partnership with industry are up to the task.” —Richard Schiffman, The Christian Science Monitor
“With the help of experts in fields such as physics, engineering, chemistry, finance and politics, the technologist and philanthropist offers a practical and accessible plan for getting the world to zero greenhouse gas emissions and averting climate catastrophe.” —Barbara VanDenburgh, USA Today
“How to Avoid a Climate Disaster is clear, concise on a colossal subject, and intelligently holistic in its approach to the problem. Gates may not be the perfect messenger, but he has written a fine primer on how to get ourselves out of this mess.” —Adama Vaughan, New Scientist
“Bill Gates has a plan to save the world . . . While acknowledging that the challenge is daunting, and how we make things, grow things, move around, keep cool and stay warm will all need to fundamentally change, Gates argues that wholesale transformation is possible while maintaining lifestyles in high income countries and continuing to lift billions out of poverty.” —Greg Williams, Wired
“His expertise . . . is apparent in the book’s lucid explanations of the scientific aspects of climate change. The solutions he outlines are pragmatic and grounded in forward-thinking economic reasoning. Although he does not avoid the hard truths we must face as our climate changes, Gates remains optimistic and believes that we have the ability to avoid a total climate disaster.” —Miriam R. Aczel, Science
“Concise, straightforward . . . Gates has crafted a calm, reasoned, well-sourced explanation of the greatest challenge of our time and what we must change to avoid cooking our planet.” —Jeff Rowe, Associated Press
“A persuasive, optimistic strategy for reducing greenhouse emissions to zero by midcentury . . . Though Gates doesn’t shy away from acknowledging the daunting challenges ahead, his narrative contains enough confidence—and hard science and economics—to convince many readers that his blueprint is one of the most viable yet . . . supremely authoritative and accessible.” ––Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Those looking for an accessible review of how global warming can be countered will find this a handy—and maybe even hope-inspiring—guide.” ––Publishers Weekly
“Gates has put his considerable wealth behind global health, educational, and economic initiatives and now turns his laser-like attention to this most existential of issues . . . He provides illuminating contexts for [his] perspectives and offers a treatise that is imperative, approachable, and useful.” ––Booklist --This text refers to the hardcover edition.
KEYNOTE REVIEW BY KIRKUS
A persuasive, optimistic strategy for reducing greenhouse emissions to zero by midcentury.
In his latest book, Gates makes a significant contribution to the rapidly growing shelf of books that not only acknowledge climate change, but also propose viable solutions; other examples include Eric Holthaus’ The Future Earth and David Attenborough’s A Life on Our Planet. Gates moves several steps further in a comprehensible, at times amusingly wonky, text that provides detailed plans. The author relates a compelling vision of what the potential devastation will look like, assessing the scale and range of expected damage, but he is more interested in clearly communicating the multitiered facets of his plan. While drawing on his expertise and instincts as a successful tech innovator, investor, and philanthropist, Gates relies on teams of experts in science, engineering, and public policy to flesh out the details. The author focuses on five major emissions-generating activities—making things, plugging in, growing things, getting around, and keeping cool and warm—and he breaks down his global plan to address the level of a given country’s financial capabilities. Gates applies his 2050 goal to developed, relatively wealthy countries, with others following as soon as possible after that date. Though we already have some of the tools necessary to implement his plan, many of them are not used widely enough, and Gates presses for increased investment in well-guided research and development and innovation in the efficiency of our electricity use. “We need to accomplish something gigantic we have never done before,” writes the author, “much faster than we have ever done anything similar,” which will require building “a consensus that doesn’t exist” and policy that will “push a transition that would not happen otherwise.” Though Gates doesn’t shy away from acknowledging the daunting challenges ahead, his narrative contains enough confidence—and hard science and economics—to convince many readers that his blueprint is one of the most viable yet.
A supremely authoritative and accessible plan for how we can avoid a climate catastrophe.
Gates (The Road Ahead), Microsoft cofounder turned philanthropist, is optimistic in this cogent guide to avoiding “the worst effects of climate change.” Gates’s goal is to get from the 51 billion tons of greenhouse gasses added to the atmosphere annually to zero. This is possible, he writes, by making use of existing technologies and developing new ones to remove emissions: transportation’s “zero-carbon future,” for example, will mean using “electricity to run all the vehicles we can, and getting cheap alternative fuels for the rest.” (Such alternatives include electrofuels, which, he notes, researchers are developing.) Gates rounds out his advice with steps for governments and individuals: he encourages citizens to “make calls, write letters, attend town halls,” while Congress should financially incentivize green policies, and state governments can “test policies like carbon pricing” before they’re implemented countrywide. Readers will enjoy Gates’s sometimes breezy tone (“You have to be a pretty big nerd to write a sentence like ‘I’m in awe of physical infrastructure’ ”), and while his scientific solutions are never fringe, not all of his ideas strike as politically feasible. Nonetheless, those looking for an accessible review of how global warming can be countered will find this a handy—and maybe even hope-inspiring—guide. (Feb.)
Publishers Weekly
DESCRIPCIÓN: En este libro urgente y autorizado, Bill Gates establece un plan amplio, práctico y accesible sobre cómo el mundo puede llegar a cero emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero a tiempo para evitar una catástrofe climática.
Bill Gates ha pasado una década investigando las causas y efectos del cambio climático. Con la ayuda de expertos en los campos de la física, la química, la biología, la ingeniería, las ciencias políticas y las finanzas, se ha centrado en lo que se debe hacer para detener el deslizamiento del planeta hacia cierto desastre ambiental. En este libro, no solo explica por qué debemos trabajar hacia emisiones netas cero de gases de efecto invernadero, sino que también detalla lo que debemos hacer para lograr este objetivo profundamente importante.
Nos da una descripción clara de los desafíos que enfrentamos. Basándose en su comprensión de la innovación y lo que se necesita para introducir nuevas ideas en el mercado, describe las áreas en las que la tecnología ya está ayudando a reducir las emisiones, dónde y cómo se puede hacer que la tecnología actual funcione de manera más eficaz, dónde se encuentran las tecnologías innovadoras. necesario y quién está trabajando en estas innovaciones esenciales. Finalmente, presenta un plan práctico y concreto para lograr el objetivo de cero emisiones, sugiriendo no solo políticas que los gobiernos deberían adoptar, sino también lo que nosotros, como individuos, podemos hacer para que nuestro gobierno, nuestros empleadores y nosotros mismos seamos responsables de esta empresa crucial. .
Como aclara Bill Gates, lograr cero emisiones no será sencillo ni fácil de hacer, pero si seguimos el plan que aquí se plantea, es una meta firmemente a nuestro alcance.
NOTA DE BILL GATES:
“Escribí Cómo evitar un desastre climático porque creo que estamos en un momento crucial. He visto un progreso emocionante en los más de 15 años que he estado aprendiendo sobre energía y cambio climático. El costo de la energía renovable del sol y el viento se ha reducido drásticamente. Hay más apoyo público que nunca para tomar grandes medidas para evitar un desastre climático. Y los gobiernos y las empresas de todo el mundo están estableciendo objetivos ambiciosos para reducir las emisiones. Lo que necesitamos ahora es un plan que convierta todo este impulso en pasos prácticos para lograr nuestros grandes objetivos. Eso es Cómo evitar un desastre climático: un plan para eliminar las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero. Espero que lean el libro, pero lo que es mucho más importante, espero que hagan lo que puedan para ayudarnos a mantener el planeta habitable para las generaciones venideras ". - Bill Gates
OPINIONES
“La explicación más comprensible de lo que está impulsando el calentamiento de nuestro planeta; cómo medir el impacto de las innumerables contribuciones a este asombroso y aparentemente incalculable problema; y, en última instancia, cómo encontrar enfoques más eficaces para cada uno de ellos. Es lo más parecido que he visto a una guía práctica para abordar la crisis climática ". —Clinton Leaf, Fortune
“Cómo evitar un desastre climático presenta ideas con el enfoque metódico de un libro de texto universitario. . . Sorprendentemente, dado el estado del mundo, es una especie de libro optimista y práctico, repleto de soluciones ". —Christina Binkley, Revista The Wall Street Journal
“El aspecto más refrescante de este libro es su vigorizante mezcla de realismo frío y optimismo aplastante. . . En última instancia, su libro es un manual básico sobre cómo reorganizar la economía global para que la innovación se concentre en los problemas más graves del mundo. Es un poderoso recordatorio de que si la humanidad quiere tomarse en serio la lucha contra ellos, debe hacer más para aprovechar el único recurso natural disponible en cantidades infinitas: el ingenio humano ". -El economista
“El entusiasmo y la curiosidad del autor sobre cómo funcionan las cosas es contagioso. Nos explica no solo la ciencia básica del calentamiento global, sino todas las formas en que nuestras vidas modernas contribuyen a él. . . Gates parece energizado por el tamaño y la complejidad del desafío. Esa es una de las mejores cosas del libro: el optimismo y la convicción de que la ciencia en asociación con la industria están a la altura ". —Richard Schiffman, The Christian Science Monitor
"Con la ayuda de expertos en campos como la física, la ingeniería, la química, las finanzas y la política, el tecnólogo y filántropo ofrece un plan práctico y accesible para lograr que el mundo tenga cero emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero y evitar una catástrofe climática". —Barbara VanDenburgh, USA Today
“Cómo evitar un desastre climático es claro, conciso en un tema colosal e inteligentemente holístico en su enfoque del problema. Puede que Gates no sea el mensajero perfecto, pero ha escrito un excelente manual sobre cómo salir de este lío ". —Adama Vaughan, nueva científica
“Bill Gates tiene un plan para salvar el mundo. . . Si bien reconoce que el desafío es abrumador, y la forma en que hacemos las cosas, las cultivamos, nos movemos, nos mantenemos frescos y nos mantenemos calientes tendrá que cambiar fundamentalmente, Gates sostiene que la transformación total es posible mientras mantenemos los estilos de vida en los países de altos ingresos y continuamos mejorando miles de millones para salir de la pobreza ". —Greg Williams, cableado