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Editorial Reviews
Review
“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
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About the Author
Bill Gates is cochair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and founder of Breakthrough Energy. In 1975, Bill Gates founded Microsoft with Paul Allen and led the company to become the worldwide leader in business and personal software and services. In 2008, Bill transitioned to focus full-time on his foundation’s work to expand opportunity to the world’s most disadvantaged people. Along with cochair Melinda Gates, he leads the foundation’s development of strategies and sets the overall direction of the organization. At Breakthrough Energy, he’s putting his experience as an innovator and problem-solver to work to address climate change by supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs, big thinkers, and clean technologies. Bill uses his experience partnering with global leaders across sectors to help drive the policy, market, and technological changes required for a clean energy transition. In 2010, Bill, Melinda, and Warren Buffett founded the Giving Pledge, an effort to encourage the wealthiest families and individuals to publicly commit more than half of their wealth to philanthropic causes and charitable organizations during their lifetime or in their will.
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Product details
Publisher : Diversified Publishing; Large type / Large print edition (February 23, 2021)
Language : English
Paperback : 384 pages
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Customer reviews
4.6 out of 5 stars
Top reviews from the United States
J. A May
1.0 out of 5 stars Bill Gates has not studied climate science
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2021
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Bill Gates is obviously a bright person, he built Microsoft and was a great innovator. But this book is disappointing. Gates has clearly not studied climate science, he just assumes the IPCC reports and models are correct. Then he accepts their health and economic projections, built with climate model output. He does no due diligence. If he ran his business like this, he would not have succeeded.
So after blindly accepting, the consensus position on climate science he then proceeds to tell us what we must do to combat his hypothesized scourge of climate change. Later he implores the governments of the world to unite in forcing us to do what he wants.
In my opinion, this is a very shallow look at a complex topic. It is more of a propaganda pamphlet than a serious book. Bill Gates should do his homework for his next book. Not recommended.
777 people found this helpful
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Sophismother
1.0 out of 5 stars Unrealistic pie-in-the-sky nonsense
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2021
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Bill Gates' new book was very disappointing to me. He did not seem to be able to relate to the realities of life. He imagines that the federal government will fund all kinds of very expensive bits of technology. The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated financial woes and increased the tendency of elected officials to be more tight-fisted. Doesn't he know this? Senators and Representatives from fossil-fuel-dependent states are not going to go along with Gates' idea of deliberately making fossil fuel products so much more expensive that people will want to buy carbon-free alternatives. Gates seems to imagine that there will be money available to upgrade the electric grids, the need for which was seen in the recent Texas power outages. He is giving some funding, but even billionaires cannot come up with trillions of dollars. Gates' true colors can be seen in what he did fairly recently - convincing Oxford University NOT to allow its Covid vaccine to be used for free by the entire world. (Jonas Salk gave his polio vaccine free to the world.) That example of Salk's apparently didn't sit well with Gates. He managed to convince Oxford University to partner up with AstraZeneca, so that Oxford's vaccine would enter the world of for-profit medicine. Meanwhile the Secretary-General of the UN reminds us that people in poor countries can't get Covid vaccines. Way to go, Gates. Morally bankrupt and a pie-in-the-sky billionaire who doesn't seem to see how close the world is to climate disaster. It is not going to be able to wait for his "wonderful" innovations. There was only one US plant to capture and sequester carbon emissions and it closed in early 2021. Let's have some reality checks.
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353 people found this helpful
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Rachel Lafontaine
1.0 out of 5 stars No Mention of Regenerative Agriculture
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2021
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Bill Gates, with his vast supply of wealth and power surely has to have heard of the carbon-sequestration benefits of regenerative agriculture and no-till methods by now. However, instead of highlighting what will likely be one of the best solutions we have, he ignores it altogether, goes on a rant about cow farts and promotes the fake-meat companies he’s heavily invested in as our best solutions. Unfortunately, this thinking will still continue to kill the majority the planet’s soil and will also do nothing to stop the loss of carbon from the soil by tilling. Only regenerative agriculture can do this but Bill Gates doesn’t want you to know it exists because he’s got money to make off of turning people into fake-meat eating vegans, with zero long-term knowledge or consideration of the effects. Oh the joys of capitalism.
Very disappointed but not surprised. Automatic fail.
241 people found this helpful
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linda galella
TOP 50 REVIEWERVINE VOICE
3.0 out of 5 stars Approachable, Readable and even includes a plan that’s
Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2021
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pie in the sky, Gates totally ignores the single biggest issue that’s plaguing climate disaster in today’s world - POLITICS.
To his credit, Gates doesn’t get bogged down and techie in this book. There’s enough data and science to support his assertions to make them seem reasonable, providing everyone holds hands and plays nice; providing everyone involved in fossil fuels just rolls over and drinks the KoolAid, no job required anytime soon, anywhere close to home.
There are lots of examples for how things can improve rather quickly, what they will potentially cost, how rich countries can and should help poor countries; there are countless opportunities for involvement should readers find themselves motivated for service. Once again I’m struck by the complete absence of the need for political support and cooperation. Does he REALLY think that a change from red to blue will move this project forward so easily?
Gates continues fly around on his private jet while working on this issue. Incongruous? Oxymoronic? Perhaps it’s just plain entitlement, but it doesn’t make for good optics. There are other options and as he said repeatedly in the book, “hard choices need to be made”. Maybe not by everyone?
No doubt I’ll be in the minority on this one but I’m a fan of the reality bus. All the good writing and professional publishing in the world cannot sweep away the fact that what we truly need is cooperation from our elected officials at EVERY level. So far, the price of gas for cars in the NE, (I drive a hybrid), has risen 20% since January 20th; that hurts. It’s too soon to understand the impact this white, cold winter will have on my heating budget. According to my “green provider”, I’m running ahead of last year but more efficient than others in my area. It’s many degrees colder and we had ZERO snow last year. This should be way more fun than huddling under a blanket with my pup in relative darkness each night; yup - hard choices📚
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167 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries
Ruben
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent - Must Read Book - 5 *
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 16, 2021
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Excellent book. Bill Gates, really outlines the ins and outs of something most of the society ignores. Such optimism on his innovative perception and will on solving this global issue. I highly recommend.
56 people found this helpful
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Adam Bowie
5.0 out of 5 stars Practical steps the planet can take
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 17, 2021
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A year or so ago I read The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells, which laid out in often horrific details, the kinds of things that would happen to the planet if we didn’t change our ways.
Bill Gates goes for the much more practical, “So what can we do about it now?” approach. This book is basically his plan to cut our carbon emissions from 51 billion tonnes to zero by 2050. That’s it in a nutshell. If we don’t then, like a bath, with even just a slow dripping tap, we’ll end up overflowing and facing some of the consequences that Wallace-Wells laid out in his earlier work.
To do this, in this enormously readable book, Gates takes us through where the emissions come from, and examines ways to work through each of those sectors, which he breaks down into making things, plugging in, growing things, getting around and keeping warm and cool.
He tackles each in turn, although he notes that we spend a lot of time thinking about “getting around” – aka transport – which accounts for 16% of net emissions, but not so much on making steel and concrete. The food industry also gets a good look-in.
Gates is putting his money where his mouth is. Throughout the book he talks about the various companies he’s invested in. This could sound a bit, “Aren’t I clever?” but it doesn’t. He’s just being practical. It comes from the work he and his wife Melinda have carried out through their Gates Foundation in doing very practical things like fighting malaria. So he’s constantly referring to people he’s met, and businesses he’s keenly following.
And throughout, he is very pragmatic. Only a few of us are willing – or even able – to pay a “Green Premium” for some of life’s essentials. He readily acknowledges that the lower the income you are in, the bigger a proportion of your overall costs something like transport will be. So paying even a small premium is simply not affordable. He’s also very aware that the big growth in greenhouse gases is likely to come from developing parts of the world where billions are coming to expect the same kinds of middle-class lifestyles that Americans and Europeans have experienced.
So, what are the solutions? Well, this isn’t really a list of things that you or I can do directly – assuming neither of us is a world leader. There are some of those things, but this is more about policy as well as corporate and governmental support and investment. When we buy the cheapest concrete or steel, there is no carbon-cost attached to it. There’s no incentive to use the greener materials.
And where there are financial incentives, they don’t necessarily help. The energy industry is rife with them, but they protect the enormously cheap fossil fuel industry. On the other hand, laws might make it ridiculously hard to build things like windfarms (a particular problem, seemingly, in the US).
There are things which make you raise your eyebrows a bit. Gates doesn’t believe that just planting lots of trees will fix things. He’s got nothing against trees but I think sees them as a too simplistic solution that will require ongoing care to payback their investment over centuries. He is a big proponent of nuclear fuel, pointing out that while wind and solar energy are fantastic, they don’t provide consistent power. And even though at heart, Gates is a technologist through and through, he doesn’t see battery technology meaningfully moving on, which causes difficulties if you need to store vast amounts of power to even out supply on windless or cloudy days.
Some will look at Gates, flying around in his private jet and wonder if he really practices what he preaches? He acknowledges his own shortcomings, but I think this book shows that he is indeed putting his money where his mouth is.
Getting to net zero will not be easy, as he repeats throughout, but it’s achievable and he’s laid out a plan to get us there.
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45 people found this helpful
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S Hussain
5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional book written by an exceptional individual.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 16, 2021
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Thought provoking. Insightful.
43 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Allows normal people to understand the necessary battle on climate change.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 17, 2021
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The book is written in a way that's easy to read, not too long, and deeply impactful throughout. In only a few hours I was able to dramatically further my understanding of the larger picture on climate change. This included the breakup of challenges that we face to avoid a climate disaster (which I personally found somewhat surprising), along with the current and future measures needed to tackle it (some of which I already knew more about than others).
29 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars When oil is cheaper than coca cola it is hard to save the world
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 19, 2021
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This is a really good accessible book explaining how we have arrived at the edge of climatic disaster and how we can all do something about it. There will be need for rethinking of policies and there are some hard problems such as how to make CO2 free cement. The challenges of increased economic growth around the world, keep our standards of living, more people having our standards of living, and at the same time cutting CO2 emissions from 51 billion tonnes to net zero in 30yrs is enormous. There are some sobering examples if what will happen eg reductions in food production in a warmer world. Bill highlights the 5 key sectors that emit the most CO2 and identifies the incredible opportunities and returns on green investments. He also advocates for technological advances to lower the 'Green Premium' paid for replacing products and services that normally emit CO2 eg purchase price electric vehicles being more expensive than existing petrol vehicles. There are already some success stories such as drought and flood tolerant crops. But the message is clear, at all levels of society, be it governments, corporations or individuals action has to happen.
This is a very readable book which I found hard to put down ( I read it over 3 evenings). It gives clear facts and makes recommendations that make sense, for example the need for more research and development spending and the problems of existing investment in clean tech due to higher costs, risks and long term payback particularly in energy systems.
Finally, the impact on the world economy of COVID-19 reduced emissions by 5%. Bill Gates was surprised by how little this was given the economic shock showing our reliance on fossil fuels in our daily lives. Change is possible but it has to come soon.
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13 people found this helpful
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