A bright future : how some countries have solved climate change and the rest can follow / Joshua S. Goldstein and Staffan A. Qvist.
Material type:
TextPublisher: New York : Public Affairs, 2019Edition: First editionDescription: x, 276 pages : illustrations ; 22 cmContent type: - text
- unmediated
- volume
- 9781541724105
- 1541724100
| Item type | Home library | Collection | Call number | Materials specified | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adult Book
|
Main Library | NonFiction | 363.7387 G624 | Available | 33111009318532 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
The first book to offer a proven, fast, inexpensive, and practical way to cut greenhouse gas emissions and prevent catastrophic climate change.
As climate change quickly approaches a series of turning points that guarantee disastrous outcomes, a solution is hiding in plain sight. Several countries have already replaced fossil fuels with low-carbon energy sources, and done so rapidly, in one to two decades. By following their methods, we could decarbonize the global economy by midcentury, replacing fossil fuels even while world energy use continues to rise. But so far we have lacked the courage to really try.
In this clear-sighted and compelling book, Joshua Goldstein and Staffan Qvist explain how clean energy quickly replaced fossil fuels in such places as Sweden, France, South Korea, and Ontario. Their people enjoyed prosperity and growing energy use in harmony with the natural environment. They didn't do this through personal sacrifice, nor through 100 percent renewables, but by using them in combination with an energy source the Swedes call käkraft, hundreds of times safer and cleaner than coal.
Clearly written and beautifully illustrated, yet footnoted with extensive technical references, Goldstein and Qvist's book will provide a new touchstone in discussions of climate change. It could spark a shift in world energy policy that, in the words of Steven Pinker's foreword, literally saves the world.
"A proven, fast, inexpensive, practical way to cut greenhouse gas emissions and prevent catastrophic climate change. As climate change nears potentially disastrous tipping points, a solution is hiding in plain sight. Several countries have successfully replaced fossil fuels with low-carbon energy sources by combining renewable energy with a quick buildout of nuclear power. By following their example, the world could dramatically cut fossil fuel use by midcentury, even as energy consumption continues to rise. Joshua Goldstein and Staffan Qvist explain how clean energy rapidly replaced fossil fuels in such places as Sweden, France, and Ontario, while enhancing both prosperity and the natural environment. Engagingly written, yet backed by deep research, this book will encourage a fresh look at the assumptions that have long shaped the climate change debate. The stakes are extraordinarily high and the deadline for action is near. This clear and compelling book could spark the transformation in energy policy that the world needs."--Dust jacket.
Decarbonization: Climate won't wait ; What Sweden did ; What Germany did -- Half measures: More energy, not less ; 100 percent renewables? ; Methane is still fossil -- Facing fears: Safest energy ever ; Risks and fears ; Handling waste ; Preventing proliferation -- The way forward: Keep what we've got ; Next-generation technology ; China, Russia, India ; Pricing carbon pollution ; Act globally.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 229-264 ) and index.