Entrance

I accepted climate change as a reality a long time ago, even as a child it seemed prudent to prepare for the day we run out of fossil fuels. I’m also the sort who doesn’t mind thinking about preparing for when the sun goes black even though it’s a looooong way off. A climate disaster isn’t a long way off if we don’t work together and this is the point of Bill Gates’ book, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster. This is a big picture book, and by that I don’t mean it is colorfully illustrated and written for the young. I mean that you are guided through the problems and possible solutions by someone who can understand globe-spanning phenomenon and not get lost in any one part. The book is hopeful, fact-filled and compassionate. 

We all need a little sunshine when facing up to the consequences of questionable choices. This book fits the Bill. Carefully laying out what we have and what we need, it focuses on meeting the goal more than surviving the disasters. It is a strategic choice and well done. 

You will learn so much from this book, but not in the brain-crunching, strange vocabulary overwhelmingness way that books can have when they become too technical. Clear and memorable the useful lists and moderate use of details turn you into an informed consumer and advocate for the planet.

Perhaps my favorite of this book’s virtues is his advocacy for developing nations, and his recognition of how unfair it would be to ask them to stop reaching for humane life with the cheapest solution close at hand. It is so easy forget the many burdens of the poor. It was good to find them remembered here.