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The 100% Solution: A Plan for Solving Climate Change
"At last--a global plan that actually adds up." --James Hansen, former director, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies
The world must reach negative greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change. Yet no single plan has addressed the full scope of the problem--until now.
In The 100% Solution , Solomon Goldstein-Rose--a leading millennial climate activist and a former Massachusetts state representative--makes clear what needs to happen to hit the 2050 target: the manufacturing booms we must spur, the moonshot projects we must fund, the amount of CO2 we'll have to sequester from the atmosphere, and much more.
Most importantly, he shows us the more prosperous and equitable world we can build by uniting the efforts of activists, industries, governments, scientists, and voters to get the job done.
This is the guide we've been waiting for. As calls for a WWII-scale mobilization intensify--especially among youth activists--this fully illustrated, action-oriented book arms us with specific demands, sets the stakes for what our leaders must achieve, and proves that with this level of comprehensive thinking we can still take back our future.
The world must reach negative greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change. Yet no single plan has addressed the full scope of the problem--until now.
In The 100% Solution , Solomon Goldstein-Rose--a leading millennial climate activist and a former Massachusetts state representative--makes clear what needs to happen to hit the 2050 target: the manufacturing booms we must spur, the moonshot projects we must fund, the amount of CO2 we'll have to sequester from the atmosphere, and much more.
Most importantly, he shows us the more prosperous and equitable world we can build by uniting the efforts of activists, industries, governments, scientists, and voters to get the job done.
This is the guide we've been waiting for. As calls for a WWII-scale mobilization intensify--especially among youth activists--this fully illustrated, action-oriented book arms us with specific demands, sets the stakes for what our leaders must achieve, and proves that with this level of comprehensive thinking we can still take back our future.
305 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 31, 2020
About the author
Solomon Goldstein-Rose
1 book13 followersSolomon Goldstein-Rose has been a climate activist since age 11. His education in engineering and public policy gave him a unique perspective on the intersection of what physically has to happen to solve climate change and what approaches might actually make it happen.
After interning in the Obama White House and in Congress during college, Solomon ran for the Massachusetts state legislature at age 22 and got elected on a platform focused on climate change. During his term he passed several small energy and education policies and created local initiatives for civic education and engagement.
In 2018 he canceled his campaign for re-election so he could work full-time on climate change at the national and global levels. The 100% Solution framework is a product of his political experiences, numerous meetings with technical experts and activists, and intensive research and analysis.
Solomon is also passionate about education policy and election system reform. He lives in Amherst, MA, and makes time for hiking and directing children’s theater.
After interning in the Obama White House and in Congress during college, Solomon ran for the Massachusetts state legislature at age 22 and got elected on a platform focused on climate change. During his term he passed several small energy and education policies and created local initiatives for civic education and engagement.
In 2018 he canceled his campaign for re-election so he could work full-time on climate change at the national and global levels. The 100% Solution framework is a product of his political experiences, numerous meetings with technical experts and activists, and intensive research and analysis.
Solomon is also passionate about education policy and election system reform. He lives in Amherst, MA, and makes time for hiking and directing children’s theater.
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July 31, 2020Like all other books on climate change, this book serves as a regular reminder for human community to act up. But more than angry accusations, this book shows the recent mainstream of climate actions, especially on demystifying public fear on nuclear, cold-war bomb and molten salt reactors simply use different elements. Another point on mobilising the public, we should turn this book into social media language, just like how we approach BLM and MeToo virtual protests.
November 2, 2020
Review in English (not my mother tongue) and Spanish (below).
ENGLISH:
A great book. Like all books made by activists and politicians (and Goldstein-Rose, despite his tender age, has already been both), it is a bit repetitive, as if he feared that his main messages would not get through if he did not repeat them constantly. But that's the only flaw the book has. Steven Pinker loved it (that should be enough) and so did I.
The book first sets a goal: we must achieve negative emissions - getting CO2 out of the atmosphere rather than flooding it with it - by 2050. Otherwise, the results can be cataclysmic and prohibitively expensive to reverse. Achieving it is a daunting task, which will require a level of economic mobilization at all levels similar to World War II. The author does not go into much polemic about whether there will be political will for it or not. He just highlights what is necessary. And it is necessary to reach 2050 with zero or negative emissions.
For this, he proposes five pillars:
Generation of electricity: all of it must be clean, that is, a combination of nuclear and other clean sources, like wind, solar and hydro.
Electrification: everything that can be electric must be (ex: cars, heating)
Synthetic fuels: for what is not electrifiable (eg airplanes), synthetic fuels must be generated from clean energy.
Non-energy changes: basically agricultural and industrial practices that cause greenhouse gases by themselves, and that must be changed to make them clean
Sequestration: removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
The book is dedicated to developing these pillars well so as to arrive at what he calls "the 100% solution", that is, a realistic plan so that the necessary technologies are possible, either because they are only slightly more expensive than the polluting ones, and must be slightly helped with laws or subsidies; or because they are cheaper than pollutant technologies, and then they will be quickly adopted by everyone without the need to force it.
The last chapter of the book is a compilation of the most important policies of each of the five pillars:
-Achieve economies of scale in Nuclear: nuclear energy is clean, and the safest one (even more safe than solar, according to some authors). All deaths from the peaceful use of nuclear energy in all its history are equivalent to those caused by coal in two days actually. But it is necessary to start building nuclear power plants in series: the same model replicated many times, to achieve economies of scale and lower the initial costs, which are the main problem.
-Find cheap ways to generate hydrogen by electrolysis.
-Electric cars and batteries: electric cars are already cheaper to maintain and use than fossil fuel ones. What is needed is investment to reduce the initial cost and facilitate recharges. Electric batteries are still unable to hold energy long enough.
-Cheapen heat pumps
-Achieve methods to produce cement and steel that do not release greenhouse gases
-Laws for the capture of CO2 in industrial processes (this always has an added economic cost for companies, and therefore has to be subsidized or legislated).
-Reforestation and change in agricultural practices
-Carbon pricing: the best incentive to support the five pillars is to tax greenhouse gas emissions
In short, a very complete book. No matter how many reservations one may have about the possibility of achieving this with the current political environment, at least there is someone who has a complete, global, coherent plan, about the steps necessary to do it; the priorities (not all methods are equally important or probabilities of being useful); the leadership that will be needed; and the problems that we may encounter along the way.
The book has nice explanatory illustrations, and bibliographical notes that support the propositions made in the text, but has no index.
SPANISH:
Un libro estupendo. Como todos los libros hechos por activistas y políticos (y Goldstein-Rose, a pesar de su tierna edad, ya ha sido las dos cosas), es un poco repetitivo, como si temiese que sus mensajes principales no fueran a calar si no los repitiera constantemente. Pero ese es el único defecto que tiene el libro. A Steven Pinker le ha encantado (eso debería bastar) y a mí también.
El libro establece primero un objetivo: hemos de alcanzar las emisiones negativas (sacar CO2 de la atmósfera en lugar de inundarla con él) para 2050. De lo contrario, los resultados pueden ser cataclísmicos y prohibitivamente caros de revertir. Conseguirlo es una tarea titánica, que necesitará un nivel de movilización económica a todos los niveles similar a la Segunda Guerra Mundial. El autor no entra mucho a polemizar sobre si habrá voluntad política para ello o no. Se limita a remarcar lo que es necesario. Y es necesario llegar a 2050 con emisiones cero o negativas.
Para ello propone cinco pilares:
Generación de electricidad: que toda sea limpia, es decir, una combinación de nuclear con otras energías limpias, como eólica, solar e hidroeléctrica.
Electrificación: que todo lo que pueda ser eléctrico, lo sea (ej: coches, calefacción)
Combustibles sintéticos: para lo que no sea electrificable (ej: aviones) hay que generar combustibles sintéticos a partir de energía de origen limpio.
Cambios no energéticos: básicamente prácticas agrícolas e industriales que originan gases de efecto invernadero por sí mismas, y que hay que cambiar para que sean limpias
Secuestro: retirar gases de efecto invernadero de la atmósfera.
El libro se dedica a desarrollar bien estos pilares de manera que se llegue a lo que él llama "la solución 100%", es decir, un plan realista para que las tecnologías necesarias sean posibles, bien porque sean sólo ligeramente más caras que las contaminantes, y se ayuden entonces con leyes o subsidios; bien porque sean más baratas que las contaminantes, y entonces se adoptarán rápidamente por todo el mundo sin necesidad de obligar.
El último capítulo del libro es una recopilación de las políticas más importantes de cada uno de los cinco pilares:
-Lograr economías de escala en Nuclear: la energía nuclear es limpia, y la más segura que existe, incluso más segura que la solar, según algunos autores. Todas las muertes por el uso pacífico de la energía nuclear equivalen a las causadas hoy por el carbón en dos días. Pero es necesario empezar a construir centrales nucleares en serie: el mismo modelo replicado muchas veces, para lograr economías de escala y abaratar los costes iniciales, que son el principal problema.
-Encontrar maneras baratas de generar hidrógeno por electrólisis.
-Coches y baterías eléctricos: los coches eléctricos ya son más baratos de mantener y de usar que los de combustible fósil. Lo que hace falta es invertir para disminuir su coste inicial y facilitar sus recargas. Las baterías eléctricas todavía no pueden albergar la energía durante el tiempo suficiente.
-Abaratar las bombas de calor
-Lograr métodos para producir cemento y acero que no liberen gases de efecto invernadero
-Leyes para la captura de CO2 en procesos industriales (esto siempre tiene un coste económico para las empresas, y por tanto, ha de ser subsidiado o legislado).
-Reforestación y cambio en las prácticas agrícolas
-Precio del carbono: el mejor incentivo para apoyar los cinco pilares es tasar las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero
En resumen, un libro muy completo. Por muchas reservas que tenga uno sobre la posibilidad de lograrlo con el ambiente político actual, al menos hay alguien que tiene un plan coherente completo, a nivel mundial, sobre los pasos necesarios para hacerlo, las prioridades (no todos los métodos tienen la misma importancia o probabilidades de servir para algo), el liderazgo que hará falta, y los problemas que nos podemos encontrar en el camino.
El libro tiene simpáticas ilustraciones explicativas, y notas bibliográficas que apoyan las afirmaciones hechas en el texto, pero no tiene índice.
ENGLISH:
A great book. Like all books made by activists and politicians (and Goldstein-Rose, despite his tender age, has already been both), it is a bit repetitive, as if he feared that his main messages would not get through if he did not repeat them constantly. But that's the only flaw the book has. Steven Pinker loved it (that should be enough) and so did I.
The book first sets a goal: we must achieve negative emissions - getting CO2 out of the atmosphere rather than flooding it with it - by 2050. Otherwise, the results can be cataclysmic and prohibitively expensive to reverse. Achieving it is a daunting task, which will require a level of economic mobilization at all levels similar to World War II. The author does not go into much polemic about whether there will be political will for it or not. He just highlights what is necessary. And it is necessary to reach 2050 with zero or negative emissions.
For this, he proposes five pillars:
Generation of electricity: all of it must be clean, that is, a combination of nuclear and other clean sources, like wind, solar and hydro.
Electrification: everything that can be electric must be (ex: cars, heating)
Synthetic fuels: for what is not electrifiable (eg airplanes), synthetic fuels must be generated from clean energy.
Non-energy changes: basically agricultural and industrial practices that cause greenhouse gases by themselves, and that must be changed to make them clean
Sequestration: removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
The book is dedicated to developing these pillars well so as to arrive at what he calls "the 100% solution", that is, a realistic plan so that the necessary technologies are possible, either because they are only slightly more expensive than the polluting ones, and must be slightly helped with laws or subsidies; or because they are cheaper than pollutant technologies, and then they will be quickly adopted by everyone without the need to force it.
The last chapter of the book is a compilation of the most important policies of each of the five pillars:
-Achieve economies of scale in Nuclear: nuclear energy is clean, and the safest one (even more safe than solar, according to some authors). All deaths from the peaceful use of nuclear energy in all its history are equivalent to those caused by coal in two days actually. But it is necessary to start building nuclear power plants in series: the same model replicated many times, to achieve economies of scale and lower the initial costs, which are the main problem.
-Find cheap ways to generate hydrogen by electrolysis.
-Electric cars and batteries: electric cars are already cheaper to maintain and use than fossil fuel ones. What is needed is investment to reduce the initial cost and facilitate recharges. Electric batteries are still unable to hold energy long enough.
-Cheapen heat pumps
-Achieve methods to produce cement and steel that do not release greenhouse gases
-Laws for the capture of CO2 in industrial processes (this always has an added economic cost for companies, and therefore has to be subsidized or legislated).
-Reforestation and change in agricultural practices
-Carbon pricing: the best incentive to support the five pillars is to tax greenhouse gas emissions
In short, a very complete book. No matter how many reservations one may have about the possibility of achieving this with the current political environment, at least there is someone who has a complete, global, coherent plan, about the steps necessary to do it; the priorities (not all methods are equally important or probabilities of being useful); the leadership that will be needed; and the problems that we may encounter along the way.
The book has nice explanatory illustrations, and bibliographical notes that support the propositions made in the text, but has no index.
SPANISH:
Un libro estupendo. Como todos los libros hechos por activistas y políticos (y Goldstein-Rose, a pesar de su tierna edad, ya ha sido las dos cosas), es un poco repetitivo, como si temiese que sus mensajes principales no fueran a calar si no los repitiera constantemente. Pero ese es el único defecto que tiene el libro. A Steven Pinker le ha encantado (eso debería bastar) y a mí también.
El libro establece primero un objetivo: hemos de alcanzar las emisiones negativas (sacar CO2 de la atmósfera en lugar de inundarla con él) para 2050. De lo contrario, los resultados pueden ser cataclísmicos y prohibitivamente caros de revertir. Conseguirlo es una tarea titánica, que necesitará un nivel de movilización económica a todos los niveles similar a la Segunda Guerra Mundial. El autor no entra mucho a polemizar sobre si habrá voluntad política para ello o no. Se limita a remarcar lo que es necesario. Y es necesario llegar a 2050 con emisiones cero o negativas.
Para ello propone cinco pilares:
Generación de electricidad: que toda sea limpia, es decir, una combinación de nuclear con otras energías limpias, como eólica, solar e hidroeléctrica.
Electrificación: que todo lo que pueda ser eléctrico, lo sea (ej: coches, calefacción)
Combustibles sintéticos: para lo que no sea electrificable (ej: aviones) hay que generar combustibles sintéticos a partir de energía de origen limpio.
Cambios no energéticos: básicamente prácticas agrícolas e industriales que originan gases de efecto invernadero por sí mismas, y que hay que cambiar para que sean limpias
Secuestro: retirar gases de efecto invernadero de la atmósfera.
El libro se dedica a desarrollar bien estos pilares de manera que se llegue a lo que él llama "la solución 100%", es decir, un plan realista para que las tecnologías necesarias sean posibles, bien porque sean sólo ligeramente más caras que las contaminantes, y se ayuden entonces con leyes o subsidios; bien porque sean más baratas que las contaminantes, y entonces se adoptarán rápidamente por todo el mundo sin necesidad de obligar.
El último capítulo del libro es una recopilación de las políticas más importantes de cada uno de los cinco pilares:
-Lograr economías de escala en Nuclear: la energía nuclear es limpia, y la más segura que existe, incluso más segura que la solar, según algunos autores. Todas las muertes por el uso pacífico de la energía nuclear equivalen a las causadas hoy por el carbón en dos días. Pero es necesario empezar a construir centrales nucleares en serie: el mismo modelo replicado muchas veces, para lograr economías de escala y abaratar los costes iniciales, que son el principal problema.
-Encontrar maneras baratas de generar hidrógeno por electrólisis.
-Coches y baterías eléctricos: los coches eléctricos ya son más baratos de mantener y de usar que los de combustible fósil. Lo que hace falta es invertir para disminuir su coste inicial y facilitar sus recargas. Las baterías eléctricas todavía no pueden albergar la energía durante el tiempo suficiente.
-Abaratar las bombas de calor
-Lograr métodos para producir cemento y acero que no liberen gases de efecto invernadero
-Leyes para la captura de CO2 en procesos industriales (esto siempre tiene un coste económico para las empresas, y por tanto, ha de ser subsidiado o legislado).
-Reforestación y cambio en las prácticas agrícolas
-Precio del carbono: el mejor incentivo para apoyar los cinco pilares es tasar las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero
En resumen, un libro muy completo. Por muchas reservas que tenga uno sobre la posibilidad de lograrlo con el ambiente político actual, al menos hay alguien que tiene un plan coherente completo, a nivel mundial, sobre los pasos necesarios para hacerlo, las prioridades (no todos los métodos tienen la misma importancia o probabilidades de servir para algo), el liderazgo que hará falta, y los problemas que nos podemos encontrar en el camino.
El libro tiene simpáticas ilustraciones explicativas, y notas bibliográficas que apoyan las afirmaciones hechas en el texto, pero no tiene índice.
April 9, 2022
Goldstein-Rose ably puts together a case that it is possible (though challenging) to mitigate our ongoing, self-inflicted climate crisis through the use of technological advancements and policy. Where I think he falls down a bit is the assumption that technology will continue advancing to save us, that people overall are able to be long-sighted, and that both domestic and international policy will be able to help rather than hinder us. All of that said, though, if what he lays out isn't possible, I really don't know what is.
March 4, 2021
At age 22, Solomon Goldstein-Rose served a term as the State Representative for a district that borders mine. He left the legislature to work full time on climate change, and he and I have had many climate discussions over the years. When I found out he’d released a book, I asked for a review copy.
The title would be more accurate if it said “Solutions”, not “Solution”; Goldstein-Rose’s whole point is that if we break up the causes of climate chaos into separate industries and sectors, multiple solutions can be woven together to create a carbon-neutral or even carbon-negative world: a meta-solution with many components woven together into a coherent approach, where no single approach could come anywhere near eliminating 100% of atmospheric carbon. He even gives percentage ranges that each can theoretically accomplish.
The well-researched book offers four questions to evaluate carbon remediation strategies (pp. 21-22):
* Is it cost-competitive?
* Can it scale up fast enough?
* Does it rely on mandates to industry or on individual choices? Mandated behavior change will be a lot faster—but in MY opinion, encounter more hostility.
* How much lifestyle change will it require? The more change, the lower the rate of adoption.
Also five pillars for addressing carbon globally (p. 4, explored in detail with a chapter for each, pp. 83-195):
1. (Clean) electricity generation
2. Electrification of processes now powered by carbon-intensive fossil fuels
3. Synthesized fuels
4. Non-energy shifts
5. Carbon sequestration
Pillars 1 and 2 are all about getting our electricity generation as clean as possible, and then switching many energy-hogging activities to that clean electricity. Pillar 3 is about switching to carbon-free artificial substitutes for systems that really need concentrated, consistent energy (jet airplanes, for instance, p. 125). Pillar 4 covers the impact of industries like agriculture, logging, and cement. And Pillar 5 extracts carbon from the air and puts it, quite literally, “where the sun don’t shine”—usually deep underground.
In general, while I have concerns about the environmental and social impacts of several of his recommendations, I basically approve of his approach and am grateful for his meticulous number-crunching and numerous references (which would have been even better if the book had an index).
But there’s one “solution” he gives a lot of weight to that I am convinced is a serious mistake: He’s strongly in favor of nuclear power (pp. 96-105).
I’ve already made the arguments against nuclear power, many times. You can find a condensed version in the brief update I wrote for a new Japanese edition of my first book, Nuclear Lessons, following the Fukushima meltdown in 2011: https://goingbeyondsustainability.com...
There’s also one potential 6th pillar he dismisses that could make up for not using horrific, unsafe, toxic nuclear technology: He almost completely ignores conservation/efficiency, other than calling them a distraction (pp. 41-46) and only hinting at the significant positive contribution they make on pp. 200-201. There’s also a passing reference (p. 147) to eating less meat as a way of reducing carbon impact (which, as a vegetarian since 1973, I certainly endorse—but as just one conservation step among many).
The research on conservation and efficiency is clear. We’ve already cut our energy use drastically by switching from incandescent to LED lighting, insulating our buildings, etc. But that’s only the beginning. The US still uses well more than twice as much energy per capita as, say, Denmark or Britain—places that offer comparable or better quality of life by most metrics.
And by designing systemically and holistically, there are far more opportunities to conserve. For example, when the Empire State Building underwent a “deep-energy retrofit” several years ago, it achieved energy savings of over $4 million per year, with just a three-year payback. Multiply by billions of buildings, and we begin to see what’s possible. As Amory Lovins, founder of Rocky Mountain Institute (a major player in the Empire State Building project), notes (in this admittedly dense article), when we have different energy efficiency systems working together, we can gain exponential energy savings. And that translates to vastly lower carbon footprint. I discuss Lovins’ amazing work in much more accessible language in my latest book, Guerrilla Marketing to Heal the World, along with several other equally amazing “practical visionaries.”
The title would be more accurate if it said “Solutions”, not “Solution”; Goldstein-Rose’s whole point is that if we break up the causes of climate chaos into separate industries and sectors, multiple solutions can be woven together to create a carbon-neutral or even carbon-negative world: a meta-solution with many components woven together into a coherent approach, where no single approach could come anywhere near eliminating 100% of atmospheric carbon. He even gives percentage ranges that each can theoretically accomplish.
The well-researched book offers four questions to evaluate carbon remediation strategies (pp. 21-22):
* Is it cost-competitive?
* Can it scale up fast enough?
* Does it rely on mandates to industry or on individual choices? Mandated behavior change will be a lot faster—but in MY opinion, encounter more hostility.
* How much lifestyle change will it require? The more change, the lower the rate of adoption.
Also five pillars for addressing carbon globally (p. 4, explored in detail with a chapter for each, pp. 83-195):
1. (Clean) electricity generation
2. Electrification of processes now powered by carbon-intensive fossil fuels
3. Synthesized fuels
4. Non-energy shifts
5. Carbon sequestration
Pillars 1 and 2 are all about getting our electricity generation as clean as possible, and then switching many energy-hogging activities to that clean electricity. Pillar 3 is about switching to carbon-free artificial substitutes for systems that really need concentrated, consistent energy (jet airplanes, for instance, p. 125). Pillar 4 covers the impact of industries like agriculture, logging, and cement. And Pillar 5 extracts carbon from the air and puts it, quite literally, “where the sun don’t shine”—usually deep underground.
In general, while I have concerns about the environmental and social impacts of several of his recommendations, I basically approve of his approach and am grateful for his meticulous number-crunching and numerous references (which would have been even better if the book had an index).
But there’s one “solution” he gives a lot of weight to that I am convinced is a serious mistake: He’s strongly in favor of nuclear power (pp. 96-105).
I’ve already made the arguments against nuclear power, many times. You can find a condensed version in the brief update I wrote for a new Japanese edition of my first book, Nuclear Lessons, following the Fukushima meltdown in 2011: https://goingbeyondsustainability.com...
There’s also one potential 6th pillar he dismisses that could make up for not using horrific, unsafe, toxic nuclear technology: He almost completely ignores conservation/efficiency, other than calling them a distraction (pp. 41-46) and only hinting at the significant positive contribution they make on pp. 200-201. There’s also a passing reference (p. 147) to eating less meat as a way of reducing carbon impact (which, as a vegetarian since 1973, I certainly endorse—but as just one conservation step among many).
The research on conservation and efficiency is clear. We’ve already cut our energy use drastically by switching from incandescent to LED lighting, insulating our buildings, etc. But that’s only the beginning. The US still uses well more than twice as much energy per capita as, say, Denmark or Britain—places that offer comparable or better quality of life by most metrics.
And by designing systemically and holistically, there are far more opportunities to conserve. For example, when the Empire State Building underwent a “deep-energy retrofit” several years ago, it achieved energy savings of over $4 million per year, with just a three-year payback. Multiply by billions of buildings, and we begin to see what’s possible. As Amory Lovins, founder of Rocky Mountain Institute (a major player in the Empire State Building project), notes (in this admittedly dense article), when we have different energy efficiency systems working together, we can gain exponential energy savings. And that translates to vastly lower carbon footprint. I discuss Lovins’ amazing work in much more accessible language in my latest book, Guerrilla Marketing to Heal the World, along with several other equally amazing “practical visionaries.”
August 3, 2020
This is quite an achievement. Solomon Goldstein-Rose is only 26 or 27 years old, but has produced a book that purports to give us a road map to a sustainable future. The writing is clear, the book design admirable, and the brilliant illustrations, by Violet Kitchen, are the book's best aspect.
It could be that in 2030, we will remember this book as the visionary call to action that set us on the path to sustainability. And I will look like a retrograde dope for my petty objections.
But today is today. I am reading this book to decide if it should be featured in the the Bender JCC Book Festival. And I voice a regretful "no."
Here are the reasons for NOT including it in the book festival:
1
--
Although the author appears to be Jewish, the book itself has NO Jewish content. The author does not even allude to his background.
2
--
The book may be a brilliant solution to the existential dilemma of our time. Or it may be a lot of poppycock. I don't know, I'm not qualified to judge.
3
--
But I can make a few observations:
--It appears that the author advocates a lot of ideas that are only that: ideas. It's worthwhile to say that solving climate change will require a national effort on the scale of the World War II transformation of the economy. But saying that something is needed and actually getting it done are two different things. As the Acquisitions Editor of a publishing house told me: Having a good idea for a book is not so hard. The hard part is researching, organizing, writing, illustrating, editing, and publishing the book.
--Although there are over 20 pages of endnotes, sentences in the book itself are not footnoted. This means that it is impossible to connect an assertion in the book with its source.
This last deficiency was the final blow for me. Surely Solomon, a graduate of Brown University, was taught that footnotes allow readers to evaluate your assertions. Why has he made it impossible to do so?
It could be that in 2030, we will remember this book as the visionary call to action that set us on the path to sustainability. And I will look like a retrograde dope for my petty objections.
But today is today. I am reading this book to decide if it should be featured in the the Bender JCC Book Festival. And I voice a regretful "no."
Here are the reasons for NOT including it in the book festival:
1
--
Although the author appears to be Jewish, the book itself has NO Jewish content. The author does not even allude to his background.
2
--
The book may be a brilliant solution to the existential dilemma of our time. Or it may be a lot of poppycock. I don't know, I'm not qualified to judge.
3
--
But I can make a few observations:
--It appears that the author advocates a lot of ideas that are only that: ideas. It's worthwhile to say that solving climate change will require a national effort on the scale of the World War II transformation of the economy. But saying that something is needed and actually getting it done are two different things. As the Acquisitions Editor of a publishing house told me: Having a good idea for a book is not so hard. The hard part is researching, organizing, writing, illustrating, editing, and publishing the book.
--Although there are over 20 pages of endnotes, sentences in the book itself are not footnoted. This means that it is impossible to connect an assertion in the book with its source.
This last deficiency was the final blow for me. Surely Solomon, a graduate of Brown University, was taught that footnotes allow readers to evaluate your assertions. Why has he made it impossible to do so?
June 27, 2023
There's no denying that Solomon Goldstein-Rose has made remarkable achievements, especially from a young age. And he deserves praise for continually working to resolve climate change. But while the writing itself was clear, with detailed explanations on how to resolve this ever-pressing problem, there is far too much idealism for this book to be used as a roadmap. Quite rightfully, he explains that political will needs to be in place for these initiatives to carry out. But Goldstein-Rose places way too much optimism in countries like China in thinking that they will work with other countries to resolve climate change. This point fails to take into account the geopolitics that are going on at the moment. China indeed may be the only country that can carry out these projects he has suggested, seeing as they have the resources to manufacture these clean energy products. But the Chinese government has never really placed clean energy on the top of their list of priorities: Economic growth is and has always been at the top.
As a result, Goldstein-Rose's roadmap, while well-meaning, can only really be followed if there IS political will. And seeing the way things are now...Well, I wouldn't be holding my breath.
As a result, Goldstein-Rose's roadmap, while well-meaning, can only really be followed if there IS political will. And seeing the way things are now...Well, I wouldn't be holding my breath.
January 24, 2022
This book represents nothing more than a simple introduction to the complex topic of climate change and what will be needed to achieve the goals set for 2050 in terms of emissions reduction. Although there is nothing inherently wrong with the simplicity of the content, if you are (like me) looking for some more data-rich and detailed source I think you would do better to just skip this book and read John Doerr's "Speed and Scale" instead. Also, in my opinion, simple content does not pair well with redundancy at all. This book is written in a way that makes you feel like the author is trying too hard to teach a four-year-old (that four-year-old being you) about the topic by endlessly repeating the same few concepts and this is the reason I gave it 3 stars.
July 3, 2020
Well written and clear - and extremely;y important.
Title refers to premise that the world must reach negative greenhouse emissions by 2015 - and that goal must be met 100%. Not cutting emissions by 10%, but getting the job done.
5 Pillars in order of importance:
Electricity Generation, Electrification, Synthesized Fuels, Non-Energy Shifts and finally, Sequestrtin.
Title refers to premise that the world must reach negative greenhouse emissions by 2015 - and that goal must be met 100%. Not cutting emissions by 10%, but getting the job done.
5 Pillars in order of importance:
Electricity Generation, Electrification, Synthesized Fuels, Non-Energy Shifts and finally, Sequestrtin.
August 11, 2020
Reads like a superficial and insanely cited research paper
It's night bad not good. Not outrageous in terms of hypothesies. Climate change is like a target every body sees where they try to throw darts at it yet miss. It's the elephant in the room but many are focused on the dust mites in the air.
It's night bad not good. Not outrageous in terms of hypothesies. Climate change is like a target every body sees where they try to throw darts at it yet miss. It's the elephant in the room but many are focused on the dust mites in the air.
Read
January 3, 2021I found this book really helpful in providing a comprehensive and well-structured overview of the transisitions which will need to take place to limited climate breakdown, which is accessible for someone with a non-scientific background. I was a bit puzzled that the author didn't discuss what role the UNFCCC might have in that process, though.
May 23, 2021
Convincing and clear
This book has convinced me of the necessary steps to achieve a complete solution to climate change. I had already read a few other books on the subject, but this may be the most complete one yet, and the best part is that it requires no previous knowledge to understand. Give it to your friends and family and spread the word!
This book has convinced me of the necessary steps to achieve a complete solution to climate change. I had already read a few other books on the subject, but this may be the most complete one yet, and the best part is that it requires no previous knowledge to understand. Give it to your friends and family and spread the word!
November 7, 2021
I really enjoyed this book. The reason I gave this book only 4 stars is that there were a few chapters that were way over my head. Other chapters were very informative and show how we can get to 100% solution for climate change. I do wish they had a few chapters on what individuals could do not just what large corporations/countries could do.
May 5, 2022
I've read most of the popular climate solutions books. The content in this book is similar to "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster" and "Speed & Scale". However, I found the writing style to be much more approachable. The cartoonish illustrations are also on-point w/o looking clinical.
If you read only one "how to solve climate change book", this should be it!
If you read only one "how to solve climate change book", this should be it!
October 3, 2022
I picked up this book to learn more about climate change and sustainability and it definitely did not disappoint. This is very well written and easy to follow and as a visual learner I truly enjoyed the diagrams included throughout the book. It mostly focused, on GHG and the need for innovation for us to achieve net zero emissions and address climate change concerns.
March 28, 2023
This is the best of a batch of climate change books I’ve read in the last couple weeks. It lays out a series of practical steps we (the world) must do to hit the 2050 target of reaching negative greenhouse gas emissions. His writing is upbeat and makes it seem that we can actually succeed in this monumental undertaking.
April 13, 2020
This would be a one but it's full of well-research data and a few very handy diagrams.
The actual conclusions are focused on capitalism'ing our way out of capitalism so we can have more capitalism so later we can capitalism more and forever.
The actual conclusions are focused on capitalism'ing our way out of capitalism so we can have more capitalism so later we can capitalism more and forever.
May 25, 2020
Excellent overview of the challenges and solutions to tackling climate change. Assesses solutions quantitatively and pragmatically, a must-read overview on the topic. A refreshing change from the standard partisan and unfocused discussions on the topic.
May 28, 2020
My bookclub friend had this delivered to me to read. Pretty fantastic ideas for solving climate change through affordable measures. It was hopeful, if we can only engage policy makers to set the necessary policies. I will be advocating through my state reps as always.
July 24, 2020
A political platform to adress climate change. Interesting in its scope, but quite naive in its sepration of policy and technology. View of technological development (pick the right technology and support its development and implementation) assumes linearity of tech roll out.
January 21, 2022
A really comprehensive book that summarizes a lot of climate issues, describes their solutions (in surprising detail) and proposes a plan to tie them together. I'm surprised I haven't heard more about Solomon GR bc he has a lot of good ideas!
April 20, 2020
A succinct and comprehensive assessment of the problem and a pragmatic proposal for how to solve it. Recognition that political will never overcome economic reality.
August 6, 2020
The only book in the market that does not clearly explain what climate changes are, but also lay out the framework to a solution.
October 19, 2020
Great to see a book that attempts to tie things together into a comprehensive framework. Nicely done and well illustrated
June 1, 2022
More people need to read this book.
October 22, 2023
I don't know enough about the details of the policies mentioned to know if his plan will actually work, but this is an important exercise that more people should be doing.
April 25, 2024
It felt for me that it was written mainly to lawmakers and policy drivers.
April 30, 2024
Solomon Goldstein-Rose presented to my class today! Great discussion with unique perspectives from an engineering and political stand point.
December 22, 2022
If I could ever only recommend a single environmental book to everyone in the world, it would be this one.
If someone told you that you have exactly 30 YEARS to reduce your emissions or otherwise your house will BURN with NO OTHER OPTION or house to stay in, wouldn´t you sense the urgency in those words and do EVERYTHING that must be done, instead of just "going on the right path" or doing "10% of what I think I can do"? Exactly. You would do 100% to save your ONLY HOME. That´s the first point in this book. Facts that frame the problem.
"Solving climate change is more important for our future than tackling many other worthwhile causes, because so many issues— poverty, disease, immigration politics—cannot improve if climate change worsens."
Climate change must be a priority. This book is, in its most elemental, a good eye-opener for those who do not understand the scale of the problem. In its most advanced, it´s a good scientific guide to understand all of the steps we must take, in case we have never encountered actual solutions or just heard the people-blaming from media and companies, that often leaves the polluting structures in place.
The second thing I loved was a very CLEAR, UNDERSTANDABLE and SPECIFIC guideline to achieve that 100% of goals IN TIME. Otherwise it will be too little, too late. Climate change has a point of no return. Some damages are unsolvable after they have been done. The author was extremely realistic in what we can expect from governments in the near future (so he doesn´t propose hyper expensive and weird technologies for his plan) and also includes all type of emissions that we need to deal with, instead of giving solutions just to transport, or cattle or deforestation derived emissions. He is also intersectional and understands the economical and political difficulties that may arise in different countries and areas of the world, as well as in low-income families when switching to new technologies or lifestyles. It even has very pretty and simple illustrations for complex terms and systems.
Finally, he focuses on what YOU can do. Identifying greenwashing techniques from companies, mediocre rhethoric from polititians, or a lot of small steps to increase pressure through politics and NGO´s. You don´t need to be the most expert person to get the book. It is well-researched, based on info from other professors/scientists, and a very long bibliography. Definitely worth it.
If someone told you that you have exactly 30 YEARS to reduce your emissions or otherwise your house will BURN with NO OTHER OPTION or house to stay in, wouldn´t you sense the urgency in those words and do EVERYTHING that must be done, instead of just "going on the right path" or doing "10% of what I think I can do"? Exactly. You would do 100% to save your ONLY HOME. That´s the first point in this book. Facts that frame the problem.
"Solving climate change is more important for our future than tackling many other worthwhile causes, because so many issues— poverty, disease, immigration politics—cannot improve if climate change worsens."
Climate change must be a priority. This book is, in its most elemental, a good eye-opener for those who do not understand the scale of the problem. In its most advanced, it´s a good scientific guide to understand all of the steps we must take, in case we have never encountered actual solutions or just heard the people-blaming from media and companies, that often leaves the polluting structures in place.
The second thing I loved was a very CLEAR, UNDERSTANDABLE and SPECIFIC guideline to achieve that 100% of goals IN TIME. Otherwise it will be too little, too late. Climate change has a point of no return. Some damages are unsolvable after they have been done. The author was extremely realistic in what we can expect from governments in the near future (so he doesn´t propose hyper expensive and weird technologies for his plan) and also includes all type of emissions that we need to deal with, instead of giving solutions just to transport, or cattle or deforestation derived emissions. He is also intersectional and understands the economical and political difficulties that may arise in different countries and areas of the world, as well as in low-income families when switching to new technologies or lifestyles. It even has very pretty and simple illustrations for complex terms and systems.
Finally, he focuses on what YOU can do. Identifying greenwashing techniques from companies, mediocre rhethoric from polititians, or a lot of small steps to increase pressure through politics and NGO´s. You don´t need to be the most expert person to get the book. It is well-researched, based on info from other professors/scientists, and a very long bibliography. Definitely worth it.
March 10, 2022
A very important book for addressing the climate crisis, and the most practical book on the subject that I've found.
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