Brighter Climate Futures

As the world deals with Climate Change it has become clear that the time for delays is over and we need to come up with a complete time bound plan that is adequate in preventing excessive temperature rise and then to implement it! That is what this book offers. It describes a detailed plan that will help our Earth transform to one that has plenty of renewable energy, improves the living conditions of people, and is beautiful and healthy. There is no question of doing without or even going backwards. The Book shows that there can be plenty of renewable energy for our expanding global energy needs while we are getting rid of fossil fuels and reducing our carbon emissions from them to zero by 2050 in order to keep global average temperatures from rising above 1.5 degrees Celsius (1.5C). This is the temperature rise which the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned us we must not exceed in order to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. Since Global Warming is a GLOBAL issue, the book presents a Global Energy Plan that is quantitatively adequate and timebound, in order to achieve that by the year 2050. It also presents detailed and quantitative energy, climate and ecosystem plans for the US, California, China, India, the European Union and general plans for other categories of nations. The variability of renewable energy (especially Solar) is overcome by showing that this energy can be stored in large quantities. The plans are technically feasible (meaning that they can be applied practically) and are economically viable (meaning that they are within the financial capacity of global society). While most of the plan can be implemented by current technical capabilities, the book shows that there is much scope for technical, social, business and political innovations that will increase our capabilities, which we are fully capable of. So, leave gloom and doom behind. For the world and for each of the nations for which plans are presented, the book describes the worsening conditions that are hurting these nations in a big way (from worsening natural disasters, to bad pollutions, worsening health, and the worsening conditions for agriculture, water shortages and heat waves), and why these nations CANNOT AFFORD to delay implementation of climate change solutions of the type described in the book. The US Green New Deal (GND) is a very good set of aspirations that aims at what the US should do to help with its share of solving the climate crisis, while at the same time improving the lives of people. The book describes how its plan will implement the mobilization goals described in the Green New Deal. It then goes on to describe a Global Green New Deal, and what this will mean for the world. Most importantly, the book also includes a global plan for strengthening and empowering a United Nations based global organization to plan, organize, fund, coordinate and implement the global plan.

"As the world deals with Climate Change it has become clear that the time for delays is over and we need to come up with a complete time bound plan that is adequate in preventing excessive temperature rise and then to implement it! That is what this book offers. It describes a detailed plan that will help our Earth transform to one that has plenty of renewable energy, improves the living conditions of people, and is beautiful and healthy. There is no question of doing without or even going backwards. The Book shows that there can be plenty of renewable energy for our expanding global energy needs while we are getting rid of fossil fuels and reducing our carbon emissions from them to zero by 2050 in order to keep global average temperatures from rising above 1.5 degrees Celsius (1.5C). This is the temperature rise which the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned us we must not exceed in order to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. Since Global Warming is a GLOBAL issue, the book presents a Global Energy Plan that is quantitatively adequate and timebound, in order to achieve that by the year 2050. It also presents detailed and quantitative energy, climate and ecosystem plans for the US, California, China, India, the European Union and general plans for other categories of nations. The variability of renewable energy (especially Solar) is overcome by showing that this energy can be stored in large quantities. The plans are technically feasible (meaning that they can be applied practically) and are economically viable (meaning that they are within the financial capacity of global society). While most of the plan can be implemented by current technical capabilities, the book shows that there is much scope for technical, social, business and political innovations that will increase our capabilities, which we are fully capable of. So, leave gloom and doom behind. For the world and for each of the nations for which plans are presented, the book describes the worsening conditions that are hurting these nations in a big way (from worsening natural disasters, to bad pollutions, worsening health, and the worsening conditions for agriculture, water shortages and heat waves), and why these nations CANNOT AFFORD to delay implementation of climate change solutions of the type described in the book. Since a temperature rise of about 1.5C will still happen, the book describes a detailed plan for year round and organized disaster risk reduction for all the natural disasters worsened by climate change, and the strategies for adapting to heat waves, floods and droughts. Once we have achieved that, we will then need to come up with a plan to bring the temperature and carbon dioxide levels back down. Although the plan in the book does not rely on carbon absorption for this and treats it as a bonus, it further supplements it with global plans for carbon sinks (that absorb carbon) like afforesting the earth over one billion hectares, restoring degrading land masses, expanding all coastal ecosystems over the entire globe, and transforming to a regenerative agriculture. This will do much to begin to restore biodiversity and begin to stop the extinction of species. It will also begin to provide greater health and beauty to our living planet, the like of which we have never seen. The US Green New Deal (GND) is a very good set of aspirations that aims at what the US should do to help with its share of solving the climate crisis, while at the same time improving the lives of people. The book describes how its plan will implement the mobilization goals described in the Green New Deal. It then goes on to describe a Global Green New Deal, and what this will mean for the world. Most importantly, the book also includes a global plan for strengthening and empowering a United Nations based global organization to plan, organize, fund, coordinate and implement the global plan"--

The only book that provides a complete quantitative time bound GLOBAL plan that will provide plenty of clean renewable energy, rid us of the carbon emissions of fossil fuels, minimize global average temperature rise, and rejuvenate forests, coastal ecosystems and agriculture, for a clean and beautiful Earth with a good life for all.

The inspiration for Nuclear Now, the new Oliver Stone film, co-written by Joshua Goldstein 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.

Approaching the issues of climate change and climate justice from a range of diverse perspectives including those of culture, gender, indigeneity, race, and sexuality, as well as challenging colonial histories and capitalist presents, Climate Futures boldly addresses the apparent inevitability of climate chaos. Seeking better explanations of the underlying causes and consequences of climate change, and mapping strategies toward a better future, or at a minimum, the most likely best-case world that we can get to, this book envisions planetary social movements robust enough to spark the necessary changes needed to achieve deeply sustainable and just economic, social, and political policies and practices. Bringing together insights from interdisciplinary scholars, policymakers, creatives and activists, Climate Futures argues for the need to get past us-and-them divides and acknowledge how lives of creatures far and near, human and non-human, are interconnected.

Professor Stephen Peake takes us on a guided tour of the ten most essential aspects of this timely and fast-moving science, examining the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy that lies at the heart of a brighter climate future. Renewable energy is central to managing climate change and our transition to a sustainable energy supply for the 10 billion of us who will populate the earth by 2050. But how will we cope without fossil fuels to heat, cool and light our buildings, power our industry and run our transport systems? And are some renewables better than others? 10 Short Lessons in Renewable Energy distils the key issues of this timely subject, examining how we can harness the power of a range of groundbreaking energy technologies most effectively to achieve a sustainable energy future. About the series: The Pocket Einstein series is a collection of essential pocket-sized guides for anyone looking to understand a little more about some of the most important and fascinating areas of science in the twenty-first century. Broken down into ten simple lessons and written by leading experts in their field, discover the ten most important takeaways from those areas of science you've always wanted to know more about.

• New York Times bestseller • The 100 most substantive solutions to reverse global warming, based on meticulous research by leading scientists and policymakers around the world “At this point in time, the Drawdown book is exactly what is needed; a credible, conservative solution-by-solution narrative that we can do it. Reading it is an effective inoculation against the widespread perception of doom that humanity cannot and will not solve the climate crisis. Reported by-effects include increased determination and a sense of grounded hope.” —Per Espen Stoknes, Author, What We Think About When We Try Not To Think About Global Warming “There’s been no real way for ordinary people to get an understanding of what they can do and what impact it can have. There remains no single, comprehensive, reliable compendium of carbon-reduction solutions across sectors. At least until now. . . . The public is hungry for this kind of practical wisdom.” —David Roberts, Vox “This is the ideal environmental sciences textbook—only it is too interesting and inspiring to be called a textbook.” —Peter Kareiva, Director of the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, UCLA In the face of widespread fear and apathy, an international coalition of researchers, professionals, and scientists have come together to offer a set of realistic and bold solutions to climate change. One hundred techniques and practices are described here—some are well known; some you may have never heard of. They range from clean energy to educating girls in lower-income countries to land use practices that pull carbon out of the air. The solutions exist, are economically viable, and communities throughout the world are currently enacting them with skill and determination. If deployed collectively on a global scale over the next thirty years, they represent a credible path forward, not just to slow the earth’s warming but to reach drawdown, that point in time when greenhouse gases in the atmosphere peak and begin to decline. These measures promise cascading benefits to human health, security, prosperity, and well-being—giving us every reason to see this planetary crisis as an opportunity to create a just and livable world.

Approaching the issues of climate change and climate justice from a range of diverse perspectives including those of culture, gender, indigeneity, race, and sexuality, as well as challenging colonial histories and capitalist presents, Climate Futures boldly addresses the apparent inevitability of climate chaos. Seeking better explanations of the underlying causes and consequences of climate change, and mapping strategies toward a better future, or at a minimum, the most likely best-case world that we can get to, this book envisions planetary social movements robust enough to spark the necessary changes needed to achieve deeply sustainable and just economic, social, and political policies and practices. Bringing together insights from interdisciplinary scholars, policymakers, creatives and activists, Climate Futures argues for the need to get past us-and-them divides and acknowledge how lives of creatures far and near, human and non-human, are interconnected.