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Beyond Carbon Neutral: How We Fix the Climate Crisis Now
Beyond Carbon How We Fix the Climate Crisis Now , details, step-by-step, what we need to do right now to avert disaster, showing that there is still hope for solving climate change. This important book hopes to instill the passion and clarity for overcoming such a major problem. Author Dr. Samuel M. Goodman provides a tool to help you gain the understanding needed to advocate for a future free of this looming catastrophe in this thought-provoking work.
Beyond Carbon Neutral speaks to everyone concerned about climate change. It’s designed to give the reader the information they’ll need to understand the road ahead. You'll read
Worried about climate change? Beyond Carbon Neutral contains a wealth of information to help turn innovative concepts into reality.
Beyond Carbon Neutral speaks to everyone concerned about climate change. It’s designed to give the reader the information they’ll need to understand the road ahead. You'll read
Worried about climate change? Beyond Carbon Neutral contains a wealth of information to help turn innovative concepts into reality.
338 pages, Paperback
Published April 28, 2021
7 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 8, 2021
I can't say enough how refreshing it is to read a book on climate change that addresses HOW to fix the problem. All too often you'll hear on the news how things are bad, (bad, bad, bad), and I know that it is as well from some of my classes, but without the "how to fix" part of the conversation, it just becomes doom and gloom, and the author is right in saying that people start to just tune it out -- I've heard people say stuff like that (Oh, we're doomed. Oh, well!)
But this book isn't that.
There is some in the beginning as a call to action, but the bulk of the book include actions that can be taken now (as in using only technology available now) to sort the problems -- including exploring alternative sources of power for the power grid (and all the difficulties that are involved with each renewable source of energy), how to store power, how to capture carbon, what legislative policies will help, and what an individual can do.
In general, I found this book to be hopeful in that there is an actual way to fix this, and I appreciated how the author did not shy away from ANY solution, even if it had serious drawbacks - and he did mention what those were. (Talking about the algal bloom part. Almost had a stroke reading it, but appreciated the inclusion.)
As for the audience, hmm, there is a certain essay-ness about this book and its organization that makes me think this should be read by politicians or those interested in learning what policies to vote for. It is certainly readable and interesting (especially the exploration of different power sources), but there is a directness that might be too much for the casual reader -- that's not to say that I don't think people should read it, quite the contrary! As most people live on this earth and should have an interest in survival, we should all educate ourselves on how to do so. So I recommend to everyone.
But this book isn't that.
There is some in the beginning as a call to action, but the bulk of the book include actions that can be taken now (as in using only technology available now) to sort the problems -- including exploring alternative sources of power for the power grid (and all the difficulties that are involved with each renewable source of energy), how to store power, how to capture carbon, what legislative policies will help, and what an individual can do.
In general, I found this book to be hopeful in that there is an actual way to fix this, and I appreciated how the author did not shy away from ANY solution, even if it had serious drawbacks - and he did mention what those were. (Talking about the algal bloom part. Almost had a stroke reading it, but appreciated the inclusion.)
As for the audience, hmm, there is a certain essay-ness about this book and its organization that makes me think this should be read by politicians or those interested in learning what policies to vote for. It is certainly readable and interesting (especially the exploration of different power sources), but there is a directness that might be too much for the casual reader -- that's not to say that I don't think people should read it, quite the contrary! As most people live on this earth and should have an interest in survival, we should all educate ourselves on how to do so. So I recommend to everyone.
September 1, 2021
Great outline for climate action, with many specific details absolutely wrong.
I'd give this book a 5 of 5 for the general outline of climate action & the level headed assessment of the social/political difficulties in achieving goals of decarbonization. Bonus points for rewilding and not pushing efficiency (near zero energy use) to an extreme.
I'd award this same auther 0.5 of 5 points for the details of implementation. Basically he believes in the fallacy of 100% renewables - including a massive increase of hydro, ocean, & geothermal.
He also has a fundamentally flawed understanding of the most reliable, affordable, & sustainable energy source: nuclear. Thinking there are only enough fuels to sustain nuclear for 200 years, he believes nuclear shouldn't be built. Though maintaining existing plants for a decade or two is worthwhile (OK, maybe 1 of 5😁).
This book is highly recommended as a group discussion book - it will certainly spark lively conversations.
I'd give this book a 5 of 5 for the general outline of climate action & the level headed assessment of the social/political difficulties in achieving goals of decarbonization. Bonus points for rewilding and not pushing efficiency (near zero energy use) to an extreme.
I'd award this same auther 0.5 of 5 points for the details of implementation. Basically he believes in the fallacy of 100% renewables - including a massive increase of hydro, ocean, & geothermal.
He also has a fundamentally flawed understanding of the most reliable, affordable, & sustainable energy source: nuclear. Thinking there are only enough fuels to sustain nuclear for 200 years, he believes nuclear shouldn't be built. Though maintaining existing plants for a decade or two is worthwhile (OK, maybe 1 of 5😁).
This book is highly recommended as a group discussion book - it will certainly spark lively conversations.
September 27, 2021
ne of my pet peeves as I grow older is people whining about problems without offering solutions.
Sometimes the whining isn't really harmful, just annoying. Someone at work complaining about the "good" parking spots being taken? Hey, you do you, I'm not hurting either way so whatever.
But sometimes the problem can't be ignored. Having something to complain about but no power to enforce change is frustrating. Watching someone in authority make decisions that benefit them in the short-term at the cost of the long-term leads to anger. Imagine a politician selling oil rights in a nature preserve in exchange for some "donations" to his reelection campaign I didn't name a politician, but you can imagine one who would do this, can't you? And that person stays in power, making the same kind of decisions, while others don't have the power to stop them.
I read years ago the a very small group of companies were responsible for most pollution, and if that's not exactly true its hard to argue that corporations have more impact on climate change than individual people. Do you or I have the authority to make Disney change their practices? What about Exxon, or Ford?
Do we just sit around preparing for the Climate Wars or is there something we can do about it?
Into this pile of frustration and fear, Samuel Goodman is a breath of cold air (get it? cold air, climate change... alright, I'll stop).
Goodman lays out practical ideas for an adult conversation. Not whining, not complaining, but actual ideas to start and contribute to the conversations we needed to have ten years ago. But since that was (*does math*) ten years ago, we'd better start now.
This book is for anyone who wants to contribute to the change we need to make.
** I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Sometimes the whining isn't really harmful, just annoying. Someone at work complaining about the "good" parking spots being taken? Hey, you do you, I'm not hurting either way so whatever.
But sometimes the problem can't be ignored. Having something to complain about but no power to enforce change is frustrating. Watching someone in authority make decisions that benefit them in the short-term at the cost of the long-term leads to anger. Imagine a politician selling oil rights in a nature preserve in exchange for some "donations" to his reelection campaign I didn't name a politician, but you can imagine one who would do this, can't you? And that person stays in power, making the same kind of decisions, while others don't have the power to stop them.
I read years ago the a very small group of companies were responsible for most pollution, and if that's not exactly true its hard to argue that corporations have more impact on climate change than individual people. Do you or I have the authority to make Disney change their practices? What about Exxon, or Ford?
Do we just sit around preparing for the Climate Wars or is there something we can do about it?
Into this pile of frustration and fear, Samuel Goodman is a breath of cold air (get it? cold air, climate change... alright, I'll stop).
Goodman lays out practical ideas for an adult conversation. Not whining, not complaining, but actual ideas to start and contribute to the conversations we needed to have ten years ago. But since that was (*does math*) ten years ago, we'd better start now.
This book is for anyone who wants to contribute to the change we need to make.
** I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
August 28, 2021
Discourse on climate change is fraught with emotion, which generates more heat than light. In contrast, Samuel Goodman calmly examines the evidence, and presents it in a book that logically describes the problem, and what we can do about it.
He decided to become a climate scientist because he wanted to make a difference, but he doesn’t write like a scientist. The book’s tone is more like that of an inspiring teacher. Einstein said, you don’t understand something until you can explain it to your grandmother, and that could have been Samuel’s guiding principle when writing. Beyond Carbon Neutral could be set as a textbook for a middle-grade science class. Students would come away informed, and inspired to take action. In addition, it should be set as compulsory reading for all candidates for political office.
As the subtitle implies, this is an optimistic book in a situation of the gravest concern. Of necessity, the Introduction rubs in the problem: nothing matters if we all die. “Our only hope of reclaiming our lives is to do something about climate change” (p 16). However, the theme immediately becomes “There is still time to keep the door from closing on our future” (p 17).
Given the problem we are facing, the discourse goes from the technical and practical to the political. Here also, the reasoning is calm, and all the more powerful for being so. We are led to understand why and how greed is destroying our world, how vested interests rule politics — and what we can do about it if we have the will.
If I have a criticism, it is that this book focuses almost entirely on the USA. This is not unreasonable, but the case would be even more powerful by considering global solutions for a global problem with global causes.
He decided to become a climate scientist because he wanted to make a difference, but he doesn’t write like a scientist. The book’s tone is more like that of an inspiring teacher. Einstein said, you don’t understand something until you can explain it to your grandmother, and that could have been Samuel’s guiding principle when writing. Beyond Carbon Neutral could be set as a textbook for a middle-grade science class. Students would come away informed, and inspired to take action. In addition, it should be set as compulsory reading for all candidates for political office.
As the subtitle implies, this is an optimistic book in a situation of the gravest concern. Of necessity, the Introduction rubs in the problem: nothing matters if we all die. “Our only hope of reclaiming our lives is to do something about climate change” (p 16). However, the theme immediately becomes “There is still time to keep the door from closing on our future” (p 17).
Given the problem we are facing, the discourse goes from the technical and practical to the political. Here also, the reasoning is calm, and all the more powerful for being so. We are led to understand why and how greed is destroying our world, how vested interests rule politics — and what we can do about it if we have the will.
If I have a criticism, it is that this book focuses almost entirely on the USA. This is not unreasonable, but the case would be even more powerful by considering global solutions for a global problem with global causes.
October 17, 2022
This is a very concise outline of a climate action plan. It starts out with a rough introduction, where Goodman’s prose is as corny as the book’s cover, but once he gets into the plan, there’s not too much to complain about. Occasionally, he oversimplifies some concepts or tries to aid them with awkward personal anecdotes that fall flat, but otherwise, it’s a clear, readable, and convincing starting point on climate action. Good for discussion in the class this was assigned for. Even with a surprising near-dismissal of nuclear power, Goodman considers how available technology and political resources could play a role in making it possible for the United States to become carbon neutral. This book doesn’t focus on climate science, but on climate strategies, the actions needed to adhere to what the science tells us, and does a more than decent job of spelling them out.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews