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Ten Technologies to Save the Planet: Energy Options for a Low-Carbon Future
Respected, authoritative, award-winning author Chris Goodall tackles global warming reversal in this engaging and balanced book. Ten Technologies to Save the Planet — popular science writing at its most crucial — is arguably the most readable and comprehensive overview of large-scale solutions to climate change available. Goodall profiles ten technologies with the potential to slash global greenhouse emissions, explaining how they work and telling the stories of the inventors, scientists, and entrepreneurs who are driving them forward. Some of Goodall’s selections, such as the electric car, are familiar. Others, like algae and charcoal, are more surprising. Illustrated with black-and-white photos and simple charts, Ten Technologies to Save the Planet combines cutting-edge analysis with straightforward explanations about pros and cons, and debunks myths along the way.
320 pages, Paperback
First published November 13, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 26, 2020
Not bad but not good either. Nothing wrong with it, but it just doesn't go anywhere new or interesting or innovative. I read books like this in the 1970s...
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February 21, 2010Does exactly what it says on the tin. This book describes ten technologies that, when taken in combination, could help reduce the impact of climate change on the Earth. The technologies in question are: wind power, wave and current power, solar power, combined heat and power, super-insulated homes, electric cars, second-generation biofuels, carbon capture, biochar and sequestering carbon in soils and trees.
There's a lot of interesting stuff here and the ways that the technologies can feed off and reinforce each other are described. Goodall is a pragmatist and although he discusses things like micro-generation of power he more or less dismisses it on the grounds that it's just not efficient enough. Although he rejects nuclear power as one of his ten technologies, he's quick to avoid the label of being a naive hippy, asserting instead that although all of the technologies he mentions are likely to come down in cost as the technology matures, this isn't true of nuclear plants, whose costs has actually risen over the past 20 or so years.
I often felt a sense of frustration while reading this book - these are sensible ideas, why aren't we don't more to implement them? The biochar (burning organic matter into char and then turning it into the soil to increase its carbon content and usually make it better for crops) and soil sequestration ideas were particularly interesting, and cheap and easy to do as well. The problem is, as Goodall points out, political. It involves changing habits built up over many generations and especially these poorest people will need great incentives to do that such as including them in any large-scale carbon trading scheme.
In general he's quite positive, not as doom-laden as someone like James Lovelock while not toning down the scale of the task in front of us. But we're an inventive species, I suspect we'll rise to the challenge. It's not the technology that I'm that worried about, but the courage of our political leaders.
One issue that I have with the book is that there are no references at all, making it hard to read up on the technologies that are described and to ensure that Goodall isn't talking out of his backside. That aside, this book has a lot to recommend it.
There's a lot of interesting stuff here and the ways that the technologies can feed off and reinforce each other are described. Goodall is a pragmatist and although he discusses things like micro-generation of power he more or less dismisses it on the grounds that it's just not efficient enough. Although he rejects nuclear power as one of his ten technologies, he's quick to avoid the label of being a naive hippy, asserting instead that although all of the technologies he mentions are likely to come down in cost as the technology matures, this isn't true of nuclear plants, whose costs has actually risen over the past 20 or so years.
I often felt a sense of frustration while reading this book - these are sensible ideas, why aren't we don't more to implement them? The biochar (burning organic matter into char and then turning it into the soil to increase its carbon content and usually make it better for crops) and soil sequestration ideas were particularly interesting, and cheap and easy to do as well. The problem is, as Goodall points out, political. It involves changing habits built up over many generations and especially these poorest people will need great incentives to do that such as including them in any large-scale carbon trading scheme.
In general he's quite positive, not as doom-laden as someone like James Lovelock while not toning down the scale of the task in front of us. But we're an inventive species, I suspect we'll rise to the challenge. It's not the technology that I'm that worried about, but the courage of our political leaders.
One issue that I have with the book is that there are no references at all, making it hard to read up on the technologies that are described and to ensure that Goodall isn't talking out of his backside. That aside, this book has a lot to recommend it.
July 26, 2015
I bought this book at my local Oxfam, before buying it I did a quick check of Amazon reviews to make sure I am indeed buying something interesting. What I forgot to check was the publishing date (which is something I always do especially with technology books) and I happy I didn't. If I had checked the date I wouldn't have bought it.
This book was published in 2008 - a hundred years ago In technology years. I decided to give it a go anyway, because of the glorious reviews, and if it feels dated I can always put it down. I must say this book aged well. It is very well written in clear language and the author knows this territory very well. This book is not about apocalyptic prophesies or dreams of different world, this is a solid account of ten most promising technologies to help us with carbon dioxide emissions (as it stood when the book was published).
Reading this book was an amazing experience from another unexpected angle. As the author says, green technology is a slow moving sector, so many of the plans he was writing about was due to finish development around 2015. To me it provided an incredible opportunity to 'peak' into the future. Some of the plans didn't manifest some are still in development, as we know there is still no answer for combating global warming, to me this book felt as relevant as the day it was written and the plans that failed were almost more interesting as the reasons for failure were so varied and at times completely unexpected.
The technologies covered in this book are:
- Wind
- Solar
- Ocean
- Combined heat and power
- Supper efficient homes
- Electric cars
- Biofuels
- Capturing carbon
- Biochar (I found this one exciting as I didn't know about this before)
- Soil and forests
This book to me felt relevant, interesting and highly informative.
This book was published in 2008 - a hundred years ago In technology years. I decided to give it a go anyway, because of the glorious reviews, and if it feels dated I can always put it down. I must say this book aged well. It is very well written in clear language and the author knows this territory very well. This book is not about apocalyptic prophesies or dreams of different world, this is a solid account of ten most promising technologies to help us with carbon dioxide emissions (as it stood when the book was published).
Reading this book was an amazing experience from another unexpected angle. As the author says, green technology is a slow moving sector, so many of the plans he was writing about was due to finish development around 2015. To me it provided an incredible opportunity to 'peak' into the future. Some of the plans didn't manifest some are still in development, as we know there is still no answer for combating global warming, to me this book felt as relevant as the day it was written and the plans that failed were almost more interesting as the reasons for failure were so varied and at times completely unexpected.
The technologies covered in this book are:
- Wind
- Solar
- Ocean
- Combined heat and power
- Supper efficient homes
- Electric cars
- Biofuels
- Capturing carbon
- Biochar (I found this one exciting as I didn't know about this before)
- Soil and forests
This book to me felt relevant, interesting and highly informative.
January 25, 2010
How to stop global warming
The geographical characteristics of an area dictate which renewable energy sources will work best. Because renewable energy is inherently, though predictably, intermittent, governments will need to build supplementary systems. Basically, no single technology will answer all of the world’s needs. However, a “portfolio” of technologies should do the trick. Businessman and climate change expert Chris Goodall describes 10 technologies in intricate detail, from the well-known to the obscure, and explains clearly which will work where, and why. Each technology has the potential to reduce the world’s annual carbon dioxide output by 10%. Although quite technical, getAbstract recommends this book to businesspeople, plant managers, home owners and others who value social responsibility and sustainability.
To learn more about this book, check out the following Web page: http://www.getabstract.com/summary/10...
The geographical characteristics of an area dictate which renewable energy sources will work best. Because renewable energy is inherently, though predictably, intermittent, governments will need to build supplementary systems. Basically, no single technology will answer all of the world’s needs. However, a “portfolio” of technologies should do the trick. Businessman and climate change expert Chris Goodall describes 10 technologies in intricate detail, from the well-known to the obscure, and explains clearly which will work where, and why. Each technology has the potential to reduce the world’s annual carbon dioxide output by 10%. Although quite technical, getAbstract recommends this book to businesspeople, plant managers, home owners and others who value social responsibility and sustainability.
To learn more about this book, check out the following Web page: http://www.getabstract.com/summary/10...
August 12, 2011
Not really new technologies, just ones that are getting more pressing to be developed quickly - after all Henry Ford knew cars could run on ethanol, and it was American prohibition that was a key factor in petrol becoming king of the roads. Interesting but the detail is only really of use for those trying to work out where to invest their ££s, the rest of us will have to wait for their success and concentrate on living a low carbon life - which incidentally is the more challenging of Chris Goodall's books from a personal perspective.
February 5, 2017
Excellent, though now a bit dated.
July 27, 2010
Quite good. This Oxford-based author published a book and takes you on a look into, among other things, Tesla (my favorite!), rapidly emerging solar energy markets, the incredible energy potential of the UK's Pentland Firth, wind energy and its community uplifting potential, and the importance of building more energy efficient homes. Building a better box, as Garn might say. Good read and worth the 10 pounds.
April 11, 2010
Explains some of the leading green technologies vying for primacy in the shift to cleaner energy sources. Easy to read, with a tone of hope that significant improvements can be made if governments, businesses and individuals are willing.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews