Synopses & Reviews
When Jeff Goodell first encountered the term "geoengineering," he had a vague sense that it involved outlandish schemes to counteract global warming. As a journalist, he was deeply skeptical. But he was also intrigued. The planet was in trouble. Could geoengineers help? Climate change may well be the biggest crisis humanity has ever faced. Temperatures in some regions of the world could increase by as much as fifteen degrees by the end of the century, causing rising sea levels and severe droughts. But change could also happen much more suddenly. What if we had a real climate emergency, the ecological equivalent of the subprime mortgage meltdownhow could we cool the planet in a hurry? As Goodell shows in this bracing book, even if we could muster the political will for it, cutting greenhouse gas emissions alone may not be enough to reduce the risk of climate catastrophe. This has led some scientists to pursue extreme solutions: huge contraptions that would suck CO2 from the air, machines that would brighten clouds and deflect sunlight away from the earth, even artificial volcanoes that would spray heat-reflecting particles into the atmosphere. In How to Cool the Planet, Goodell explores the scientific, political, financial, and moral aspects of geoengineering. How are we to change the temperature of whole regions if we can't even predict next week's weather? What if a wealthy entrepreneur shots particles into the stratosphere on his own? What about wars waged with climate control as the primary weapon? What happens to our relationship with nature when, as Goodell puts it, we all find ourselves living in a giant terrarium? And our options are dwindling. Maybe, Goodell suggests, we need to start taking geoengineering seriously. Maybe it's Plan B for the planet. And if it is, we need to know enough to get it right. Thoroughly reported and convincingly argued, How to Cool the Planet is a compelling tale of scientific hubris and technical daring. But it is also a thoughtful, even-handed look at a deeply complex and controversial issue. It's a book that will surely jump-start the next big debate about the future of life on earth.
Review
"Goodell explores with infectious curiosity and thoughtful narration this strange, promising, and untested suite of climate fixes." —
BusinessWeek
"[Goodell's] provocative account achieves a fine balance between the inventor's enthusiasm and the scientist's skepticism." —Publishers Weekly
"Goodell follows Big Coal (2006) with a lively and invaluable introduction to the simultaneously alarming and promising field of geoengineering… Hopefully his incisive and entertaining overview will help shape the debate." — Booklist (starred review)
"How to Cool the Planet is thoughtful, informative, and darkly entertaining. It’s the best treatment of this important (and scary) topic you can find." — Elizabeth Kolbert, author of Field Notes from a Catastrophe
"In the highly contentious climate debate geoengineering remains one of the most controversial, yet intriguing, remaining questions. In this vividly written, thoughtful book, Jeff Goodell helps readers explore the audacious question of whether humans can use technology to fix the very problem it's created." — Juliet Eilperin, national environmental reporter, Washington Post
"This could be the most important book written about the climate. Goodell compellingly describes the characters, ideas and motivations of a small band of geoengineers, scientists who would manipulate the very substance of our planet to alleviate global heating. As one of them, I know that what he writes is true, and I share his fear that geoengineering may put us on a path yet more deadly than the one we took to end war by inventing nuclear weapons. Yet if climate change becomes unbearable, we may be driven to geoengineering as a last resort. Read this unforgettable book; once started, you will not be able to put it down." — James Lovelock, author of Gaia and The Vanishing Face of Gaia
Synopsis
Climate discussions often focus on potential impacts over a long period of time—several decades, a century even. But change could also happen much more suddenly. What if we had a real climate emergency—how could we cool the planet in a hurry? This question has led a group of scientists to pursue extreme solutions: huge contraptions that would suck CO2 from the air, machines that brighten clouds and deflect sunlight away from the earth, even artificial volcanoes that spray heat-reflecting particles into the atmosphere. This is the radical and controversial world of geoengineering. How to Cool the Planet, Jeff Goodell explores the scientific, political, and moral aspects of geoengineering. How are we going to change the temperature of whole regions if we can’t even predict next week’s weather? What about wars waged with climate control as the primary weapon? There are certainly risks, but Goodell persuades us that geoengineering may be our last best hope, a Plan B for the environment. And if it is, we need to know enough to get it right.
Synopsis
Right now, a group of scientists is working on ways to minimize the catastrophic impact of global warming. But theyre not designing hybrids or fuel cells or wind turbines. Theyre trying to lower the temperature of the entire planet. And theyre doing it with huge contraptions that suck CO2 from the air, machines that brighten clouds and deflect sunlight away from the earth, even artificial volcanoes that spray heat-reflecting particles into the atmosphere.
This is the radical and controversial world of geoengineering, which only five years ago was considered to be "fringe." But as Jeff Goodell points out, the economic crisis, combined with global political realities, is making these ideas look sane, even inspired.
Goodell himself started out as a skeptic, concerned about tinkering with the planets thermostat. We cant even predict next weeks weather, so how are we going to change the temperature of whole regions? What if a wealthy entrepreneur shoots particles into the stratosphere on his own? Who gets blamed if something goes terribly wrong? And perhaps most disturbing, what about wars waged with climate control as the primary weapon? There are certainly risks, but Goodell believes the alternatives could be worse. In the end, he persuades us that geoengineering may just be our last best hope—a Plan B for the environment. His compelling tale of scientific hubris and technical daring is sure to jump-start the next big debate about the future of life on earth.
Synopsis
A look into the world of geoengineering and the group of taboo-breaking scientists at its forefront who believe, in the face of global warming, that the time has come for human beings to take control of the earth's climate.
Synopsis
"Goodell explores with infectious curiosity and thoughtful narration this strange, promising, and untested suite of climate fixes." — BusinessWeek Conversation around climate change tends to focus on the effects over decades or even centuries. But change could happen much more suddenly. What if we had a real climate emergency? How could we cool the planet in a hurry? Cutting greenhouse gas emissions alone may not be enough to reduce the risk of climate catastrophe. This has led some scientists to pursue extreme solutions: huge contraptions that would suck CO2 from the air, machines that would brighten clouds and deflect sunlight away from the earth, even artificial volcanoes that would spray heat-reflecting particles into the atmosphere. Jeff Goodell explores the scientific, political, financial, and moral aspects of geoengineering. How are we going to change the temperature of entire regions if we cant even predict next weeks weather? What will happen to our relationship with nature when we find ourselves living in a giant terrarium? There are certainly risks, but our options are dwindling, and Goodell believes the alternatives could be worse. This may be Plan B for the planet. And if it is, we need to know enough to get it right. "A quick, enjoyable read through a complex, timely topic. And after you read it, youll never look at the sky or the ocean — or Earth, really — in quite the same way again." — Christian Science Monitor Jeff Goodell is a contributing editor for Rolling Stone and a frequent contributor to the New York Times Magazine. He is the author of several books, including Big Coal and Our Story: 77 Hours That Tested Our Friendship and Our Faith.
About the Author
JEFF GOODELL is a contributing editor for Rolling Stone and a frequent contributor to the New York Times Magazine. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Our Story: 77 Hours That Tested Our Friendship and Our Faith. Goodells memoir, Sunnyvale: The Rise and Fall of a Silicon Valley Family, was a New York Times Notable Book. His most recent book, Big Coal, is the basis of an upcoming feature documentary, Dirty Business.