Book Review: Hot, Flat and Crowded

Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas Friedman.
Published by Penguin Books. 438 pages. Hardback price £20.00

In the U.S., conservative politicians and much of the media, aided and abetted by the fossil fuel industries, push the myth that tackling the climate change problem means mass unemployment for Americans,compromised life-styles, and loss of competitiveness on the world's markets.

Pulitzer prize-winning author Friedman attempts to demonstrate that quite the opposite is possible for America. More than that, he considers the pursuit of clean energy to be a strategic and economic imperative for his nation.

This unashamedly flag-waving book is aimed squarely at Americans but is an interesting read for the rest of us too.

Friedman first sets out why the U.S. needs to step away from fossil fuels.

For example, he says the many billions Americans spend on fuel every year indirectly funds al qaeda terrorists and supports countries that suppress free speech.

He also says that clean energy is the next 'big thing': a rapidly growing market, already worth hundreds of billions a year, and the U.S. is uniquely positioned to grab a massive slice of it if only their politicians could see past their prejudices.

Why are the politicians important? Because they can provide the conditions for the USA to propel itself to the forefront of all clean technologies.

He then goes on to reveal how this can be done.

Friedman talks about "price signals" (Basically creating a stable environment where venture capitalists and entrepreneurs can have the confidence to invest in clean energy), legislation to raise energy efficiency standards, paying power companies to help the public reduce their energy usage (rather than increase it), and smart grids amongst other things.

He uses numerous examples of how these ideas work in the real world. Yes, even in the States themselves. It's a real eye-opener and makes you wonder why the U.S. isn't going for it. Oh, wait a minute, it's those politicians.

Friedman describes a political system that is dead-locked, where the only legislation that gets through is "the sum of all lobbies". So this book is as much a rally call to fellow Americans to break this dead-lock, to give his country a new sense of purpose, and save the World into the bargain.

A fascinating read. 8/10.

Book Review: Six Degrees by Mark Lynas

Six Degrees: Our Future On A Hotter Planet by Mark Lynas.
Published by Harper Perennial. 346 pages. Price £8.99

The U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says that the global temperature is set to rise by between 1 and 6 degrees C by 2100 (Depending on how seriously we take the threat of climate change).

But what would 6 degrees (or, for that matter, 1 or 2) actually mean for us? Mark Lynas, a UK based environmentalist, author, and journalist, attempts to answer that question having trawled through many of the available scientific papers on the subject.

He devotes one chapter to each degree of warming, and concludes the book with a chapter called Choosing Our Future. By contrast to it's source material, the book itself is very accessible, reading a bit like a globe-trotting travelogue, as it shows you what the effects of global warming will have for different regions of the world.

As you might expect, the book does get a bit grim. By the time, you get to the end of 6th chapter you are left in no doubt that the planet would be in a hell of a mess by 2100 if we hit 6 C. In fact, for those who comfort themselves with the fact that Man may wipe itself out with climate change but Life will eventually recover, this provides no comfort at all: The pace of change will be too much for most plants and animals to adapt to - Evolution takes a lot longer than a century.

Something else that becomes clear is that we definitely don't want to pass the 2 degree mark. The reason for that is that it would risk runaway warming due to the various tipping points it could trigger. This would inevitably take us to the dreaded 6 degrees anyway. Maybe this is why the world's governments have  agreed to a 2 degree limit?

If you're interested in what climate change will do, how soon we'll feel the effects, and who will be effected, this is the book for you. The science is largely based on climate models (which have generally been tested against historical climate records) and geological evidence, so it's not just speculation.

It's well written but, as I've suggested, it's a difficult read for anyone who cares about their kids' future. I give it 8 out of 10.