How to Avoid a Climate Disaster
by Bill Gates · first published 2019
69% recommend31% neutral
Why HN recommends it
An engineering-minded overview of climate change for laypeople. It breaks emissions into major sectors, shows where clean electricity matters most, and sets out which solutions exist and which still need breakthroughs.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"Bill Gates shares what he's learned in more than a decade of studying climate change and investing in innovations to address the problems, and sets out a vision for how the world can build the tools it needs to get to zero greenhouse gas emissions. Bill Gates explains why he cares so deeply about climate change and what makes him optimistic that the world can avoid the most dire effects of the climate crisis. Gates says, "We can work on a local, national, and global level to build the technologies, businesses, and industries to avoid the worst impacts of climate change." His interest in clima
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I just finished Bill Gates' "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster". Very good book, and it makes two points (among many others): - To reduce carbon in the air, getting clean electricity is key. If we can do that, we can more easily reduce emissions from other areas.…
on “Nuclear is back on the table for a green future” ↗Bill Gates “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need”.
on “Ask HN: Book recommendations for renewable energy and climate change?” ↗I really liked Bill Gates new Book: How to Avoid a Climate Disaster[1]. I liked that it shows what we have to do to get to 0 greenhouse gas emissions. What's the current state of technology and what's still left to do to get there. I often find suggestions like "Meatless…
on “Climate change: IPCC report is 'code red for humanity'” ↗Bill Gates covers this extensively in his recent excellent book: How to Avoid a Climate Disaster. Even if all the rich world countries went to emissions zero, that wouldn’t be enough, because the developing world needs to continue to develop. This is a good thing but it is a problem of progress,…
on “Time flies in Google Earth’s biggest update in years” ↗…way. My current company almost runs itself, so I've been spending a lot of time exploring ways I can help with climate change. Here is what I have been doing: * Reading a lot! I recommend Bill Gates' "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster" and Paul Hawken's "Drawdown". The path to zero carbon emissions seems impossible, but the more I read, the more the solutions seem intertwined, which gives me hope. * Writing down my ideas and the information…
on “Ask HN: What can I do to actively fight climate change?” ↗How to Avoid a Climate Disaster - by billg From my level of background knowledge, it was really well-written. He talks about how to think about emissions, and breaks down global emissions into its biggest categories (eg. transportation,…
on “Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?” ↗…and read up/look at quite a few pictures/train using flashcards in order to make this info stick. I'd highly recommend anyone considering this book to get the physical book rather than the audiobook. How to avoid a climate disaster: Bill Gates explains the key metrics a layperson should keep in mind when climate policy is discussed. I recommend creating a cheat sheet to remember it better. While it felt informative I dont really…
on “Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?” ↗…been working on batteries, but there has been promise at using air or water "batteries" as well via compressed air or Pumped Storage Hydropower (PSH). I would highly recommend reading both Bill Gates's How to Avoid a Climate Disaster and Vaclav Smil's How the World Really Works, both of which have really shown what needs to happen to solve both our climate and energy problems going forward.
on “Maps from The End of the World Is Just the Beginning” ↗Bill Gates - How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need Finally a book that approaches climate change from an engineering perspective and focuses on possible, constructive solutions.
on “Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?” ↗Bill Gates' recent book "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster" is a pretty comprehensive look at the landscape of how to change course on climate. I liked it. It's fairly optimistic overall, but it'll definitely take LOTS of large solutions, not just one giant investment…
on “Ask HN: Is Climate Change even possible to change course on?” ↗How to avoid a climate disaster - Bill Gates. I found it extremely comprehensible and well structured, other than I learned a lot. It's the beginning of a new rabbit hole. That will never work - Marc Randolph. I'm also a big fan of…
on “Ask HN: What books have you read recently?” ↗Bill Gates' book "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster" would be a great place to start. Mitigation costs are expenses to prevent climate change. Adaptation costs are expenses incurred because of climate change. Some of them are relatively easy to calculate…
on “U.S. has entered unprecedented climate territory” ↗"How to Avoid a Climate Disaster" by Bill Gates. It's a pragmatic nerd's comprehensive view of ways to tackle climate change, and you know the author is deeply involved in some of the initiatives. I also found "Unwinding Anxiety: New…
on “Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2021?” ↗Bill Gate's "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster" is a good layperson introduction on the topic (I include myself in this): https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Avoid-Climate-Disaster-Breakthr...
on “Ask HN: What is the best book on the climate problem and solutions?” ↗I like the book as well. But I think it suffers a bit too much from technooptimism for answering the question "how to avoid a climate disaster". I appreciate Bill Gates's optimism, but it's a dangerous gamble to only talk about technical solutions and leave societal and cultural aspects off the table. With that in mind: It's still a very good…
on “Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?” ↗