“How To Avoid A Climate Disaster” — Book Review
By: Chibuzor Ndubisi
Bill Gates’s most recent book personifies his enthusiasm and efforts for plabterary salvation in no small measure. But how accurate is he?
Our global push for a better planet has been remarkable, to say the least. Within the past few years, people of all ages and socioeconomic levels have risen up to contribute their voices to the campaign for a secured future. The knowledge of the climate crisis is more widespread than ever, together with the understanding that if greenhouse gas emissions keep rising — or even if the numbers remain the same year-on-year, our world would become a flooded inferno faster than we think. And while many climate authors have properly situated this horror as something to run away from, Gates shines a ray of light on something to run toward. His message: we really can get to zero carbon emissions, and for our own good, we must do so by the half-century.
From his founding of Microsoft to his Foundation’s work in tackling such calamitous diseases as polio and malaria, the tech mogul has invested his life in the mission to change lives. Much of his work exists within the realm of technology: a firm believer in the power of the applied sciences — and perhaps in his insufficient understanding of the social sciences, he has made such statements as “Show me a problem and I’d look for a technology to fix it” (at the UN Climate Action Summit 2019), and “I think more like an engineer than a political scientist” (in the introduction of this book), of which the latter is slowly becoming an internet meme. Gates is one of the most polarizing figures of our time, and so far, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster has done nothing to change that. But it is a well-written book, one that gracefully traverses the boundary between scholarly research and creative nonfiction and makes a strong case for the changes that Gates thinks must be made.
The book begins with a grim portrait of just how far we are from our goal, with Gates mentioning “51 billion tons” as the amount of greenhouse gases added to the atmosphere per annum globally and “zero” as the amount to aim for. But such a long shot does not scare him:
“We already have two of the three things you need to accomplish any major undertaking. First, we have ambition, thanks to the passion of a growing global movement led by young people who are deeply concerned about climate change. Second, we have big goals for solving the problem as more national and local leaders around the world commit to doing their part. Now we need the third component: a concrete plan to achieve our goals.”
Before revealing his plan, he extends the rudimental discussion by explaining the science of climate change and global warming and revealing his thought process about solutions that really make an impact. He illustrates how we all contribute to global emissions — albeit at different scales — by the things we create and eat (or don’t eat), the places we go, the gadgets we use, and indeed the very efforts we make to stay alive. He introduces his concept of “Green Premiums”, showing how we can and must change our perspectives on the use of more sustainable alternatives to current materials and fuels. He preaches repeatedly throughout the book that reaching the “zero” goal will be difficult, requiring us to make painful choices that alter our lifestyles. And of course, he proposes a synergistic plan that, to him, could be as revolutionary as the discovery of electricity if executed the right way. From the government to the academia to the business world, no stratum of organized society is left out in his strategy.
Bill Gates connects a thread between the climate crisis and COVID-19, arguing that we could relive 2020 many times over if climate change reaches its tipping point. At the intersection of both worlds, it is true that the lockdowns that were consequent of the coronavirus did lead to reduced carbon emissions last year. But that good was cancelled out by the socio-economic crises in many countries, causing much imbalance and conflicts of reality. Such a model is unsustainable, says Gates, and he emphasizes that we must pay more attention to innovation and R&D — both financially and otherwise — if we are to achieve balance and not be victims of a zero-sum game.
Furthermore, Gates crystallizes that he has worked within the sphere of environmental sustainability for almost two decades, studying, travelling, and consulting with experts in the fields of biology, physics, chemistry, and engineering, among others. While some may regard this as a plain ethos to the work, it is indeed an admirable act of modesty by the billionaire. On one hand, he excellently communicates the scale of the climate problem, using all the tools in his arsenal — percentages, indexes, charts, and a bathtub filled with water. On the other, he understands that there is more to a warming planet than meets the eye, and he does not hesitate to reveal where he is shorthanded. He writes, “I don’t have a solution to the politics of climate change”, and makes no effort in the rest of the book to have a solution.
Unfortunately, this modesty turns out to be his greatest undoing. One does not solve a problem by running away from it, especially when that problem is central to a whole slew of other problems. For one, some of his proposed solutions — “Quintuple clean energy and climate-related R&D over the next decade” and “Make bigger bets on high-risk, high-reward R&D projects”, for instance — are so politically dependent that it is almost pointless to suggest such strategies without following them up with not-so-obvious reasons as to why political leaders should act. This is seen even more clearly when one observes the state of developing nations, not to mention those nations that rely on fossil fuel exports for revenue. Moreover, the subtle political rivalries and bureaucracies that characterize today’s world are a huge barrier to real action. We do not live in an ideal universe, but in one where human nature is flawed, enthusiasm does not win battles, and chess games are played every second for purposes of longevity.
In similar fashion, Gates may have to think again about his faith in nuclear energy. Not in its potential to solve the climate problem by generating clean energy to supplant fossil fuels on a global scale, but in the possibility that there is anything we can do to make this happen well before 2050. While there are multiple glass ceilings hindering the progress of nuclear energy (its obvious danger and increasing cost, among others), the prices of wind and solar energy have fallen unbelievably fast. And considering how close we are to the cliff’s edge, would it not be more appropriate to adopt these energy sources in mass, with improved storage, demand management, and IoT-based electricity usage?
All in all, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster is a masterpiece of informed thinking and good communication. Bill Gates invites us to rank the climate crisis even higher in our priority charts, with a calm assertion that our lives would amount to nothing if we do not take action. And of course, he must be respected for taking a different approach from his fellow billionaire Elon Musk, who prefers working on a second habitat for us Earthlings in his spare time. There really is no place like home, and I’m confident that Gates would be first to agree with that. I highly recommend this book.
P.S.: It gladdens me that my country Nigeria was mentioned multiple times in the work, though not always for good reasons. Ha-ha.
Earth Uprising is a global, youth-led non-profit organization focused on climate education, climate advocacy, and youth mobilization. Through its strong network of activists from all around the world, partnerships with groups, and local, national, and international campaigns and actions, it aims to bring attention to and spur action based on the latest science regarding the climate crisis. Earth Uprising provides the tools, resources, and connections young people need in order to take direct action in their own communities.
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