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Burning Question: We Can't Burn Half The World's Oil, Coal, And Gas. So How Do We Quit? (2014)

by Mike Berners-Lee(Favorite Author)

4.36 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1306441668 (ISBN13: 9781306441667)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Greystone Books

review 1: If I had the power to ask everyone in the world to read just one book, it would be this one. I've read a lot about the science of climate change, what needs to be done and the barriers to those actions but this book clearly and concisely summarises all these topics in a single volume. The central argument is that neither redutions in fossil fuel consumption or production alone will have an effect, they need to be made in tandem, and after outlining the huge barriers to dong both it moves on to discussing why there is no political will to tackle the greatest threat of our time.After all the starkness of the previous chapters I found this section both the most optimistic and the most fascinating, as the advice goes against everything I've been doing in my personal life. Th... moree author suggests that the most important thing concerned people can do is talk about the issue and show that there is concern out there, in the hope this will have a ripple effect and show people it's not a strange fringe thing to care about and show politicians and business leaders in turn that this is a priority. This does actually fit in with my personal experience - although I've been interested in evironmental issues in an abstract sense since I was a teenager I first started taking concrete steps to make changes in my own life when a university lecturer of mine, who uses a wheelchair, mentioned to me that he had sold his two storey house with a stairlift and bought a bungalow because he was concerned about the availabilty of electricity in future and the morality of using it. The fact that an intelligent person I respected was taking this seriously made me take it seriously too.I realise though that I very rarely talk about the actions I take in my own personal life for fear of coming across as preachy or superior, and for fear of seeming as though I'm judging my friend's lifestyles. This book has made me realise I need to change that. I'm by no means perfect and I recognise that a lot of what I'm able to do is because I have the time, money and privilege to do it. I cycle, don't fly, try to avoid animal products wherever possible to reduce the amount of land, fuel and water needed to feed me, grow some of my own vegetables, keep my hair short to reduce the amount of water it takes to wash it, use reuseable bags, mugs and a Mooncup and reduce consumption by buying second hand clothes and rebuilding computers. It's odd how uncomfortable it feels to say that, I can't help feeling that it comes across as smug but I do recognise that simply by living a Western lifestyle my impact is higher than it could be, and the one area I'm not prepared to compromise on is feeding my cat meat. But this book has made me realise that maybe it is important to say these sort of things. Rather easier to say online than to my friends in person though!
review 2: An absolutely essential book. Hits the reset button on the climate debate without flinching. Stone cold analysis without hysteria; laying out the situation in a clear and easily digestible way. Narrows the environmental solution to neat and uncompromising simplicity: don't burn fossil fuels. One of those books that future generations might look back on and think 'I can't believe that this got published, and it still took our grandparents so fucking long to act'. less

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