Heat: How To Stop The Planet From Burning - Hardcover

Monbiot, George

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0385662211 ISBN 13: 9780385662215

Publisher: Doubleday, 2006

Synopsis

A dazzling command of science and a relentless faith in people."-Naomi Klein "The most powerful treatise yet on the gravity of global warming. . . . I defy you to read this book and not feel motivated to change."-The Times (London) "If you care about the future of the planet, you should read Heat, and then give a copy to a friend."-Elizabeth Kolbert Today virtually none of us ask, "Is climate change actually happening?" Only one question is worth asking, "Can it be stopped?" George Monbiot thinks it can. And with Heat: How to Stop the Planet From Burning, he offers us a book that just might save our world. For the first time, Heat demonstrates that we can achieve the necessary cut-a 90 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030-without bringing civilization to an end. Though writing with a "spirit of optimism," Monbiot does not pretend it will be easy. Our response will have to be immediate, and it will have to be decisive. With dazzling intellect and ample wit, Monbiot supports his proposals with a rigorous investigation into what works, what doesn't, how much it costs, and what the problems might be. And he is not afraid to attack anyone-friend or foe-whose claims are false or whose figures have been fudged. There is no time to waste, Monbiot observes, "We are the last generation that can make this happen, and this is the last possible moment at which we can make it happen." George Monbiot is one of the world's most influential thinkers. Nelson Mandela presented Monbiot with a United Nations Global 500 Award for outstanding environmental achievement. He is a weekly columnist for the Guardian.

About this title

From the Back Cover

"George Monbiot's new book Heat picks up where Al Gore left off."
David Morris, AlterNet

"With a dazzling command of science and a relentless faith in people, George Monbiot writes with his eyes wide open."
Naomi Klein, author of No Logo

"If you care about the future of the planet, you should read Heat, and then give a copy to a friend."
Elizabeth Kolbert, author of Field Notes from a Catastrophe

"George Monbiot's clear-eyed and uncompromising book lays out a prescription for avoiding climate catastrophe that US policymakers and the public desperately need to hear."
Kassie R. Siegel, Center for Biological Diversity

"Brilliant and terrifying."
David Suzuki, Chair of the David Suzuki Foundation

"In Heat, George Monbiot examines, almost microscopically, every aspect of our energy systems and every proposed technological fix. Ultimately, this meticulous examination leads him to the most reliable and enduring source of truly renewable energy: our combined political will."
Ross Gelbspan, author of The Heat Is On and Boiling Point

"A step-by-step plan grounded in the latest research...When it comes to global warming, it's time to stop being hypocrites and get on with saving the planet, and this book shows us how."
Thomas Homer-Dixon, author of The Ingenuity Gap and The Upside of Down

"I was hooked right away. It's by far the best single source on climate change that I've read: rigorously researched, honestly argued, and very well written."
Ronald Wright, author of A Short History of Progress

"The most powerful treatise yet on the gravity of global warming....I defy you to read this book and not feel motivated to change."
The Times (London)

"Well-researched and worth reading for the detailed technical analysis showing just how [the country] could cut its greenhouse gas output and still enjoy the comforts of modern life."
The Financial Times

"Uncompromising in its message, intelligence, and honesty. Parents...should consider it required reading."
The Globe & Mail

From the Inside Flap

We know that climate change is happening.

We know it could, if the worst predictions come true, destroy the conditions which make human life possible.

Only one question is now worth asking:

Can it be stopped?

George Monbiot shows it can.

For the first time, Heat demonstrates that we can achieve the necessary cut--a 90% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030--without bringing civilization to an end. Though written with a "spirit of optimism," Monbiot does not pretend it will be easy. Our response will have to be immediate, and it will have to be decisive.

With dazzling intellect and ample wit, Monbiot supports his proposals with a rigorous investigation into what works, what doesn't, how much it costs, and what the problems might be. He shows us how we can transform our houses, our power, and our transportation systems. By showing that we can save our biosphere without losing our comfort and security, he sweeps away the perpetual excuse for doing nothing: that it would be too painful and expensive to sustain life on Earth. And he is not afraid to attack anyone--friend or foe--whose claims are false or whose figures have been fudged. His exciting, disturbing ideas expose corporate disinformation campaigns, inflated expectations for emerging technologies, and the cowardice of our politicians.

Monbiot observes, "We are the last generation that can make this happen, and this is the last possible moment at which we can make it happen." There is no time to waste.

Inspiring, original, burning with fury and disgust, this book could change the world.

Edition details

• Publisher: Doubleday
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0385662211
• ISBN 13: 9780385662215
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304