Earth: The Sequel: The Race to Reinvent Energy and Stop Global Warming
Earth: The Sequel: The Race to Reinvent Energy and Stop Global Warming – Review
I don’t know what it is about book sub-titles these days but they all have them, and this one generously has *two*, “The Sequel” and the common “The Race To..” (at least it’s not “..That Changed the World”). I very frequently avoid books with these sub-titles because I know just what to expect: a long magazine article that would have been better in a magazine and not as a book. However in this case I eventually took the chance because one of the co-authors is Fred Krupp, President of the influential Environmental Defense Fund, and the publisher is W.W. Norton. Even though it is indeed written like a magazine article (very skillfully I assume generally by Miriam Horn) with portions of individual interest stories and non-fiction narrative techniques, the content is well worth it. Essentially it is a review of the modern technologies, companies and people included with alternative energy in the United States. Even though I follow this stuff in the news and blogs there was lots of extra stuff here I never knew about. Some of the people included are very fascinating. Some of the companies are much further along than I fully realized. Others are probably not the solutions I previously thought they may be. My copy is marked up with people and companies to watch. If the book has a message it is this: open markets work, but only if there is a cap and trade system to adjust the price of fossil fuels upward, so that alternative technologies have a chance to develop and compete. If there is no cost to pollute, than obviously good technologies are at a disadvantage. This has to change, and soon.