Atmosphere of Hope: Searching for Solutions to the Climate Crisis

by Tim Flannery

Overview

A decade ago, Tim Flannery’s #1 international bestseller, The Weather Makers, was one of the first books to break the topic of climate change out into the general conversation. Today, Earth’s climate system is fast approaching a crisis. Political leadership has not kept up, and public engagement with the issue of climate change has declined. Opinion is divided between technological optimists and pessimists who feel that catastrophe is inevitable. The publication of this new book is timed for the lead-up to the Climate Change Conference in Paris in December 2015, which aims to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on climate from all the nations in the world. This book anticipates and will influence the debates.

Time is running out, but catastrophe is not inevitable. Around the world people are now living with the consequences of an altered climate—with intensified and more frequent storms, wildfires, droughts and floods. For some it’s already a question of survival. Drawing on the latest science, Flannery gives a snapshot of the trouble we are in and more crucially, proposes a new way forward, including rapidly progressing clean technologies and a “third way” of soft geo-engineering. Tim Flannery, with his inimitable style, makes this urgent issue compelling and accessible. This is a must-read for anyone interested in our global future.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802124067
Publisher:	Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
Publication date:	10/06/2015
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Tim Flannery is a scientist, explorer, and conservationist. He has published more than 130 scientific papers and several books, including The Weather Makers, Throwim Way Leg, Here on Earth, and Among the Islands. He was named Australian of the Year in 2007, and from 2011 to 2013, he was head of the Australian Climate Change Commission.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

Part 1 Climate Science

Chapter 1 The Weather Makers: Right or Wrong? 3

Chapter 2 The Waters of a Warming World 21

Chapter 3 Ominously Acidic Oceans 35

Chapter 4 How are the Animals Doing? 43

Chapter 5 The Great Climatic Event Horizon 55

Part 2 The Knife Blade We Perch On

Chapter 6 The Great Disconnect 69

Chapter 7 Coal: Decline of a Giant 78

Chapter 8 What Future, Oil? 89

Chapter 9 Gas: Last Hurrah or Bridge to the Future? 96

Chapter 10 Divestment and the Carbon Bubble 105

Chapter 11 Where's Nuclear? 113

Chapter 12 Sunlight and Wind: Winning the Race 119

Chapter 13 At Last, EVs 127

Part 3 Fight for the Future

Chapter 14 Adapting? 135

Chapter 15 Geoengineering: A Way Out? 140

Chapter 16 The Gigatonne Challenge 151

Chapter 17 Silicate Rocks, Cement and Smart Chemistry 167

Chapter 18 The New Carbon Capture and Storage 177

Chapter 19 The 2030 Challenge 185

Chapter 20 Deadline 2050 200

Chapter 21 The Growing Power of the Individual 205

Envoi 212

Afterword 214

Organisations Fighting for a Better Climate 217

Acknowledgements 219

Endnotes 221

Index 243

Editorial Reviews

10/01/2015
Flannery, author of the best-selling Weather Makers, which addresses what global warming may bring, revisits in this book the most important of these issues, and in addition, deals with ways that their deleterious effects can be ameliorated or even improved upon. He reviews the coal, gas, oil, wind, electric vehicle, and solar energy industries, ruminates on their futures, and offers a wealth of specific facts. Thus, he is an articulate generalist yet also provides particulars. Much of his description of methods to combat the buildup of CO2 and other chemicals is technical. Terms such as gigawat, albedo, cell grazing, biochar, anthropocene, the third way, and many others are explained when they first appear, but there are enough so that a glossary seems necessary. Also, some of the solutions Flannery proposes, such as seeding the entire stratosphere using an array of approaches, are so vast, complex, uncertain, and expensive that the reader may see them as fantasies, though granted, there may be no easy answers to the problems the author investigates. VERDICT Highly recommended for all concerned with environmental problems, climate change, geology, pollution, business and corporations, weather, chemistry, and related fields.—Henry T. Armistead, formerly with Free Lib. of Philadelphia

Library Journal

2015-07-15
Flannery (An Explorer's Notebook: Essays on Life, History, and Climate, 2014, etc.) argues for renewed optimism in human capabilities to reverse the destabilizing effects of climate change.For years, the author has been in the forefront of spreading the warning of climate change's dire consequences to a broad audience. "This book describes in plain terms our climate predicament," he writes, "but it also brings news of exciting tools in the making that could help us avoid climate disaster." Flannery sees a decided change in governmental responsibility since the Copenhagen Accord of 2009, which suggested the possibility of international political cooperation, and the marginalization of the deniers, whom he finds "perverse. Even grotesque." The author makes it abundantly clear where we stand—that we are far from achieving the 2 percent solution to global warming—but that there is also diverse, effective, and innovative activity toward cutting carbon dioxide emissions. This is occurring on the individual front—through digital interconnectedness and direct action such as disinvestment campaigns—and through the adoption of a long-view, "third way" of implementing projects that stimulate natural systems to draw the gas out of the air and oceans at a faster rate than we produce it. Flannery crisply outlines what is now known and conjectured about the human influence on climate change, exploring the long ragweed season, the nutritional degradation of crops, and the acidification of the oceans. There are roadblocks to alternative energy sources—as Ralph Nader noted, "the use of solar energy has not been opened up because the oil industry does not own the sun"—but Flannery also finds that money will drive the wind and solar power sources as they rapidly become more efficient. He also puts fracking under great scrutiny, and he makes an intriguing case for the capture and storage of the byproducts of the damage already done. A sharp summary of energy potentialities, where the good and the bad reside in human hands, hearts, and minds.

Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Atmosphere of Hope :

“Thoughtful, candid and—yes—ultimately upbeat, Atmosphere of Hope could not be more timely. It is just the book the world needs right now.” —Elizabeth Kolbert, author of The Sixth Extinction

“The book does a remarkably good job of arguing that there is still hope for averting catastrophic climate change . . . [Flannery] fully acknowledges the steep challenges and serious obstacles we face. So when he affirms that a path to averting catastrophic climate change remains in place, we know the conclusion is not reached capriciously . . . Flannery’s exploration of the climate change problem is comprehensive. He covers everything from the underlying basic science to the nitty-gritty details of prospective solutions. The book is at its best when laying out the latter . . . What Flannery provides—a convincing defense for the position that a path to averting catastrophic climate change still exists—is invaluable.” — Los Angeles Review of Books

“In his new book, Atmosphere of Hope , best-selling Australian author Tim Flannery counsels cautious optimism by showing how the millions of small actions taken by individuals are driving down oil consumption and points out how new ‘Third Way’ carbon-capture technologies promise to reduce emissions and create massive economic opportunities.” — National Geographic

“An informative tour of promising multipronged approaches to one of humanity’s biggest challenges. Flannery’s solution-focused quest is especially timely.” — Booklist

“Flannery argues for renewed optimism in human capabilities to reverse the destabilizing effects of climate change. For years, the author has been in the forefront of spreading the warning of climate change’s dire consequences to a broad audience . . . A sharp summary of energy potentialities, where the good and the bad reside in human hands, hearts, and minds.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Certain people rise above the crowd. They choose to use their extraordinary talent and intelligence to make a difference. Scientist, scholar and activist Tim Flannery is one of those rare people . . . Atmosphere of Hope is a brilliant examination of where we are with climate change and where we might be able to go.” — National Observer (Vancouver)

Praise for The Weather Makers :

“An authoritative, scientifically accurate book on global warming that sparkles with life, clarity and intelligence.” — Washington Post

“At last, here is a clear and readable account of one of the most important but controversial issues facing everyone in the world today. If you are not already addicted to Tim Flannery's writing, discover him now.” —Jared Diamond, author of The World Until Yesterday and Guns, Germs & Steel

“Flannery . . . is without question an extraordinary scientist. . .. A passionate explication of human influence on climate change and a call to action. . . . A tour de force.” — Science Magazine

From the Publisher