Review by Choice Review
Author Jaccard (Simon Fraser Univ.) argues that societies are organized into two groups: a majority that avoids talking about climate change and those who think strategically and are looking for ways to limit greenhouse gas (GHG) production. He adds that although the current situation is severe, several ongoing developments, if continued, could help people reach a point of accelerating global decarbonization. One is that GHG impacts are intensifying, making it increasingly difficult for fossil fuel (FF) beneficiaries to mislead people about climate problems. Another is the falling cost of key low-emission alternatives. Electricity from wind and solar sources costs much less than just a decade ago, and costs are still falling. Likewise, electric vehicles are now rapidly penetrating the market, allowing leading authorities to plan the complete phaseout of gasoline vehicle sales within a decade. Third is the growing recognition in developing countries of the co-benefits of deep decarbonization, especially in the electricity and transportation sectors. Offering a number of examples and an explanation for each area, the book logically concludes that FFs should be removed from electricity and transportation sectors in developed countries and that this transformation must be extended to developing countries via low-cost clean alternatives. This is an excellent text for any college-level course on climate change. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals. General readers. --Javad Tavakoli, emeritus, Lafayette College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
