Ways Out of the Climate Catastrophe: Ingredients for a Sustainable Energy and Climate Policy

ISBN-13: 9783030851316 / Angielski / Miękka / 2021 / 342 str.

Lars Jaeger

Spis treści

Foreword.- Part 1 – Energy.- From Aristotle to Nuclear Fusion - The Long Road to Realising What Energy Is. The Foundation of Civilisation.- The Comeback of Sustainable Energy - Why Fossil Energy Sources are Only a Footnote in Human History.- Electricity War and Smart Grids - The Key Role of Electricity Storage and Transport.- Part 2 – Climate.- A Brief History of the Climate - What Makes Current Global Warming so Special.- The Beat of the Butterfly's Wings - How Climate Research and Climate Models Work.- From Knowledge to Action - The Risk Ethics of Climate Policy.- Climate Deniers, Climate Hysterics and Nimbys - In the Self-Service Shop of Arguments.- Part 3 – Power.- The Path of Renewable Electricity - From Niche Products to the High-tech Innovations of the Future.- The Wild Cards in the Game - How Game Changers Could Change Everything.- Yes, we can! - The Marketability of Renewable Energies.- Re-parking in the Mind - The Second Half of the Road to an Ecological Society.- Part 4 – Society.- The Economy of the Future - From the Struggle for Resources to the Economy of Sharing.- The Unfortunate Primacy of Economics - Why Politics Must Set Limits to the Markets.- In the Interest of All Humankind - The Long Road from National Energy Concepts to Global Politics.- A Construction Site for Us All - The Victory of Climate Ethics.

O autorze

Lars Jaeger, aged 51, studied physics, mathematics, philosophy and history in Bonn and Paris and spent several years researching theoretical physics in the field of quantum field theories and chaos theory. He has lived near Zurich for twenty years, where—as an entrepreneurial thinker—he has built up two companies of his own that use mathematical methods to model global capital markets. At the same time, his enthusiasm for the natural sciences and philosophy has never left him. He is the author of numerous books on the history of natural sciences, modern technologies and their consequences, quantum technologies, etc.

 

Blurb

Floods, species extinction, migration, droughts, super tornadoes - climate change is no longer a threat looming on the horizon but has long since become part of our everyday lives. Limiting the emerging and worsening climate changes is one of the most important challenges of our time.

All human induced climate impacts can be traced back to a single factor: Energy. This book provides a comprehensive and readable introduction to the interplay between energy and climate, which also includes the fields of technology, economics, and politics. At the same time, the issue is highly complex and can only be understood in all its details by expert scientists, meaning that the facts are often poorly presented in the political discussion about climate. To put it simply: If we want to stop and even reverse the current climate trends, we need to find answers to the following three questions:

·         How exactly does our existing way of consuming energy affect the climate?

·         What options are there for generating energy without negative climate effects, and what do these mean for our lives?

·         What technological advances will directly help us to achieve this in future?

In a non-alarmist yet entertaining manner, the book highlights the key determinants of global energy supply. Readers will come to appreciate the crucial facts about "energy and climate", will be up to date with the latest scientific and technological knowledge, and will understand the global political and economic framework that we need to consider when designing an appropriate future energy and climate policy. At the same time, the author conveys a clear and optimistic message: We already have the technical capabilities (which will be further enhanced in the future) to reverse the devastating climate trends without significantly limiting prosperity. The obstacles lie primarily in economic and political "constraints" and particular conflicts of interest.

 

 “A very important book that explains one of the most essential questions of our time - how we can master climate change by an energy transition - with scientific precision and clear words.”

Georg Kell, founder and former Executive Director of the United Nations Global Compact