13 Aug “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster” by Bill Gates

Upon completing this book, I’ve grown to understand the steps and facets required to “avoid a climate disaster” as presented by Gates. In this book, Gates draws on his knowledge of studying climate change and its adverse effects, and his investments in innovations that strive to address climate change. Gates asserts that the primary method to avoid a climate disaster is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero. This strategy includes the deploying of pre-existing technologies of solar and wind, and calls for new breakthrough technologies to carry the world to zero.

Climate change will have the biggest impact on the people and communities least responsible for its causes, such as lower-income countries and populations. According to Gates, to prevent the worst effects of climate change and achieve net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases, individuals, governments, and business leaders across the world must change the way in which we make things, plug in, grow things, get around, and keep warm and cool. “We can work on a local, national, and global level to build the technologies, businesses, and industries to avoid the worst impacts of climate change,” says Gates. The actions of this vision revolve around investing in research, inventing new technologies, and establishing them quickly on a large scale in order to avoid a climate catastrophe in meaningful, effective ways.