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A review by ncrabb
Apocalypse Never: Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All by Michael Shellenberger
5.0
I've never been among those who was convinced that my death was imminent because of someone else's SUV. I've watched with dismay the frenzied freakishness of a little Swedish girl whose parents don't seem to have much by way of common sense and her sometimes-plaintive cries and sometimes unnecessary rage. We are not doomed for death in 10 years or eight or however many remain on the doomsday clock of those who would send us all back to the 16th century so long as our carbon emissions were at zero. I have no problem accepting climate change as a reality, but the precise degree to which humanity has created or exaggerated it is less exact for me. This magnificent book helped me understand that while mankind can indeed harm the environment, we don't fix it by placing unrealistic moratoriums on the use of nuclear power, and we don't fix it by placing unrealistically high hopes on all things wind and solar.
Some will try to dismiss Shellenberger as a rabid conservative who denies science and fits whatever profile they want him to fit. Except he's not that at all. But he's the first author I've read on the topic whose solutions make any sense at all to me, and I'm thrilled I spent the audible credit on this book, because it fills me with hope that the thoughts and feelings he expresses in his epilogue turn out to be correct.
The author insists that by assisting developing nations achieve greater economic acumen, we reduce emissions and reduce mankind's negative impact on climate change. Again, his perspective makes perfect sense to me. Why burn pesky wood when I can burn coal? Why burn coal when I can burn natural gas? Why use natural gas when I can use safe, clean nuclear power? Why use safe clean nuclear power when whatever else is new and better comes along? Can I go straight from natural gas to whatever is next? Probably not. That nuclear bridge is doubtless necessary, because whatever is next doesn't currently exist in a form we can use. You can't find it in Tesla's batteries; you can't find it in bird-and-insect-killing wind farms, and solar loses its shine at sundown, to say the least. The author points out eloquently here that as we assist developing nations economically rather than punish them for their carbon emissions, we guide them into ever safer ever cleaner ways of generating power and using energy. Loan these people money to build a hydroelectric plant, and as their standard of living improves, they will build cleaner more efficient systems. What right does a developed nation have to force undeveloped nations to remain in poverty in the name of lowering carbon emissions?
This was a fascinating book that left me with a lot to think about. I was blown away by the corruption he details among the politicians and scientists with their conflict of interest. The chapter on the alleged menace of plastics was memorable and amazing. He points out the hypocrisy among the celebrity class who insist that the rest of us live as they never will. This book has tremendous credibility. It wasn't written by a science denier whose politics is somewhere to the right of Calvin Coolidge. There is refreshing honesty here--the kind that says of course, we must be good stewards of the environment--better than we are at the moment in many ways. But we must also be wise and thoughtful stewards--looking for real solutions rather than quick harmful ones that will injure economies, damage nations, and accomplish little else. I can't help but wonder about the creative ways in which this guy has been canceled and hated by those--many of whom were once friends and associates. It took a certain amount of courage to write this, and I can't help but be impressed by that.
Some will try to dismiss Shellenberger as a rabid conservative who denies science and fits whatever profile they want him to fit. Except he's not that at all. But he's the first author I've read on the topic whose solutions make any sense at all to me, and I'm thrilled I spent the audible credit on this book, because it fills me with hope that the thoughts and feelings he expresses in his epilogue turn out to be correct.
The author insists that by assisting developing nations achieve greater economic acumen, we reduce emissions and reduce mankind's negative impact on climate change. Again, his perspective makes perfect sense to me. Why burn pesky wood when I can burn coal? Why burn coal when I can burn natural gas? Why use natural gas when I can use safe, clean nuclear power? Why use safe clean nuclear power when whatever else is new and better comes along? Can I go straight from natural gas to whatever is next? Probably not. That nuclear bridge is doubtless necessary, because whatever is next doesn't currently exist in a form we can use. You can't find it in Tesla's batteries; you can't find it in bird-and-insect-killing wind farms, and solar loses its shine at sundown, to say the least. The author points out eloquently here that as we assist developing nations economically rather than punish them for their carbon emissions, we guide them into ever safer ever cleaner ways of generating power and using energy. Loan these people money to build a hydroelectric plant, and as their standard of living improves, they will build cleaner more efficient systems. What right does a developed nation have to force undeveloped nations to remain in poverty in the name of lowering carbon emissions?
This was a fascinating book that left me with a lot to think about. I was blown away by the corruption he details among the politicians and scientists with their conflict of interest. The chapter on the alleged menace of plastics was memorable and amazing. He points out the hypocrisy among the celebrity class who insist that the rest of us live as they never will. This book has tremendous credibility. It wasn't written by a science denier whose politics is somewhere to the right of Calvin Coolidge. There is refreshing honesty here--the kind that says of course, we must be good stewards of the environment--better than we are at the moment in many ways. But we must also be wise and thoughtful stewards--looking for real solutions rather than quick harmful ones that will injure economies, damage nations, and accomplish little else. I can't help but wonder about the creative ways in which this guy has been canceled and hated by those--many of whom were once friends and associates. It took a certain amount of courage to write this, and I can't help but be impressed by that.