How to Cool the Planet
geoengineering and the audacious quest to fix Earth’s climate
Jeff Goodell
‘Goodell is drawn in despite himself, saying that geoengineering is moving by necessity from the fringe to mainstream scientific conversation. He offers a mostly lucid, fascinating review of the leading researchers and experimental technologies, as well as knotty problems of governance and geopolitics.’
San Francisco Chronicle
When Jeff Goodell first encountered the term ‘geoengineering’, he had a vague sense that it involved outlandish schemes to counteract global warming. As a journalist, he was deeply sceptical. But he was also intrigued. The planet was in trouble. Could geoengineers help?
As Goodell shows in this bracing book, even if we could muster the political will for it, cutting greenhouse-gas emissions alone may not be enough to reduce the risk of climate catastrophe. This has led some scientists to pursue extreme solutions: huge contraptions that would suck CO2 from the air, machines that would brighten clouds and deflect sunlight away from the earth, even artificial volcanoes that would spray heat-reflecting particles into the atmosphere.
Here, Goodell explores the scientific, political, financial, and moral aspects of geoengineering. Thoroughly reported and convincingly argued, How to Cool the Planet is a compelling tale of scientific hubris and technical daring. But it is also a thoughtful, even-handed look at a deeply complex and controversial issue. It’s a book that will surely jump-start the next big debate about the future of life on earth.
Reviews
‘Goodell follows Big Coal (2006) with a lively and invaluable introduction to the simultaneously alarming and promising field of geoengineering … Hopefully his incisive and entertaining overview will help shape the debate.’
BookList (starred review)
Goodell’s ‘provocative account achieves a fine balance between the inventor’s enthusiasm and the scientist’s skepticism.’
Publishers Weekly
» All reviews for this title‘Goodell’s book is a quick, enjoyable read through a complex, timely topic. And after you read it, you’ll never look at the sky or the ocean — or Earth, really — in quite the same way again.’
Christian Science Monitor
