Waking the Frog

March 10, 2014
Entrepreneur and optimist Rand (Kick the Fossil Fuel Habit) joins the legions wrestling with the issue of what can be done to mitigate anthropogenic climate change given the opposition of entrenched interests. The book outlines the problems facing us, providing a succinct account of the science, exploring why particular sectors of the economy and their beholden politicians have found it expedient to spend billions convincing the public that there is nothing to climate change, outlining the daunting scale of the problemâprevious migrations from one energy source to another have taken a century to accomplish, a century we do not haveâand suggesting strategies by which impediments to climate management can be side-stepped. The author appears well-informed when it comes to the science, right-wing intransigence and what new technological pathways are called for. Unfortunately, his arguements are not compelling. It is symptomatic that Rand uses the Apollo project as a metaphor, saying that humanity still has time for an energy "moon shot." Apollo did accomplish great things, but the program was truncated when public interest collapsed. May a similar fate not befall climate change mitigation. Agent: Arnold Gosewich.