Earth: The Sequel: The Race to Reinvent Energy and Stop Global Warming

Earth: The Sequel: The Race to Reinvent Energy and Stop Global Warming | Fred Krupp, Miriam Horn | Great Book

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Earth: The Sequel:...

	Earth: The Sequel: The Race to Reinvent Energy and Stop Global Warming Fred Krupp, Miriam Horn W. W. Norton, 2008 - 256 pages average customer review:based on 52 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Worth every cent!

Earth: The Sequel: The Race to Reinvent Energy and Stop Global Warming I purchased the audio version of this book and listened to it driving to and from work. For someone interested in hearing about cutting edge research into new sources of energy, this book was written for you. It was packed full of stories about amazing research projects and the brilliant and often wacky people heading up the projects. The stories were highly entertaining, and the tech talk was in-depth enough to make one feel like an insider without going over the head of anyone who enjoys reading science articles in newspapers or popular magazines. I plan to buy several more copies as gifts for friends.

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Great Book

Really opens your eyes as to what is out there and what to push for. We need to act now to save our planet for future generations. This book details the possibilities.

The Future of Energy Looks Bright -and in Some Cases a Little Weird.

"Earth: The Sequel" is both an informative look into the future of alternative energy and argument for a federal cap-and-trade energy policy. Fred Krupp is President and Miriam Horn a staff member of the Environmental Defense Fund, the organization that The Economist called "America's most economically literate green campaigners." EDF is famous for its advocacy of market-based solutions to environmental problems, and its proposed solution to climate change is to galvanize the market in the service of alternative energy sources by legislating caps on all industrial carbon emitters while allowing cleaner companies to sell their extra carbon allowances to companies who need them, thereby spawning innovation and making it profitable to reduce pollution. Cap-and-trade. Better than the old subsidies and mandates, because it is more flexible, encourages innovation, and because lawmakers don't need to know which technologies to bank on. The market will sort that out.

It's a strong argument for cap-and-trade, and the authors offer examples where similar policies have benefited industry and explain how cap-and-trade will help alternative energy entrepreneurs. Although it never stops waving the cap-and-trade flag, the bulk of the book is dedicated to the often surprising future of alternative energy sources: photovoltaic and thermal solar energy, biofuels, harnessing wave and tidal energy in the oceans, geothermal, and methods of reinventing energy from coal. I have read about some of these energy sources before, but much of this information was new to me: Biofuels from reprogrammed yeast, from algae, harnessing wave power using underwater pistons and floating turbines, low-temperature geothermal energy, coal gasification, and many more. "Earth: The Sequel" explains how each technology works, its limitations, challenges, what is being done to meet them, and, of course, its economics.

The goal is to show readers an array of alternative energy sources and to emphasize that these are real and viable technologies. By introducing us to the inventors and companies that are leading the way, Krupp and Horn have created and optimistic primer on the energies of the future that will inspire more people to take up these challenges. Wind power is conspicuously absent from the discussion, perhaps because it is technologically mature. The authors take a dim view of corn-based ethanol, as do I. I was disappointed with the coverage of electric cars, which gives no indication that major car companies have already made electric cars or that a battery can currently be put in virtually any car. For that story, see the documentary Who Killed the Electric Car?. I have always thought solar the most promising energy technology because it can be easily upgraded, moved, and doesn't require a huge initial investment. "Earth: The Sequel" hasn't dissuaded me from that view, but solar is not suitable for all climates, and this book presents some amazing alternatives.

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Possible Solutions to a Pressing Problem

Although it was tough slogging for a non-technical reader like myself,the book does provide practical alternatives to the grim prospect of an oil-starved world. The plausible energy substitues detailed by the authors offer a measure of hope to this 88-year-old grandfather of ten; hopefully their children and grandchildren can continue living in heated, well lit homes with solar-powered cars in the garage. As a published author of books about Colonial American, I am impressed with the huge amount of research needed to create this important journal.

Alfred E Kayworth, author
Abenaki Warrior
Legends of the Pond
The Scalp Hunters
Iceman to the Internet

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Earth The Sequel

Good synopsis of efforts to find energy alternatives that are currently going on world-wide. Analysis of pros and cons.

reviews: 1, 2, page 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

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