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No Miracles Needed

How Today's Technology Can Save Our Climate and Clean Our Air

Mark Z Jacobson author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Cambridge University Press

Published:2nd Feb '23

Should be back in stock very soon

No Miracles Needed cover

This book offers practical solutions to the climate crisis, emphasizing the need for renewable energy and community action without relying on miracle technologies.

In No Miracles Needed, the author presents a compelling argument for taking immediate action against the climate crisis without depending on unproven technologies. The book emphasizes the urgent need to eliminate air pollution and secure energy supplies through practical solutions that can be implemented at individual, community, and national levels. Readers are encouraged to explore how their actions can contribute to a healthier planet, economically and environmentally.

The narrative highlights the dangers of continuing to rely on fossil fuels and the pressing requirement to transition to clean, renewable energy sources. The author warns that failing to make this shift could lead to catastrophic consequences, including biodiversity loss and political instability. However, there is a sense of hope throughout the text, as it asserts that we still have time to avert disaster by utilizing existing technologies effectively.

No Miracles Needed advocates for moving away from outdated energy technologies and instead focusing on harnessing and optimizing the potential of wind, water, and solar energy. By repurposing current technologies, we can ensure a reliable energy supply while addressing climate change. The book serves as a guide for individuals and communities to take actionable steps towards a sustainable future, reinforcing the idea that collective effort can lead to significant change.

'A meticulous primer on achieving a WWS energy transition.' Kirkus Reviews
'… the argument is convincing and optimistic. Readers looking to rebut criticism about green energy will find this a great help.' Publishers Weekly
'Professor Jacobson eschews expensive pie in the sky technology like carbon capture or nuclear to show us the way out of a multi-layered problem. Pollution, climate catastrophe and energy security can all be addressed with his simple plan. Mark lays it out in an easy-to-read, step-by-step guide that gives hope and helps us all to easily understand that these problems are not insurmountable or even very expensive. We have virtually all we need to move ahead with a cleaner, safer and more secure world starting today. You knowing it will accelerate this necessary transition away from burning things to power our lives. This book is a godsend.' Mark Ruffalo
'To those who wrongly insist we lack the tools to decarbonize our economy today, I say: read energy systems expert Mark Jacobson's amazing new book. In No Miracles Needed, Jacobson presents a comprehensive and detailed, yet highly accessible and readable blueprint for the options we have right now to address the climate crisis by taking advantage of existing renewable energy, storage, and smart grid technology combined with electrification of transportation systems, and efficiency measures. Read this book and be informed and engaged to help tackle the defining challenge of our time.' Michael Mann, Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science at Penn State University and author of The New Climate War
'Many people believe or fear that we can't solve the climate crisis, because we just don't have the technologies in hand to do so. This book should lay that fear to rest, once and for all.' Naomi Oreskes, co-author (with Erik M Conway) of The Big Myth: How American Business Taught Us to Loathe Government and Love the Free Market
'… shows impressively that numerous crises can be killed with one stone, without us having to wait for miracles: the energy, economic, health, and biodiversity crises can be solved by transitioning to a smart and complete supply of renewable energies. Let's not wait for miracles: let's simply implement it as soon as possible. Well worth reading!' Claudia Kemfert, German Institute for Economic Research and Professor of Energy Economics and Energy Policy at Leuphana University
'… a highly compelling and accessible book laying out the best path for [our] energy future, one that is achievable with currently available technologies, with no need for some new miraculous breakthrough. This is a must read for all who care about the future of our society and our planet, written by the world's premier thinker on energy futures.' Bob Howarth, Cornell University
'… blends science, engineering and history into a readable cornucopia of information … Mark's style is to present approachable depth on dozens of major topics: everything you need to understand, and to join the fight against, the peril of our time.' Anthony R. Ingraffea, Cornell University
'Forget future miracle technologies promised by snake oil salespeople. This book offers a practical and real-world solution today. It is a must read for everyone concerned about climate change and air pollution and interested in the transition to a more sustainable all-purpose renewable energy future. It is sure to be one of the most important books that you will read this decade.' Peter Strachan, Aberdeen Business School, Robert Gordon University
'Mark Jacobson's essential book, No Miracles Needed, offers clean, safe, and efficient solutions for our energy needs in this time of ever-growing climate chaos and disaster … The tools for producing, storing, and transmitting affordable and safe clean energy exist here and now with wind, water, and solar. No miracles are needed. A tireless and brilliant advocate for the environment, Professor Mark Jacobson's voice must be read, heard, and acted upon - now.' Heidi Hutner, Stony Brook University
'A masterful yet definitive book on renewable energy technology for those serious about understanding clean energy and how America and the world can transition to clean energy.' John J. Berger, author of Solving the Climate Crisis: Frontline Reports from the Race to Save the Earth
'Jacobson's scholarly and analytical book is persuasive' The Economist
'In his new book, Mark Jacobson tackles the problems of climate change, air pollution, and energy security head-on, offering a hopeful vision of a future powered by renewable energy sources.' Donald Wright, Yale Climate Connections
'Mark Jacobson's new book, greeted with hosannas by some leading environmentalists, is full of good ideas …' Bart Hawkins Kreps, Resilience.org
'Pitched at the 'lay reader', this is a book that really wants you to understand the details. So, a knowledge of GCSE-level science (what an electron is and so on …) is probably essential. I learned a ton. Strongly recommended.' Gabriel Carlyle, Peace News

ISBN: 9781009249546

Dimensions: 228mm x 152mm x 25mm

Weight: 740g

454 pages