A Renewable World: Energy, Ecology, Equality [Paperback]

Herbert Girardet (Author), Miguel Mendonca (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 13, 2009

Climate change and energy shortages are set to become the greatest challenges for humanity in the twenty-first century. While a few reports have given some indication about what can be done to come to grips with these problems, very little has been written about how these necessary changes can be brought about. A Renewable World outlines the key steps needed to make the crucial transition actually happen.

The latest climate research indicates that the challenge facing us is not just the reduction of our annual global emissions of greenhouse gases, but of their actual concentrations in the atmosphere. After years of inaction, urgent and comprehensive action is now needed to turn an existential crisis for humanity into an opportunity to secure the well-being and prosperity of present and future generations.

This book shows how we can:

• Accelerate the renewable energy revolution
• Renew our local economies and our urban habitat
• Renew the living systems of planet earth
• Renew and invigorate international cooperation

Illustrated in full color, A Renewable World deals with a variety of urgent issues in a holistic, comprehensive, and accessible way.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Here's the book we've been waiting for: a thorough, up-to-date, and above all proportionate response to our climatic predicament. When I say proportionate, I mean: it tells us how to solve the problem we really have, not the one we wish we had. It's truly important!' Bill McKibben, founder, 350.org. Moving towards a green economy requires focused and smart public policies to enable new markets to emerge. The story of renewable energy and feed-in tariffs presented in this book provides a powerful illustration of how consumers and producers of clean energy can - given the right policy framework - transform the market for energy almost overnight.' Achim Steiner, Executive Director, UNEP. 'A Renewable World is based on the renewable gifts of sun, soil, seed. This is how sustainable societies of the South, especially the women, have kept society fed and clothed over millennia. This important book highlights the solutions that allow us to regenerate our renewable natural capital and reduce our ecological footprint, while increasing human welfare.' Vandana Shiva

About the Author

Herbert Girardet is an author, filmmaker, and consultant focusing on sustainable development. He is director of programs of the World Future Council, and a former chairman of the Schumacher Society in the U.K. He is a recipient of a U.N. Global500 Award for outstanding environmental achievements. His previous books include The Gaia Atlas of Cities, 1992 and 1996; Cities, People, Planet: Urban Development and Climate Change, 2004 and 2008; and Surviving the Century: Facing Climate Change and Other Global Challenges, 2007.



Miguel Mendonça is research manager for the World Future Council. He works in both research and advocacy, focusing on renewable energy policy. He has worked on four continents, campaigning, coalition building, and speaking, and is a member of the steering committee of the Alliance for Renewable Energy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Green Books (October 13, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1900322498
• ISBN-13: 978-1900322492
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,471,184 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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