Drawdown: Possibilities For Remedying Climate Change

 I decided to read Drawdown edited by Paul Hawken because I needed to read a book while I was updating to Windows 11, and this one dealing with energy alternatives seemed to be the most worthwhile of the current crop of library books.  I expected the Windows 11 update to take six hours, and it turned out to be an eight and half hour process. So I finished Drawdown and made a start on another book during that time period.  Afterward, I decided Drawdown deserved a review.

                         

                              

                                 

                                   

The forward to Drawdown was by  Tom Steyer.  I knew little about this billionaire before he became an advocate for the impeachment of Donald Trump.  At the time, I considered him high profile evidence that other billionaires despised Trump.  Later Steyer became known as a strong supporter for environmentalism.   I knew nothing of his investment in polluting companies at the time.  In fact, I just read his Wikipedia article, and found out about his business background.  When he decided to run against Trump,  it certainly seemed as if he'd repented of his support for earth ruining enterprises.  He sold those polluting investments in 2012.  Yet I suspect the American people weren't inclined to trust billionaires at that time.  His forward to Drawdown did seem sincere.

I appreciated the fact that Drawdown  avoids jargon and has fewer acronyms so that general readers can understand it.  Paul Hawken also wanted to avoid military terms.  "Climate change is a natural process, not an enemy," Hawken tells us.  I thought that Hawken's attitude was constructive.  Seeing climate change as an enemy to be fought takes focus away from the positive changes that will make our planet more livable for all of  Earth's inhabitants.

Reforesting the oceans is a solution that I'd never previously seen discussed.  These are kelp forests which grow so much more quickly than land vegetation.  Kelp also has a very positive impact.  It produces half of Earth's oxygen.  I had no idea that kelp is that significant.

Most of the content didn't impress me as much.  So I gave this book a B grade.