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A Climate Think Tank
Plan to Save the Planet explains to readers how we can resolve climate change at the lowest cost and in a way that is politically feasible to save the planet. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I am the director of a climate think tank, and this book summarizes our research.
How much research did you undertake for this book, and how much time did it take to put it all together?
This book summarizes 3 years of research. I managed and sponsored 25 university researchers to help produce this material.
What is a common misconception you feel people have about decarbonization?
People, cities, states and companies rarely have the physical ability to decarbonize at lowest cost. For that, one needs power companies to build more solar farms and more wind farms.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your book?
Little progress will be made unless federal law requires decarbonization at lowest cost.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Website
The easiest solution is a federal law that requires decarbonization at the lowest cost over 30 years, with additional costs passed onto consumers. If applied to the U.S., this would cost each American $20 in year #1, $40 in year #2, $60 in year #3, etc.
The world’s current economic decarbonization strategy is to encourage individuals, companies, cities, and regions to reduce CO2 emissions. However, they rarely have the physical ability to do so at the lowest cost. Instead, we should task power companies with decarbonizing at massive scales and at the lowest cost.
Decarbonization policy in the U.S. is controlled by a political coalition of environmentalists, labor unions, and the automobile industry. Unfortunately, labor and auto must focus on their own financial interests, and not getting to zero at the lowest cost. To do the latter, one would need a political coalition that benefits. For example, regions that import carbon-based fuels benefit from lowest-cost decarbonization in two ways: (a) they gain local green jobs while carbon jobs are lost elsewhere, and (b) they save money when decarbonization causes fuel price to drop, due to less fuel consumption.
The cherry on top of our climate solutions sundae is a new R&D laboratory that further reduces decarbonization costs.
To read the first 4 chapters for free, or watch a 10 minute TED talk that summarizes the book, visit APlanToSaveThePlanet.org
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