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The planet’s most data-driven optimist is back to dispel climate myths (and battle B.S.) with 50 questions and answers that destroy the doomsayers and provide a guide to a cleaner, better future.
In 2024, Hannah Ritchie’s clear-eyed Not the End of the World spelled out why, despite our many environmental challenges, we’re in better shape than we’ve ever been. Now she’s back with Clearing the Air (on Amazon and Thriftbooks), a handy guide to shutting down those who spout misinformation or who have lost their can-do spirit about climate change.
Clearing the Air takes the form of 50 questions about climate change and the real but solvable pickle that we’re in. Questions like:
- “Isn’t it too late?”
- “Can we transition to clean energy fast enough?”
- “Won’t we run out of land to use for solar panels and wind turbines?”
- “Isn’t nuclear power dangerous?”
For every question, Ritchie provides an answer with several facets. First, the data; Ritchie is a data scientist first and foremost and has gloriously little patience for myths, conventional wisdom, and outright lies. Second, she lays out “What We Need to Do,” or concrete steps for individuals and governments to take. Third, for many of the questions, she presents “Things to Bear in Mind,” a deeper dive into nuances.
For example: Question 25 is “Aren’t electric cars just as bad for the climate as gas cars?” Ritchie notes that more than half of Americans believe this nonsense. Then she proceeds to show that it’s demonstrably false. Just how much better an EV is for the climate, she explains, depends on the source of the electricity. But in ALL cases, EVs are preferable, even though the emissions required to manufacture an EV are greater than those needed to build a gas-powered car.
Next, in the “What We Need to Do” section, she lists a few things we can do — buying EVs, walking and biking (cleaner than EVs) — and actions governments can take — improving the manufacturing process for EVs (getting better, but could be cleaner), decarbonizing the energy grid (to make EV travel even greener). Finally, she details how far you have to drive an EV to make up for the extra emissions generated during the manufacturing process. (Spoiler: not that far. In fact, 25,000 miles at the most, but probably much less, depending on the source of electricity you use to charge it).
Question 25 is ‘Aren’t electric cars just as bad for the climate as gas cars?' Ritchie notes that more than half of Americans believe this nonsense. Then she proceeds to show that it’s demonstrably false.
Reading Clearing the Air is a bit of a choppy experience, as the answers are brief and densely packed with facts. The questions are arranged under broad subjects like “Fossil Fuels” and “Food,” and sometimes, Ritchie moves from topic to topic a bit too briskly. That said, it’s a quick and engaging read. And the introduction and conclusion masterfully frame today’s landscape of misinformation and provide tools to deftly navigate the landmines of “alternative facts” so that we can make real progress. It’s a handy resource for rebutting any skeptics and “experts” you might encounter.
Ritchie is no Pollyanna; she knows the magnitude of the challenge ahead and is aware of the considerable uncertainties inherent in building the future. But she also comes armed with the facts and data to show that we can solve pretty much any climate-related problem with the right mix of technology, personal responsibility, and public policy.
“The path will not be linear,” she writes. “There will be bumps in the road that will temporarily slow us down or take us slightly off track. But the journey we’re on is a marathon, not a sprint. Our future will not be determined in a single year or even a four-year presidential term. When setbacks do arrive, we need to be determined to push harder and faster when they pass. It won’t be straightforward, but it will be worth it. This transition is not a sacrifice, it’s an opportunity to build a better, fairer, and more sustainable world.”
For more Hannah Ritchie, listen to her podcast Solving for Climate. Got a question about a climate myth? Ask Dot at [email protected].
