The Big Fix
Seven Practical Steps to Save Our Planet
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
A “smart, honest, and down-to-earth” (Elizabeth Kolbert) citizen’s guide to the seven urgent changes that will really make a difference for our climate.
If you think the only thing you can do to combat climate change is to install a smart thermostat or cook plant-based meat, you’re thinking too small.
In The Big Fix, energy policy advisor Hal Harvey and longtime New York Times reporter Justin Gillis offer a new, hopeful way to engage with one of the greatest problems of our age. Writing in a lively, accessible style, the pair illuminate how the really big decisions that affect our climate get made—whether by the most obscure public utilities commissions or in the lofty halls of state capitols—and reveal how each of us can influence these decisions to deliver change. The pair focus on the seven areas of our political economy where ambitious but practical changes will have the greatest effect: from what kind of power plants to build to how much insulation new houses require to how efficient cars must be before they’re allowed on the road.
Equal parts pragmatic and inspiring—and “full of illustrative stories and compelling evidence” (Al Gore)—The Big Fix provides an action plan for anyone serious about holding our governments accountable and saving our threatened planet.
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Harvey (Designing Climate Solutions), CEO of an environmental policy firm, and New York Times reporter Gillis make fighting climate change feel a bit less intimidating in this down-to-earth look at ways the average citizen can make a difference. While they encourage green consumer choices ("recycling diligently, installing smart thermostats, eating less meat"), the authors are realistic about the limited impact of such steps. Instead, they argue that individuals must become "green citizens" who focus "on a relatively small number of public policies that can, over time, bring about sweeping change." Such policies include designing urban spaces that discourage car use, incentivizing the implementation of climate-friendly technologies, and putting smart electrical grids in place. As for realizing such goals, the authors recommend attending public utility companies' planning hearings, calling representatives to advocate for clean energy, and organizing behind new transit taxes when they're on ballots. They cite numerous successes, including a push by Arizona students to have their school board buy electric buses, while still being mindful of political realities in the deeply partisan moment. This is a useful guide for budding activists.
