Climate and Energy Decoded (ePub)

Climate change, renewable energy and low carbon transition are arguably the most debated topics of the twenty-first century. Climate and Energy Decoded provides a rare, unbiased overview of these critical topics. The book also methodically debunks the related myths.

The daily glut of biased information is leading to ill-informed discussions. In this book, Dr. Tushar Choudhary, a highly awarded industry expert, focuses on both science and practical issues for his clarifying analysis. Such an analysis, which uses the most reliable data available, is essential for informed debates on energy policies. The book has over 700 references and notes.

This concise book addresses all crucial aspects about climate and energy. Climate discussions include the history of climate change, the science behind climate change and myths about climate change. Energy discussions include the history of energy, technology basics, advantages & challenges of the different low carbon technologies, and myths about fossil fuels, renewable energy and energy transition. The final big picture discussion provides an energy policy framework for efficiently addressing climate change. This section also enables the reader to distinguish between effective and wasteful energy policies.

Apart from providing a crash course (or refresher) on climate change, renewable energy, fossil fuels and low-carbon transition, the book also provides answers to critical questions that are widely misunderstood.

Some examples of the type of questions addressed are:

Climate change: Should we ignore the climate warnings because of the past exaggerations by media and certain scientists? Can we ignore climate impacts since death rates from climate disasters have decreased drastically? Is climate mitigation the most important issue for humans currently? What is the estimated long-term economic impact of climate change?

Renewable energy & electrification: Is electricity from solar and wind cheaper than that from fossil fuels? Can energy costs of renewables become cheaper than fossil fuels? Why are most countries lagging when some countries already generate most of their electricity from renewable sources? Why is there so much controversy about green hydrogen? Are battery electric vehicles a very effective solution? What are the key challenges related to electrification?

Fossil fuels: Do fugitive emissions negate the advantage of natural gas over coal power? Do fossil fuels receive several trillion dollars in subsidies each year? What is the impact of fossil fuels on air pollution?

Energy transition: What are the key learnings from the previous energy transitions? How much will the low-carbon energy transition cost? What are the key challenges for the low-carbon energy transition? Why is there so much unrealistic optimism about the energy transition? Is there consensus amongst energy experts about the path forward?