Climate of Hope

By: Michael Bloomberg, Carl Pope

Narrated by: Michael R. Bloomberg - introduction, Charles Pellett, Carl Pope

Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's Summary

This program is read by Carl Pope and Charles Pellett with a preface read by the author, Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

From Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former head of the Sierra Club Carl Pope comes a manifesto on how the benefits of taking action on climate change are concrete, immediate, and immense. They explore climate change solutions that will make the world healthier and more prosperous, aiming to begin a new type of conversation on the issue that will spur bolder action by cities, businesses, and citizens—and even, someday, by Washington.

"Climate change threatens to reshape the future of our world's population centers. Bloomberg and Pope have been leaders on fortifying our cities against this threat, and their book proves that victory is possible—and imperative." —Leonardo DiCaprio

The 2016 election left many people who are concerned about the environment fearful that progress on climate change would come screeching to a halt. But not Michael Bloomberg and Carl Pope.

Bloomberg, an entrepreneur and former mayor of New York City, and Pope, a lifelong environmental leader, approach climate change from different perspectives, yet they arrive at similar conclusions. Without agreeing on every point, they share a belief that cities, businesses, and citizens can lead—and win—the battle against climate change, no matter which way the political winds in Washington may shift.

In Climate of Hope, Bloomberg and Pope offer an optimistic look at the challenge of climate change, the solutions they believe hold the greatest promise, and the practical steps that are necessary to achieve them. Writing from their own experiences, and sharing their own stories from government, business, and advocacy, Bloomberg and Pope provide a road map for tackling the most complicated challenge the world has ever faced. Along the way, they turn the usual way of thinking about climate change on its head: from top down to bottom up, from partisan to pragmatic, from costs to benefits, from tomorrow to today, and from fear to hope.

©2016 Michael R. Bloomberg (P)2017 Macmillan Audio

INCREDIBLE

What made the experience of listening to Climate of Hope the most enjoyable?

The facts they present demonstrate we are not a hopeless species, and when faced with logical alternatives, we (as a species) tend to choose alternatives that are better if we can just examine them.

What did you like best about this story?

The fact that so many options exist for us to save our planet...and all of them have positive outcomes for virtually EVERYONE!

Which scene was your favorite?

No particular scenes in this book...just a thoughtful presentation of facts.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Several. Essentially that we can engineer our way out of the problem that our planet has, and that engineering does not have winners or losers, but those who do and those who do not.

Any additional comments?

Outstanding read that really puts the science and practicality to the front of the issue. It is fascinating how we can improve the health of the planet and not have to sacrifice any group to do it!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Incomplete discussion

I listened to 8 chapters and noted one brief reference to nuclear fuel and no mention of new developments in the field such as small modular reactors and molten sodium-thorium reactors. Nor has there been even a nod to the critics who cite evidence that "renewables" cannot possibly satisfy the nation's or the world's need for power in the future. There is nothing objectionable about a discussion of renewable energy which should be part of the solution, but in a debate about the future of the planet and its energy needs, the complete omission of the entire field of nuclear power and its exciting new developments is an omission that smells of profound bias and distortion. I also tired of Bloomberg's continuous self-praise about what a great job he did in NYC. And the man who narrated his portion sounded like he was selling refrigerators at my local appliance store. This is a book about renewable energy (good) but not a realistic discussion of our energy needs and their potential solutions for the 21st century.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great book about bottom-up approach for climate change

The federal government hasn’t stepped up to the plate to significantly address this issue, so this book covers real-life case studies around the globe. It’s up to our cities, businesses, and political leaders at the local level to address this crisis.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

All the things we can do to fight climate change

How climate change is hurting us now and all that is being done and what we can do to help is explained. Very interesting. Very alarming as well.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great upbeat and practical book

This is an excellent upbeat overview of the means to tackle climate change. The presentation is direct and balanced and non-partisan. Well done.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Reframing the climate change discussion

Pope and Bloomberg do a great job shifting the discussion to terms almost everyone can get behind. Drop the fear mongering; spread the hope.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

optimistic

very informative. Has a lot of great ideas about how to work on global climate problems by taking local action. Gives a very hood assessment of where we are at, and where we need to go.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Inspiring but self promoting

Bloomberg and Pope share their hard-won experience in working at the city level to address climate change. At times, the refrain the importance of local initiatives becomes tired, and the reader of Bloomberg's sections is overly enthusiastic.

fantastic book, but reading tone a turn off

the book is unarguably an essential study on current starts of the climate. too bad Michael Bloomberg has a very repetitive and irritating way to narrate.

Very upbeat

This book covers a lot of aspects of the fight against climate change from technology to policy to economics and beyond. It was great to have a fairly comprehensive and hopeful approach. I did feel like they were a bit too optimistic about what cities etc can do in their own even in the face of counterproductive policies on a national level. Still, this book gave me hope that some progress could be made despite the current climate in Washington.