What it is
Published in 2024 by Hannah Ritchie, deputy editor of Our World in Data, this book systematically examines seven environmental challenges (air pollution, climate change, deforestation, food, biodiversity, ocean plastics, overfishing) and shows, with data, that each one is solvable. Ritchie combines rigorous analysis with accessible writing to counter both denialism and doomerism.
Why we picked this
This is the antidote to climate despair. Ritchie does not minimize the crisis. She shows that progress is already happening and that the trajectory is improvable. Her data-first approach cuts through noise: if you want to know what is actually working, this is the book.
Key takeaways
- Solar LCOE dropped from $0.445/kWh in 2010 to $0.044/kWh in 2023, making it 56% cheaper than fossil alternatives in most markets.
- Global deforestation is declining: the world reached peak deforestation in the 1980s, and net tree cover is increasing in many regions as reforestation outpaces clearing.
- Onshore wind costs fell 69% to $0.033/kWh, with PV module prices hitting $0.13/W after a 25.7% learning rate sustained across four decades.