Energy Futures

The second edition of this book will update some of the progress that has been made since the initial publication in 2022 and add new material about hydrogen energy that was not available earlier. It will also update the geothermal discussion with recent progress made at the FORGE site in Utah. Significant progress has also been made in the carbon dioxide removal space since 2022, including the organization of two trade groups for this nascent industry, new efforts and research funding from the U.S. Department of Energy for direct air capture of CO2, the development of carbon “hubs,” and the growing interest in carbonation as a sequestration technology that avoids many of the problems and pitfalls with storing captured CO2 underground. It also discusses changes in international climate policies, including a greater focus on loss and damage in the Global South and some restructuring of carbon offset economics in both North America and Europe to encourage carbon dioxide removal.

The objective of this book is to help the average, concerned reader better understand the links between fossil fuel, greenhouse gas, and climate change in a clear, explanatory format. It avoids sensationalism and politics, using plain language to explain the details of the science, how the science works, and how we know what we know. The author’s opinions are clearly delineated from factual material, and the book is referenced throughout with footnotes. It describes the history of fossil fuels, why fossil fuel combustion products are a problem, and what must be done to address the impacts on climate. It provides details about a number of energy engineering solutions to replace fossil fuels and technology called geoengineering that can cool the planet and directly remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Some of these technologies can be implemented almost immediately, and others may be applied in the future. Many young people are pessimistic about the future and prepared to give up on addressing climate change. The book strives to maintain hope throughout that humanity can solve this and other environmental problems. The climate crisis was caused by human engineering, and human engineering can fix it. The goal is to produce informed readers that can have responsible discussions with their political leaders about implementing solutions to climate change.