Brighter: Optimism, Progress, and the Future of Environmentalism

by Adam Dorr

If you think we are doomed, think we can meet our environmental challenges and build a brighter future with clean technology.

Up until now, human progress and prosperity has come at a terrible cost to the natural world. Everywhere we look we see environmental devastation, and the looming threat of climate change casts our very future into doubt. Many believe our only option is to make massive cutbacks, to downgrade prosperity, to shrink the global economy by half or more. But this would only exchange an ecological catastrophe for a social one. If we truly face a no-win scenario, is it any wonder pessimism is so widespread?

Brighter explains that a very different future lies ahead of us. Adam Dorr is an environmental scientist, technology theorist, and Director of Research at the renowned think tank RethinkX. In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Dorr explains that technological disruptions are already underway that will radically transform energy, transportation, food, and labor. The clean new technologies will wipe out older, dirtier technologies, foster unprecedented prosperity, and open the door to mitigating environmental impacts and restoring ecological integrity at a planetary scale – including solving climate change.

With clear explanations based on the pioneering work of RethinkX, Brighter offers an antidote to pessimism and false hope by giving us compelling reasons for optimism grounded in data, challenging us to reimagine environmentalism for the 21st Century.

" Brighter shows that clean technology disruptions happening today are the key to solving our greatest environmental challenges. This is optimism grounded in science and facts, not wishful thinking – an important and profoundly inspiring book that will change the way you see humanity’s future." - TONY SEBA

"They say it’s always darkest right before dawn, and Adam Dorr’s immensely encouraging book Brighter is slam dunk evidence of that in today’s world. In field after field, once impossible solutions are becoming not only possible but, often, inevitable. A genuinely uplifting read." - JOHN ELKINGTON

Genres: Nonfiction, Environment

251 pages, Paperback

Published December 9, 2022

About the author

Adam is the Director of Research at RethinkX, the renowned technology think tank founded by Tony Seba. He is an environmental social scientist and technology theorist whose recent publications have focused on the disruption of the global energy sector by new energy generation and storage technologies, as well as the implications of the energy, transportation and food disruptions for climate change.

Adam regularly presents RethinkX's work on stage, radio, podcasts, and television and has more than a decade of teaching, lecturing, and public speaking experience. He completed his MS at the University of Michigan's School for the Environment and Sustainability and his PhD at UCLA's Luskin School of Public Affairs.

Reviews

[Per Wikman Svahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant summary of technological disruptions that will ultimately save the environment and the humanity

A much needed counter narrative of the environemental doom and gloom that seems to dominate the mass media and most people today.
The main message of the book is that technology has the potential to not only save us from the environmental problems, it can also restore the nature and free us from the limitations and dependence. The book also urges us to start thinking seriously about the changes that will come, and how to navigate the disruptive transformations that are necessary. This is critical as the necessary changes will sometimes also cause collateral damage such as harming peoples and cultures in the short term. “Protect the people not the companies” is a good slogan to keep in mind in navigating this transition. This book should be required reading for everyone to understand where the world is heading through technological change.

[Timm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was already familiar with RethinkX and have read most of their reports of coming disruptions. All of which have quite frankly blown my mind.

And yet.

This book was such a salve for my climate anxiety. As a father of a three-year-old it’s gotten particularly acute recently. As exciting as these “inevitables” are, I’m also left wondering: how do I help prepare my son for this new world? The author being a father himself, I wish he had offered some insights as to how he has answered this question with his own daughter.

[Mikolaj Misiurewicz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book because of the optimism it provides, in which I choose to believe. On top of that, it shows a very good framework that goes beyond just belief and allows me to organize my thinking. It also addresses the problems of the environmental movements in a very direct way, which is something I didn't think about much before reading it.

I came to read the book after already being exposed to its ideas, and having already acquired quite a lot of knowledge about disruptive innovation. This means I don't have to question its assumptions, because I'm strongly convinced that a lot of the things it talks about are already coming true. Sure, the road may be bumpy, or we may completely fail in some regards and all could go to hell, but the main assumptions are known to me, and already understood by me.

There is one fundamental issue I have with the book. I'd hesitate to advise to read it to anyone who's not already convinced. That's because it's very short on concrete examples and data. It skims over things, saying "it's already happening" or "this WILL happen". This means that if someone is skeptical of the book's thesis, especially coming from the environmentalism way of thinking, I don't see it convincing them. OK, maybe I'm too data focused, and maybe it's just me. Perhaps some people really do just need a message of optimism and a hint of possible solution to at least be convinced to research more on their own? I don't know.

I would LOVE for a future revision of the book to contain at least one or two specific examples / cases for each of the four (or three, if we ignore labour) main focus areas. This could be interweaved between other chapters and go in depth into what specific technologies are being developed, what is their current adoption, what are the industry trends, etc. In my opinion it could greatly enhance the practical value of the book, especially when presented to a sceptical reader.

Otherwise, I'd advise a future reader to search for this knowledge themselves - it's out there. In RethinkX research, Ark Invest research, YouTube videos, and so on. This book is an excellent supplement to this research, showing what are the broad implications of the technological disruption convergence in the context of climate change and environmentalism.

Please note that I wrote that I "choose to believe" in what is written in the book. I could have said that "I know" but I don't think you can really, convincingly say "I know", unless you're a scientist working in the field, or a startup CEO of one of those innovative companies. Even if you have very detailed knowledge about one field, what about the other technologies? Can you really say "I know this is the undeniable trajectory for all of them"? To some extent, maybe, but it ALSO requires belief. You have to CHOOSE to believe in a better future, instead of impending doom. Based on facts and research of course. And, if you do, it will make your life so much better, happier and more productive. At least this is what happened to me, and I've seen the same scenario play out for others too.

I listened to the book on Audible.

[Joris · Rating 5 out of 5]

An optimistic, technology-centric book about environmentalism and climate change -- my kind of thing.

At its core it makes the argument that we can't solve environmental issues such as climate change by doing less of the things that are harmful, but rather that we need to do things in new ways altogether. It often refers to the analogy of a house that's on fire: you can't solve it by reducing the fire, you need to fully extinguish the fire and then follow with repair initiatives. For climate change, this means not doing less of things that emit carbon, but doing them in ways that don't emit carbon. The author is critical of typical environmental movements for clinging to an idea of conservation of the old, or "man vs. nature" narratives, rather than actually trying to solve and reverse problems by adopting new, clean technologies.

The book's optimistic view comes in part from the author's belief in exponential adoption curves (based on researching past technology adoption curves), suggesting that technologies such as solar, energy storage, precision fermentation, cellular agriculture and electric vehicles will overtake their predecessors more rapidly than many would assume and soon make the old technologies uncompetitive.

While future technologies will come with downsides of their own, I generally agree with the author's viewpoints, and his optimism on the topic is refreshing.

[Steve Richards · Rating 4 out of 5]

short and focussed

A very challenging view of the future, exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. It benefits from laser sharp focus on a few key technology disruptions, makes a compelling case, but almost completely ignores the implications of those disruptions, except to recognise their existence. Plenty of scope for dozens of books to follow, to fill in all of the gaps. A great book though and congratulations to the author for keeping it short and on point. Ironically given how short it is, it does suffer slightly from repetition!

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of those life changing books that come along so rarely. Reading this book is like taking a Red Pill and opening your eyes forever to what is happening. Our lives are about to change forever! The future may indeed by brighter that we imagined! I think I’ll read it again!

[Tom Rodenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read

Although wild eyed liberalism occasionally rears it's head (at least to this 83 year old conservative!) In the whole an uplifting look into the near future

[João Cortez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Optimistic view about the future with technology disrupting energy, transportation, food and labor.

[David Walley · Rating 2 out of 5]

quite repetitive

[Dai · Rating 5 out of 5]

optimistic