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Clearing the Air: A Hopeful Guide to Solving Climate Change — in 50 Questions and Answers
** A FINANCIAL TIMES & NEW STATESMAN BEST BOOK OF 2025 **
A Bill Gates Top Pick for 2025: 'One of the clearest explanations of the climate challenge I’ve read'
'We urgently need Hannah Ritchie' GUARDIAN
'Essential reading' RUTGER BREGMAN
'Read this book -- now' MARK LYNAS
We can’t afford to delay climate action, but with all the shouting and disagreement it’s hard to know where to turn. In her new book, bestselling environmental star Hannah Ritchie answers 50 key climate questions once and for all, clearing the air so we can get on and fix things.
With so many conflicting headlines out there, it’s tough to sort fact from fiction when it comes to climate change and the solutions we need for a cleaner future.
The first piece of good news is that data scientist Hannah Ritchie is here with the answers and the steps we need to take now. Using simple, clear data, she tackles questions such as, ‘Is it too late?’, ‘Won’t we run out of minerals?’ and ‘Are we too polarised?’. The second piece of good the truth is way more hopeful than you might think.
We’re at a critical moment for our planet, and getting the facts straight is step one. But even more crucial is feeling hopeful about what we can do next. The third piece of good news? We already have many of the solutions we need to create a more sustainable planet for future generations.
Clearing the Air is your essential guide whenever you’re feeling lost or overwhelmed about climate change. Dive in, get informed and be part of building a better world for everyone.
PRAISE FOR NOT THE END OF THE WORLD:
'A book for anyone who finds it difficult to believe in a better future' THE TIMES
'An inspiring data-mine which gives us not only real guidance, but the most necessary ingredient of hope' MARGARET ATWOOD
'Unmissable' TIM SPECTOR
A Bill Gates Top Pick for 2025: 'One of the clearest explanations of the climate challenge I’ve read'
'We urgently need Hannah Ritchie' GUARDIAN
'Essential reading' RUTGER BREGMAN
'Read this book -- now' MARK LYNAS
We can’t afford to delay climate action, but with all the shouting and disagreement it’s hard to know where to turn. In her new book, bestselling environmental star Hannah Ritchie answers 50 key climate questions once and for all, clearing the air so we can get on and fix things.
With so many conflicting headlines out there, it’s tough to sort fact from fiction when it comes to climate change and the solutions we need for a cleaner future.
The first piece of good news is that data scientist Hannah Ritchie is here with the answers and the steps we need to take now. Using simple, clear data, she tackles questions such as, ‘Is it too late?’, ‘Won’t we run out of minerals?’ and ‘Are we too polarised?’. The second piece of good the truth is way more hopeful than you might think.
We’re at a critical moment for our planet, and getting the facts straight is step one. But even more crucial is feeling hopeful about what we can do next. The third piece of good news? We already have many of the solutions we need to create a more sustainable planet for future generations.
Clearing the Air is your essential guide whenever you’re feeling lost or overwhelmed about climate change. Dive in, get informed and be part of building a better world for everyone.
PRAISE FOR NOT THE END OF THE WORLD:
'A book for anyone who finds it difficult to believe in a better future' THE TIMES
'An inspiring data-mine which gives us not only real guidance, but the most necessary ingredient of hope' MARGARET ATWOOD
'Unmissable' TIM SPECTOR
280 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 18, 2025
59 people are currently reading
2040 people want to read
About the author
Hannah Ritchie
6 books174 followersHannah Ritchie is deputy editor and research leader at Our World in Data, an online publication making data and research on the world's largest problems accessible and understandable for non-experts. She is a senior researcher at the University of Oxford, where she studies how environmental issues intersect with others like poverty, global health and education. She has also done extensive research into the question of how to feed everyone in the world a nutritious diet without wrecking the planet. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, BBC, Al Jazeera, The Economist and New Scientist.
In 2022, Ritchie was named Scotland's Youth Climate Champion. Her forthcoming book, The First Generation, makes an evidence-based case for why we have a meaningful chance to solve global environmental problems for the first time in human history.
In 2022, Ritchie was named Scotland's Youth Climate Champion. Her forthcoming book, The First Generation, makes an evidence-based case for why we have a meaningful chance to solve global environmental problems for the first time in human history.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 20, 2025
Maybe it's overly optimistic, maybe it's familiar to anyone who's done even at least a couple hours' research into whatever subject raised... but this is crucial information everyone should know in this pathologically pessimistic yet crucial time. Read it, tell all your friends what's in it. Give Ritchie a Damehood.
December 10, 2025
Like 3.75/5. Not that it’s bad but it doesn’t go in depth. Maybe 50 was too ambitious?
Her style of writing is very accessible so I’d happily read “Clearing the air part 1” and “Clearing the air part 2” instead of being served so many questions and answers without going fully in depth. Touched onto many important topics to be discussed in just 260 pages.
All in all, recommend as a read if you want to get acquainted with the topic
Her style of writing is very accessible so I’d happily read “Clearing the air part 1” and “Clearing the air part 2” instead of being served so many questions and answers without going fully in depth. Touched onto many important topics to be discussed in just 260 pages.
All in all, recommend as a read if you want to get acquainted with the topic
October 4, 2025
By addressing all key questions, it's a must-read for politicians and sceptics — but being an expert, it feels like reading ChatGPT answers.
October 27, 2025
Hannah Ritchie delivers again! I loved her first book ("Not the End of the World"), and I wasn’t disappointed this time either. Ritchie is that rare kind of researcher who has a real gift for bringing context and explaining complex ideas without oversimplifying them. Her honesty and openness about challenges (e.g. the difficulties of becoming carbon neutral) only add to her credibility in my eyes.
This little book is surprisingly comprehensive! It’s structured around 50 questions about climate change that Hannah is most often asked. While a large part focuses on the energy sector’s transition to net zero, it also covers agriculture, travel, and even geoengineering.
It’s an enlightening, engaging read in a very digestible format. I highly recommend it!
This little book is surprisingly comprehensive! It’s structured around 50 questions about climate change that Hannah is most often asked. While a large part focuses on the energy sector’s transition to net zero, it also covers agriculture, travel, and even geoengineering.
It’s an enlightening, engaging read in a very digestible format. I highly recommend it!
October 28, 2025
‘Climate change- and the energy, materials and food systems that drive it- is a massive but solvable problem.’
It is not often that we find a climate book that is openly honest, factual and optimistic about where we are in ‘one of the biggest challenges that humanity faces’. Ritchie structures this book into a question- answer format which makes the writing accessible, while at the same time, objective and factual. Her 50 questions are divided into 10 sections covering issues ranging from food, carbon removal, heating, electric cars, renewable energy and more. Every section has clear action points which are necessary to bring about the change that is needed. Her objective, data based clarity approach makes her writing compelling and her arguments convincing. She argues that ‘We are not only capable of solving climate change but also poised to create a better future for ourselves in the process. To do that, we first need to understand that it’s possible.’
Ritchie repeats that aiming for ‘perfect solutionism’ is a pathway doomed to failure. She argues, like many others, that we should not ‘let perfect be the enemy of good. ‘Another problem is that we seem to be stuck in something I call ‘perfect solutionism’. People seem to expect solutions to climate change that have no downsides…Unfortunately, perfect climate solutions don’t exist.’ She challenges what this search for a ‘perfect solution’ actually means: ‘We also need to recognise where a search for perfection will leave us: in a much hotter world, still hooked on fossil fuels, with millions still dying from air pollution.’
‘It won’t be straightforward, but it will be worth it.’
Ritchie begins by tackling some of the oft-repeated questions that seek to delay climate action. Some of these will now be summarised here, owing to the quantity of times we have seen these arguments. ‘Isn’t it too late? Aren't we headed for a 5 or 6℃ warmer world?’
Ritchie tackles this question head on and deals with it by highlighting how much progress we have made from the early scenarios that suggested these higher global temperatures. She urges honesty in these discussions, in order that the public do not lose trust in the messages from climate scientists. Her succinct answer is that, ‘Every tenth of a degree matters. There’s no point at which it’s too late to limit warming and reduce damage from climate change.’
Attention is then turned to the issues of polarisation, or apparent political divides and support for climate action. Ritchie argues that the data indicates that ‘more people care about climate change than you think’ and that views on this are skewed by the preferred media that is consumed. She points to survey findings which indicate that the public welcome climate policy action. ‘A survey of 59,000 people across 63 countries found that 86% thought that humans were causing climate change and that it was a serious threat to humanity.’ Ritchie urges that talking to real people about climate issues and actions, such as installing solar panels or choosing to drive an electric car, can really make a local difference. When communities work together and people talk to each other, solutions can be found which then drive further innovation. ‘Systemic change is driven by culture and public sentiment, and how we all think and talk about climate solutions shapes that culture.’
Why should my country act when others are not acting?
Ritchie also explores the ‘1%’ argument when she poses the question, ‘My country only emits 1% of the world’s emissions; surely it’s too small to make a difference?’ She highlights two factors here when this is used as an excuse not to act; one, that ‘the world’s ‘small emitters’ make up more than one-third of the world’s emissions, enough to significantly turn the dial’ and secondly the moral argument of understanding the importance of historical emissions and not just emissions now. ‘There is also a strong moral argument for why countries like the UK should care, even if their emissions today are not a big piece of the pie. The UK emits just 0.9% of emissions, but if we add up all its historical emissions, it accounts for 4.5%.’ Countries like the USA historically have emitted around 24%, but the spotlight is rarely focused on them, but rather the climate scapegoat of China.
Ritchie does focus on China and answers the question, ‘Aren’t our efforts pointless if China’s emissions keep growing?’
She acknowledges China’s position now, but also highlights its climate leadership position, when she argues that the data demonstrates that, ‘China is the world’s largest emitter but it’s rolling out renewables and electric vehicles at breakneck speed.
China is rolling out solar and wind at a staggering rate. In a single year, it builds enough solar and wind to power the entire UK. In 2023, it installed more solar power than the US had in its entire history.’
She makes the point that, ‘[r]elying on others is a geopolitical liability’, one which was demonstrated only too well in the UK, when the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was felt in electricity prices. Her point is that solar and wind energy are free in every country, although some countries may make decisions on their energy needs depending on their geography and local conditions.
The future is there, waiting for us to take it. Or, rather, build it.
‘Clearing the Air’ continues in this analytical approach, outlining the facts around electric cars, the energy needs from the food industry, heating and cooling and nuclear power- the ‘big topics’ of climate discussions and policy. Throughout, Ritchie stresses what the data indicates, which heightens the optimistic possibility of what can be achieved.
‘Getting our emissions to zero- while providing a good life for billions of people- is one of the biggest challenges that humanity faces. It’s possible to do it, and there are very few technical constraints in our way, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be easy.’
Ritchie finally urges us to understand and appreciate that a mindset shift will help enormously. We accept that society has changed in the past- oftentimes very quickly, but oddly, we find it difficult to project this understanding into future events.
‘We accept that changes have happened in the past but are sceptical that tomorrow, next year or the next decade will be much different.’
It can be difficult, when living in a transitional moment, to recognise that change is happening and that attitudes are shifting. But looking back to how much progress we have made to reduce emissions and to negate high emission pathways, demonstrates that significant progress has been made.
The journey has already started.
Where it ends, is up to us.
It is not often that we find a climate book that is openly honest, factual and optimistic about where we are in ‘one of the biggest challenges that humanity faces’. Ritchie structures this book into a question- answer format which makes the writing accessible, while at the same time, objective and factual. Her 50 questions are divided into 10 sections covering issues ranging from food, carbon removal, heating, electric cars, renewable energy and more. Every section has clear action points which are necessary to bring about the change that is needed. Her objective, data based clarity approach makes her writing compelling and her arguments convincing. She argues that ‘We are not only capable of solving climate change but also poised to create a better future for ourselves in the process. To do that, we first need to understand that it’s possible.’
Ritchie repeats that aiming for ‘perfect solutionism’ is a pathway doomed to failure. She argues, like many others, that we should not ‘let perfect be the enemy of good. ‘Another problem is that we seem to be stuck in something I call ‘perfect solutionism’. People seem to expect solutions to climate change that have no downsides…Unfortunately, perfect climate solutions don’t exist.’ She challenges what this search for a ‘perfect solution’ actually means: ‘We also need to recognise where a search for perfection will leave us: in a much hotter world, still hooked on fossil fuels, with millions still dying from air pollution.’
‘It won’t be straightforward, but it will be worth it.’
Ritchie begins by tackling some of the oft-repeated questions that seek to delay climate action. Some of these will now be summarised here, owing to the quantity of times we have seen these arguments. ‘Isn’t it too late? Aren't we headed for a 5 or 6℃ warmer world?’
Ritchie tackles this question head on and deals with it by highlighting how much progress we have made from the early scenarios that suggested these higher global temperatures. She urges honesty in these discussions, in order that the public do not lose trust in the messages from climate scientists. Her succinct answer is that, ‘Every tenth of a degree matters. There’s no point at which it’s too late to limit warming and reduce damage from climate change.’
Attention is then turned to the issues of polarisation, or apparent political divides and support for climate action. Ritchie argues that the data indicates that ‘more people care about climate change than you think’ and that views on this are skewed by the preferred media that is consumed. She points to survey findings which indicate that the public welcome climate policy action. ‘A survey of 59,000 people across 63 countries found that 86% thought that humans were causing climate change and that it was a serious threat to humanity.’ Ritchie urges that talking to real people about climate issues and actions, such as installing solar panels or choosing to drive an electric car, can really make a local difference. When communities work together and people talk to each other, solutions can be found which then drive further innovation. ‘Systemic change is driven by culture and public sentiment, and how we all think and talk about climate solutions shapes that culture.’
Why should my country act when others are not acting?
Ritchie also explores the ‘1%’ argument when she poses the question, ‘My country only emits 1% of the world’s emissions; surely it’s too small to make a difference?’ She highlights two factors here when this is used as an excuse not to act; one, that ‘the world’s ‘small emitters’ make up more than one-third of the world’s emissions, enough to significantly turn the dial’ and secondly the moral argument of understanding the importance of historical emissions and not just emissions now. ‘There is also a strong moral argument for why countries like the UK should care, even if their emissions today are not a big piece of the pie. The UK emits just 0.9% of emissions, but if we add up all its historical emissions, it accounts for 4.5%.’ Countries like the USA historically have emitted around 24%, but the spotlight is rarely focused on them, but rather the climate scapegoat of China.
Ritchie does focus on China and answers the question, ‘Aren’t our efforts pointless if China’s emissions keep growing?’
She acknowledges China’s position now, but also highlights its climate leadership position, when she argues that the data demonstrates that, ‘China is the world’s largest emitter but it’s rolling out renewables and electric vehicles at breakneck speed.
China is rolling out solar and wind at a staggering rate. In a single year, it builds enough solar and wind to power the entire UK. In 2023, it installed more solar power than the US had in its entire history.’
She makes the point that, ‘[r]elying on others is a geopolitical liability’, one which was demonstrated only too well in the UK, when the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was felt in electricity prices. Her point is that solar and wind energy are free in every country, although some countries may make decisions on their energy needs depending on their geography and local conditions.
The future is there, waiting for us to take it. Or, rather, build it.
‘Clearing the Air’ continues in this analytical approach, outlining the facts around electric cars, the energy needs from the food industry, heating and cooling and nuclear power- the ‘big topics’ of climate discussions and policy. Throughout, Ritchie stresses what the data indicates, which heightens the optimistic possibility of what can be achieved.
‘Getting our emissions to zero- while providing a good life for billions of people- is one of the biggest challenges that humanity faces. It’s possible to do it, and there are very few technical constraints in our way, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be easy.’
Ritchie finally urges us to understand and appreciate that a mindset shift will help enormously. We accept that society has changed in the past- oftentimes very quickly, but oddly, we find it difficult to project this understanding into future events.
‘We accept that changes have happened in the past but are sceptical that tomorrow, next year or the next decade will be much different.’
It can be difficult, when living in a transitional moment, to recognise that change is happening and that attitudes are shifting. But looking back to how much progress we have made to reduce emissions and to negate high emission pathways, demonstrates that significant progress has been made.
The journey has already started.
Where it ends, is up to us.
December 22, 2025
This book is an essential and hopeful guide that shows readers it is not too late to solve climate change. Through 50 questions and answers, the author takes us through various subjects that affect climate change, including fossil fuels, renewable energy, nuclear energy, electric cars, minerals, heating and cooling, food, and construction materials.
For each question, the author explains or debunks the issue mainly by providing data-driven evidence. She also provides helpful tips on what we need to do and what to keep in mind.
Through this book, I learned about carbon removal and solar geoengineering technologies. I also found it fascinating to learn about heat pumps as a replacement option for gas or oil boilers.
The author explains that the last two sectors to decarbonise are aviation and shipping. International aviation and shipping are progressing very slowly, as no country feels responsible for them.
She also gives readers five general tips to stay immune from misleading claims, which I found very helpful.
For each question, the author explains or debunks the issue mainly by providing data-driven evidence. She also provides helpful tips on what we need to do and what to keep in mind.
Through this book, I learned about carbon removal and solar geoengineering technologies. I also found it fascinating to learn about heat pumps as a replacement option for gas or oil boilers.
The author explains that the last two sectors to decarbonise are aviation and shipping. International aviation and shipping are progressing very slowly, as no country feels responsible for them.
She also gives readers five general tips to stay immune from misleading claims, which I found very helpful.
November 9, 2025
Nog niet te laat is een interessant vervolg op Hannah Ritchie’s eerdere werk, Niet het einde van de wereld. In dit nieuwe boek beantwoordt ze vijftig concrete en praktische vragen over klimaatverandering, en laat ze zien dat een hoopvolle aanpak mogelijk is. Ritchie bespreekt uiteenlopende thema’s zoals hernieuwbare energie – hebben we wel genoeg ruimte voor wind- en zonneparken? – voedselproductie – zijn vleesvervangers echt beter voor het klimaat? – de toekomst van fossiele brandstoffen, co2-verwijdering, etc., etc.
De thema's klinken vrij technisch, maar het boek is zeer toegankelijk geschreven en maakt complexe thema’s begrijpelijk voor een breed publiek. Ritchie combineert data met nuchtere optimisme, wat het lezen niet alleen leerzaam maar ook motiverend maakt.
Ik kijk nu al uit naar de volgende vijftig vragen en antwoorden.
De thema's klinken vrij technisch, maar het boek is zeer toegankelijk geschreven en maakt complexe thema’s begrijpelijk voor een breed publiek. Ritchie combineert data met nuchtere optimisme, wat het lezen niet alleen leerzaam maar ook motiverend maakt.
Ik kijk nu al uit naar de volgende vijftig vragen en antwoorden.
December 13, 2025
I'll always be biased when it comes to Hannah's books but she's done it again with an incredibly well researched and easily digestible narrative working through the biggest climate questions and the solutions we have at our disposal to tackle them! Every claim is backed up with real world data. Hannah is completely transparent with her sources and presents the data visually for readers to have a look for themselves. Not only do we have to take into consideration the technologies available to us, but also the economical and societal factors, in order to be able to select the most appropriate solutions across different geographical regions and contexts. If we can align policy, technology, and public awareness, we can make the necessary changes!
We have to do more to reduce our global emissions and this book is both reassuring and optimistic that progress is possible!
We have to do more to reduce our global emissions and this book is both reassuring and optimistic that progress is possible!
December 13, 2025
Really good stuff. I borrowed a copy from the library but I'd like to buy a copy so that I can lend it to people. To give you a sense of what kinds of questions and answers are in the book, my favourites were "Won't electric car charging break our electricity grids?", "Don't wind farms kill lots of birds and wildlife?", and "Won't renewables and electric cars mean a lot more mining?". I appreciate the author's frank style, which acknowledges things that we just don't know at the moment, but that we can't necessarily afford to wait to find out about. She also (appropriately, in my opinion), acknowledges things that we need to learn more about, where we shouldn't rush in, like geoengineering.
September 27, 2025
In a week where the president of the United States has yet again said climate change is a hoax, this book clarifies what is going on and how we are and can tackle climate change. Hannah analyses the hard data and finds the truth behind the headlines. A must read for anyone in sustainability.
September 28, 2025
I enjoyed Ritchie's last book and regularly read her blog. There is definitely content overlap with this Question - Answer collection. None of the answers go into much depth, but it serves as a good overview.
December 29, 2025
I found this book frustrating in many places because it devotes about the same amount of space to important and complex questions as it does to deeply stupid ones, leaving some answers with too little detail and others with more detail than they deserve
October 8, 2025
Better than her last book, but still not as good as her blog – she works best in a timely, responsive format. This wont convince anyone new, but will definitely help some true believers articulate their cases better.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews