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Windfall: Unlocking a Fossil-Free Future
We’ve had a decade of distraction and inaction on climate change, but what made things go so very wrong in Australia? And what can the rest of the world learn from our mistakes--and opportunities?
In Windfall, renewable energy expert Ketan Joshi examines how wind power inspired the creation of a weird, fabricated disease, and why the speed with which emissions could have been reduced--like putting a price on carbon--was hampered by a flurry of policy disasters. He then plots a way forward to a future where communities champion equitable new clean tech projects, where Australia grows past a reliance on toxic fuels, and where the power of people is used to rattle fossil-fuel advocates from their complacency.
Renewable energy can become a key player in the effort to upgrade our species from one on a path to self-destruction to a path of sustainability and fairness. With the knowledge of how the last decade was lost, the next decade can work the way it’s meant to.
In Windfall, renewable energy expert Ketan Joshi examines how wind power inspired the creation of a weird, fabricated disease, and why the speed with which emissions could have been reduced--like putting a price on carbon--was hampered by a flurry of policy disasters. He then plots a way forward to a future where communities champion equitable new clean tech projects, where Australia grows past a reliance on toxic fuels, and where the power of people is used to rattle fossil-fuel advocates from their complacency.
Renewable energy can become a key player in the effort to upgrade our species from one on a path to self-destruction to a path of sustainability and fairness. With the knowledge of how the last decade was lost, the next decade can work the way it’s meant to.
265 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2020
21 people are currently reading
264 people want to read
About the author
Ketan Joshi
36 books19 followersKetan Joshi is the author of the ‘Three Men on Motorcycles’ series - a humorous travel-adventure series about him and his friends - the ‘Amigos’- riding their Royal Enfield motorcycles across far-flung parts of India - Ladakh, Spiti, Coorg, Kishtawar, Killar, Saurashtra, Rajasthan, etc.
Before he got into motorcycle touring, he was a backpacker and trekker- having travelled all across India and nearby countries with his Lonely Planet. He writes about his early backpacking travels in a different series - ‘One man goes backpacking’.
Ketan is an MBA from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai and worked as a Sales and Marketing professional for over 20 years, before jumping ship to become a full time traveller and writer.
Apart from travel books, Ketan has written 2 books of detective fiction featuring the eponymous detective ‘Dipy Singh’ , one book of short stories - ‘Bombay Thrillers’ - and one textbook on Marketing.
Ketan’s writing has been praised for being humorous, easy to read, yet extremely informative and practical - and having a very unique Indian style.
Ketan lives and works in Mumbai, India.
Before he got into motorcycle touring, he was a backpacker and trekker- having travelled all across India and nearby countries with his Lonely Planet. He writes about his early backpacking travels in a different series - ‘One man goes backpacking’.
Ketan is an MBA from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai and worked as a Sales and Marketing professional for over 20 years, before jumping ship to become a full time traveller and writer.
Apart from travel books, Ketan has written 2 books of detective fiction featuring the eponymous detective ‘Dipy Singh’ , one book of short stories - ‘Bombay Thrillers’ - and one textbook on Marketing.
Ketan’s writing has been praised for being humorous, easy to read, yet extremely informative and practical - and having a very unique Indian style.
Ketan lives and works in Mumbai, India.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 27, 2023
This is stunningly good. My eldest daughter’s partner got this for me for Christmas. When he handed it to me, I misread the title and couldn’t work out how they could possibly know there would be no fossils in the future or why we might think that would be a good thing.
This book ought to make you feel furious. Australia has just finished a decade of rushing backwards on climate change. The names and the deeds listed here will, if we survive the next hundred years or so, live in infamy. They can be assured that they have changed the world – and entirely for the worse. Years ago I read a book called Merchants of Doubt. One of the things I have never been able to understand is how anyone might be able to do what is discussed in that book and in this book too. That is, to stand so steadfastly on the wrong side of history. Take, for instance, our ex-Prime Minister, Tony Abbott. It is almost impossible to believe he doesn’t know that he is just a wrecker, that climate change is real and that his actions have dragged the world, not just Australia, closer to what might very well be climate catastrophe. I mean, even given the fact that his political career was effectively funded by the fossil fuel industry, even so, that just makes the whole thing worse. What sort of career is that – one that kills the planet. It just seems insane to me. How could you sleep at night?
As with the Merchants of Doubt, the whole point has been to not actually engage with the science, but rather to make the science sound less conclusive than it clearly is. And because people have short attention spans, really don’t want the problem to be nearly as bad as it is, and struggle to keep up with the evidence, it has been all too easy for politicians and the media – both of whom have been bought off by fossil fuel interests – to dissemble and to lie and to spread misinformation. There is little doubt that all of this has been done with appalling bad faith. It isn’t that it has been done honestly by most of these players – they have clearly known what they were doing and what the impacts of their half-truths and feigned innocence would produce. The confusion and doubt they have brought about has provided cover for the very rich few to continue to undermine the potential for our planet to sustain life. It is hard to imagine that the politicians who have facilitated this crime will not merely get away with it – but will be rewarded with riches.
I had no idea that Tony Abbott had, as a young man, actively campaigned against mobile phone towers. He used the same play book he would use against climate change action. He ignored the science, exaggerated the impacts, pretended there was scientific doubt when there was in fact consensus, and pretended not to hear or understand when presented with irrefutable evidence that he was wrong – only to restate the same misinformation time and time again after he had been proven wrong.
This book is particularly good since it overcomes many of the crazy nonsense that is said about wind turbines, solar panels, batteries and other forms of renewable energy. That we still need to be reassured that these things will not bring about the end of civilisation as we know it shows just how powerful the fossil fuel industry is. They are absurdly wealthy, and they use that wealth to dominate our media, politics and all other aspects of our lives. They seek to ensure that we believe that life without them will be infinitely worse. While the truth of the matter is that every reduction in the use of their products that we can bring about immediately makes our planet more liveable, makes it a better place.
The author here is like so many other authors of books like this. He is full of hope and is quite sure that the people will not allow this situation to continue for very much longer. I wish I could sustain his optimism. I look at the rich and I know they will not go down without a fight. They are on a remarkable rush to universal suicide. But they just might be able to become a billionaire before the planet becomes unliveable, so, there is that victory ahead for them, if nothing else. I really don’t know what can be done to stop these crazy bastards. They hold all of the cards and they are insane. Like I said, I really do wish I knew how to stop them before they destroy everything.
This book ought to make you feel furious. Australia has just finished a decade of rushing backwards on climate change. The names and the deeds listed here will, if we survive the next hundred years or so, live in infamy. They can be assured that they have changed the world – and entirely for the worse. Years ago I read a book called Merchants of Doubt. One of the things I have never been able to understand is how anyone might be able to do what is discussed in that book and in this book too. That is, to stand so steadfastly on the wrong side of history. Take, for instance, our ex-Prime Minister, Tony Abbott. It is almost impossible to believe he doesn’t know that he is just a wrecker, that climate change is real and that his actions have dragged the world, not just Australia, closer to what might very well be climate catastrophe. I mean, even given the fact that his political career was effectively funded by the fossil fuel industry, even so, that just makes the whole thing worse. What sort of career is that – one that kills the planet. It just seems insane to me. How could you sleep at night?
As with the Merchants of Doubt, the whole point has been to not actually engage with the science, but rather to make the science sound less conclusive than it clearly is. And because people have short attention spans, really don’t want the problem to be nearly as bad as it is, and struggle to keep up with the evidence, it has been all too easy for politicians and the media – both of whom have been bought off by fossil fuel interests – to dissemble and to lie and to spread misinformation. There is little doubt that all of this has been done with appalling bad faith. It isn’t that it has been done honestly by most of these players – they have clearly known what they were doing and what the impacts of their half-truths and feigned innocence would produce. The confusion and doubt they have brought about has provided cover for the very rich few to continue to undermine the potential for our planet to sustain life. It is hard to imagine that the politicians who have facilitated this crime will not merely get away with it – but will be rewarded with riches.
I had no idea that Tony Abbott had, as a young man, actively campaigned against mobile phone towers. He used the same play book he would use against climate change action. He ignored the science, exaggerated the impacts, pretended there was scientific doubt when there was in fact consensus, and pretended not to hear or understand when presented with irrefutable evidence that he was wrong – only to restate the same misinformation time and time again after he had been proven wrong.
This book is particularly good since it overcomes many of the crazy nonsense that is said about wind turbines, solar panels, batteries and other forms of renewable energy. That we still need to be reassured that these things will not bring about the end of civilisation as we know it shows just how powerful the fossil fuel industry is. They are absurdly wealthy, and they use that wealth to dominate our media, politics and all other aspects of our lives. They seek to ensure that we believe that life without them will be infinitely worse. While the truth of the matter is that every reduction in the use of their products that we can bring about immediately makes our planet more liveable, makes it a better place.
The author here is like so many other authors of books like this. He is full of hope and is quite sure that the people will not allow this situation to continue for very much longer. I wish I could sustain his optimism. I look at the rich and I know they will not go down without a fight. They are on a remarkable rush to universal suicide. But they just might be able to become a billionaire before the planet becomes unliveable, so, there is that victory ahead for them, if nothing else. I really don’t know what can be done to stop these crazy bastards. They hold all of the cards and they are insane. Like I said, I really do wish I knew how to stop them before they destroy everything.
September 19, 2020
I have a lot of feelings, but they can mostly be summarised as ‘hope,’ ‘fury,’ and ‘an incandescent need to fling every current, former and future member of the LNP into the fucking sun.’
September 13, 2020
In 2011-12 I worked for Friends of the Earth (Melbourne) as the renewable energy campaigner, and found my myself attending meetings of bizarre, angry and generally uninformed rural folks with various complaints and fears about wind farms. The standout was the kooky old guy from Waubra who claimed his doctor had told him he had "too much electricity" in his head. Too little something else, I thought.
Revisiting those weird and wonderful times wasn't entirely comfortable, but they happened and deserve to be remembered - and Joshi has brought much of the madness back to life, without dwelling too long on the particular sad individuals who animated this mad campaign. That is as it should be.
Having also been there, Joshi relays many of the difficulties faced in his part of the renewable energy industry (an energy company) but also from the straightforward and perhaps naive perspective of a young science graduate who just wanted to solve the big problems with the obvious solutions. As an exposition of the technological solutions, this is a good potted summary. It also has a good section exploring the problems of corporate community relations, imploring renewable energy companies not to trample on or patronise the communities that are their neighbours but rather to work with and empower them.
Another large section outlines the history of political climate denial in Australia, in the years since 2010 to the present. These are the political forces that harnessed uneasiness about this new industry to mobilise rural communities against it. Too little of this kind of history makes its way into the permanent, accessible record of history books, so in recounting large slabs of it, Joshi is doing us a great service. On the other hand, there are omissions not only due to the brevity (and readability) of it, but I would argue an oversimplification. In particular, the Australian Labor Party (who formed the Federal Government for a significant proportion of the story) get off pretty lightly. While the Liberals' climate denier wing is well known, the ALP's own internal wreckers like Martin Ferguson and (lately) Joel Fitzgibbon get no mention. The debacle of Kevin Rudd's aborted attempt at climate legislation is glossed over, although this is understandable since Labor loyalists have made a myth out of it to beat their rivals in the Greens and who wants to open that can of worms.
"Glossed over" is perhaps how I fear many important factors are treated in this story. Climate denial didn't start with Tony Abbott's wrecking tactics, and it isn't just a function of ideology, fear of change, or the media's love of a conflict story: it's a function of vast vested interests pulling the political strings - but this is only really mentioned in passing in the final section, I think.
The final section has some very good material, though. The hope represented by the "infuriated optimism" of the School Strike for Climate infuses the author here, a hope I've also tasted. The dismissal of "doomism", conflating it (correctly) with climate denial, is excellent. The treatment of individual consumer choice as a form of mass solidaristic action, like mass staying at home to defeat COVID, is interesting. I have traditionally found such exhortations reinforce the atomised individualism of consumer society, and probably don't help but Ketan puts a more nuanced view. He does quite clearly outline that it's nowhere near enough and larger scale change is needed, which is the main point, and includes a critique of the limitations of consumer action (and birth control) promoted by vested interests instead of larger scale action.
The naivety of the account is really in what it leaves out, not in getting things wrong. And leaving things out does certainly make it concise and readable, while still providing a primer in what the hell happened in the last wasted decade for anyone who (unlike me) wasn't paying excruciated attention to it all.
I do fear, however, that pointing out the genuine ease which technology can solve certain problems may help to blind us to the more political problems that accompany (and prefigure) the technical. The problem of the vast monopoly capital forces defending the fossil fuel status quo is probably more salient than the hypothetical possibility of decarbonised liberal capitalism. The rise of a violent and heavily armed fascist street movement in the US (and in many other countries) should alert us that the opponents of climate action are part of an international mobilisation in support of forces bigger and even more sinister than just defending the coal industry against renewables. Remembering the history in Joshi's book is important, but it could assuage the ecomodernist complacency of liberals who think having truth and good ideas on your side is enough. The other side clearly doesn't play by that rulebook. Our outraged optimism needs more history, more strategising, and more audacity to win. Whether that's relevant to this book, or deserves a different book of its own, I leave for others to ponder.
As a participant in many of the events outlined in this book, I suspect I'm not the target audience. With that in mind, I have been generous with my rating, because the book is quite an easy read; it broaches some possibly intimidating nerdy topics (like how energy markets work) in a fairly unconfronting way, as well as telling important history. A worthy contribution.
Revisiting those weird and wonderful times wasn't entirely comfortable, but they happened and deserve to be remembered - and Joshi has brought much of the madness back to life, without dwelling too long on the particular sad individuals who animated this mad campaign. That is as it should be.
Having also been there, Joshi relays many of the difficulties faced in his part of the renewable energy industry (an energy company) but also from the straightforward and perhaps naive perspective of a young science graduate who just wanted to solve the big problems with the obvious solutions. As an exposition of the technological solutions, this is a good potted summary. It also has a good section exploring the problems of corporate community relations, imploring renewable energy companies not to trample on or patronise the communities that are their neighbours but rather to work with and empower them.
Another large section outlines the history of political climate denial in Australia, in the years since 2010 to the present. These are the political forces that harnessed uneasiness about this new industry to mobilise rural communities against it. Too little of this kind of history makes its way into the permanent, accessible record of history books, so in recounting large slabs of it, Joshi is doing us a great service. On the other hand, there are omissions not only due to the brevity (and readability) of it, but I would argue an oversimplification. In particular, the Australian Labor Party (who formed the Federal Government for a significant proportion of the story) get off pretty lightly. While the Liberals' climate denier wing is well known, the ALP's own internal wreckers like Martin Ferguson and (lately) Joel Fitzgibbon get no mention. The debacle of Kevin Rudd's aborted attempt at climate legislation is glossed over, although this is understandable since Labor loyalists have made a myth out of it to beat their rivals in the Greens and who wants to open that can of worms.
"Glossed over" is perhaps how I fear many important factors are treated in this story. Climate denial didn't start with Tony Abbott's wrecking tactics, and it isn't just a function of ideology, fear of change, or the media's love of a conflict story: it's a function of vast vested interests pulling the political strings - but this is only really mentioned in passing in the final section, I think.
The final section has some very good material, though. The hope represented by the "infuriated optimism" of the School Strike for Climate infuses the author here, a hope I've also tasted. The dismissal of "doomism", conflating it (correctly) with climate denial, is excellent. The treatment of individual consumer choice as a form of mass solidaristic action, like mass staying at home to defeat COVID, is interesting. I have traditionally found such exhortations reinforce the atomised individualism of consumer society, and probably don't help but Ketan puts a more nuanced view. He does quite clearly outline that it's nowhere near enough and larger scale change is needed, which is the main point, and includes a critique of the limitations of consumer action (and birth control) promoted by vested interests instead of larger scale action.
The naivety of the account is really in what it leaves out, not in getting things wrong. And leaving things out does certainly make it concise and readable, while still providing a primer in what the hell happened in the last wasted decade for anyone who (unlike me) wasn't paying excruciated attention to it all.
I do fear, however, that pointing out the genuine ease which technology can solve certain problems may help to blind us to the more political problems that accompany (and prefigure) the technical. The problem of the vast monopoly capital forces defending the fossil fuel status quo is probably more salient than the hypothetical possibility of decarbonised liberal capitalism. The rise of a violent and heavily armed fascist street movement in the US (and in many other countries) should alert us that the opponents of climate action are part of an international mobilisation in support of forces bigger and even more sinister than just defending the coal industry against renewables. Remembering the history in Joshi's book is important, but it could assuage the ecomodernist complacency of liberals who think having truth and good ideas on your side is enough. The other side clearly doesn't play by that rulebook. Our outraged optimism needs more history, more strategising, and more audacity to win. Whether that's relevant to this book, or deserves a different book of its own, I leave for others to ponder.
As a participant in many of the events outlined in this book, I suspect I'm not the target audience. With that in mind, I have been generous with my rating, because the book is quite an easy read; it broaches some possibly intimidating nerdy topics (like how energy markets work) in a fairly unconfronting way, as well as telling important history. A worthy contribution.
January 7, 2021
"Unlike the all-encompassing pandemic, climate change is an unfamiliar existential threat. There is no measure of success, such as the invention of a vaccine. It is never solved or unsolved. Rather, it is a formula, where the quantity of action put forth to resolve the problem determines the degree to which life on Earth is spared even greater exposure to climate impacts" - Ketan Joshi
I came in expecting a book covering the technical aspects of the energy transition (e.g., integration of variable renewable energy into the grid). Although this was not met, I was still pleasantly surprised due to the points below, which also serve somewhat as a summary.
1. Joshi touches on the human side of climate change. Something I previously thought little about.
Community engagement is essential, but not sufficient when it comes to new renewables/transmission infrastructure projects. Strong enough community opposition, whether due to community concerns or otherwise, is more than capable of obstructing these major projects. Health impacts e.g., "Wind Turbine Syndrome" are a reason for community displeasure/vexation as those nearby wind farms report various ailments from "infrasound". Joshi describes how this syndrome, despite shaky science (at best), found its way to the upper echelon of Australian politics - alluded to by Tony Abbott on a public radio broadcast and investigated (in earnest) as part of 3 federal Senate inquiries and two state inquiries. It was tough to battle this with 'good' science - as the author mentions, the issue with this bad science is that it operates based on the quantity of noise it generates, not the quality of reasoning.
The key takeaway is that major renewables/transmission developments must be developed in an equitable way that distributes the benefits and spreads the costs/impacts fairly. We cannot just rely on the goodwill of the population and their desire to decarbonise the country. There must be local benefits. Joshi uses Denmark as a case study for good community engagement - which involves equity ownership of the wind farm (or profit share) for those who live within X distance. In one case on a Scottish island, the residents even affectionately referred to their wind turbine as their 'totem pole'. Some Australian examples are also provided - e.g., Gullen Range Wind Farm's clean energy program which provided grants of up to $6.5k for residents and businesses for solar hot water, insulation, rooftop solar, and/or battery storage.
2. Joshi shines a positive light on the economics of renewables.
Electricity production from solar and wind is now more economical than coal, even when the renewables are unsubsidized. Moreover, in 2019, the AEMC predicted a drop in wholesale electricity costs up to 2022 of ~12%, largely attributed to the influx of new renewable generation. This new generation was funded in-part due to a tiny amount that all consumers contribute as part of their bills. Although Joshi doesn't dive deep into the economics, it appears that increasing renewable generation in the NEM will actually decrease electricity costs. Joshi however does not cover other challenges often mentioned - e.g., challenges with system inertia, frequency control, etc. (although he does draw on a CSIRO source that says that the grid can support 50% variable renewable energy generation with little to no additional storage required).
3. The book delivers a scathing attack on Australia's climate policy and political discourse around energy. This had high educational value, but at times seemed a tad too righteous.
One key callout is that token actions ('a morsel of perceived action') by the government can lead to the populace thinking Australia is taking action, whilst skirting any real action. The science is far too compelling for outright climate change denial - but denial is not required when people are misled into thinking Australia is taking strong climate action. Joshi cites ScoMo's 'Climate Solutions Package' as an example of this. Part of it tried to use over performance on Kyoto targets to count towards the Paris Climate Agreement. This over-performance itself is dubious, as the baseline was artificially adjusted to include land clearing, which coincidentally dropped off significantly in the years following the Kyoto Protocol.
Joshi also describes in-depth how the SA blackouts, caused by tornadoes, were used to vilify renewable energy. In the following years, some of the loudest voices in the media and Australian politics attributed each blackout/power loss as due to the failings of renewable energy (when in many cases they were actually due to issue with fossil fuel plants). Furthermore, climate action is now so partisan in Australia that, when Turnbull's Clean Energy Target suggested a 42% renewables target, concerns were raised that they were too close to Labor's target of 50%. The target was eventually scrapped - as the author mentions, this "was an automatic response to the threatening possibility of bipartisanship on climate."
4. The book is loaded with interesting (and at times, spooky) facts:
- "The Paris Climate Agreement (formed in 2015) aims to limit the planet's warming to 2 degrees below pre-industrial levels and for a 1.5 degree limit stretch target. Humanity needs to halve its usage of fossil fuels each decade, from now on. Our species needs to be at net zero emissions by 2050."
- "The top 100 active fossil fuel producers are linked to 71% of global industrial GHGs since 1988, the year in which human-induced CC was officially recognised through the establishment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (undefined what 'linked' means)"
- "In an [Australian] survey conducted by Roy Morgan between Apr 2006 and Sep 2019, the percentage of respondents answer 'It is already too late' when asked of their views on global warming has increased from 15% in 2006 to 28% in 2019."
Looking forward
Many have said that the pandemic has shown that global human cooperation is possible, and if we can beat COVID, we can beat climate change as well. Joshi, however, outlines why this is not the case, and why we need to make bold moves on climate action now: "There is no profit motive urging the world's biggest corporations to keep the virus alive. There is no incumbent infrastructure in the world relying on the burning of molecules of it. There is no equivalent for the massive, organised, industrial-scale friction against climate policy for coronavirus policy."
I came in expecting a book covering the technical aspects of the energy transition (e.g., integration of variable renewable energy into the grid). Although this was not met, I was still pleasantly surprised due to the points below, which also serve somewhat as a summary.
1. Joshi touches on the human side of climate change. Something I previously thought little about.
Community engagement is essential, but not sufficient when it comes to new renewables/transmission infrastructure projects. Strong enough community opposition, whether due to community concerns or otherwise, is more than capable of obstructing these major projects. Health impacts e.g., "Wind Turbine Syndrome" are a reason for community displeasure/vexation as those nearby wind farms report various ailments from "infrasound". Joshi describes how this syndrome, despite shaky science (at best), found its way to the upper echelon of Australian politics - alluded to by Tony Abbott on a public radio broadcast and investigated (in earnest) as part of 3 federal Senate inquiries and two state inquiries. It was tough to battle this with 'good' science - as the author mentions, the issue with this bad science is that it operates based on the quantity of noise it generates, not the quality of reasoning.
The key takeaway is that major renewables/transmission developments must be developed in an equitable way that distributes the benefits and spreads the costs/impacts fairly. We cannot just rely on the goodwill of the population and their desire to decarbonise the country. There must be local benefits. Joshi uses Denmark as a case study for good community engagement - which involves equity ownership of the wind farm (or profit share) for those who live within X distance. In one case on a Scottish island, the residents even affectionately referred to their wind turbine as their 'totem pole'. Some Australian examples are also provided - e.g., Gullen Range Wind Farm's clean energy program which provided grants of up to $6.5k for residents and businesses for solar hot water, insulation, rooftop solar, and/or battery storage.
2. Joshi shines a positive light on the economics of renewables.
Electricity production from solar and wind is now more economical than coal, even when the renewables are unsubsidized. Moreover, in 2019, the AEMC predicted a drop in wholesale electricity costs up to 2022 of ~12%, largely attributed to the influx of new renewable generation. This new generation was funded in-part due to a tiny amount that all consumers contribute as part of their bills. Although Joshi doesn't dive deep into the economics, it appears that increasing renewable generation in the NEM will actually decrease electricity costs. Joshi however does not cover other challenges often mentioned - e.g., challenges with system inertia, frequency control, etc. (although he does draw on a CSIRO source that says that the grid can support 50% variable renewable energy generation with little to no additional storage required).
3. The book delivers a scathing attack on Australia's climate policy and political discourse around energy. This had high educational value, but at times seemed a tad too righteous.
One key callout is that token actions ('a morsel of perceived action') by the government can lead to the populace thinking Australia is taking action, whilst skirting any real action. The science is far too compelling for outright climate change denial - but denial is not required when people are misled into thinking Australia is taking strong climate action. Joshi cites ScoMo's 'Climate Solutions Package' as an example of this. Part of it tried to use over performance on Kyoto targets to count towards the Paris Climate Agreement. This over-performance itself is dubious, as the baseline was artificially adjusted to include land clearing, which coincidentally dropped off significantly in the years following the Kyoto Protocol.
Joshi also describes in-depth how the SA blackouts, caused by tornadoes, were used to vilify renewable energy. In the following years, some of the loudest voices in the media and Australian politics attributed each blackout/power loss as due to the failings of renewable energy (when in many cases they were actually due to issue with fossil fuel plants). Furthermore, climate action is now so partisan in Australia that, when Turnbull's Clean Energy Target suggested a 42% renewables target, concerns were raised that they were too close to Labor's target of 50%. The target was eventually scrapped - as the author mentions, this "was an automatic response to the threatening possibility of bipartisanship on climate."
4. The book is loaded with interesting (and at times, spooky) facts:
- "The Paris Climate Agreement (formed in 2015) aims to limit the planet's warming to 2 degrees below pre-industrial levels and for a 1.5 degree limit stretch target. Humanity needs to halve its usage of fossil fuels each decade, from now on. Our species needs to be at net zero emissions by 2050."
- "The top 100 active fossil fuel producers are linked to 71% of global industrial GHGs since 1988, the year in which human-induced CC was officially recognised through the establishment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (undefined what 'linked' means)"
- "In an [Australian] survey conducted by Roy Morgan between Apr 2006 and Sep 2019, the percentage of respondents answer 'It is already too late' when asked of their views on global warming has increased from 15% in 2006 to 28% in 2019."
Looking forward
Many have said that the pandemic has shown that global human cooperation is possible, and if we can beat COVID, we can beat climate change as well. Joshi, however, outlines why this is not the case, and why we need to make bold moves on climate action now: "There is no profit motive urging the world's biggest corporations to keep the virus alive. There is no incumbent infrastructure in the world relying on the burning of molecules of it. There is no equivalent for the massive, organised, industrial-scale friction against climate policy for coronavirus policy."
December 19, 2020
The book is strongest when recounting the author's story living the climate wars in the 2010s at a renewable energy producer and in talking about the battles over wind turbines. The final chapter smashing climate denialists is gratifying too. Especially so as I'd almost put the book down after reading the bleak description of our current predicament in the very first section!
The book feels weakest in covering the politics of that era - the whole chapter on Howard-Rudd-Gillard-Abbott-Turnbull felt a bit facile, but perhaps is compelling if readers didn't follow that period closely. The author also cites several twitter exchanges - I'm not a fan!
Overall I'm glad to have read it, but glad to be done with it too!
The book feels weakest in covering the politics of that era - the whole chapter on Howard-Rudd-Gillard-Abbott-Turnbull felt a bit facile, but perhaps is compelling if readers didn't follow that period closely. The author also cites several twitter exchanges - I'm not a fan!
Overall I'm glad to have read it, but glad to be done with it too!
August 15, 2020
Climate change is often seen as duelling harms: The harm of inaction and a burning climate, and the harm of action causing economic loss. As Ketan Joshi, a young Australian thinker shows in this engaging and passionate book, such a picture is simply wrong.
Joshi, an expert in renewable energy, argues that though we are far from where we need to be on climate, the technological and local progress we have made is remarkable and a cause for optimism. What's more, as the trends build upon each other, the benefits of adopting renewables - even putting aside the effect on the climate - are powerful and compelling for Australia. A land bathed in sun and awash with wind.
Windfall takes a welcome step away from abstract talk of 'change' and tonnes of CO2 - most of the time - and instead talks about what it means for Australia. A country which will get a 'hard shove into the business end of a warming planet' due to our location, geography, low water and old soils. Joshi then shows how Australia is primed to benefit by using our rich natural resources - this time above the soil - to sell the kind of power the world and our region desperately needs.
One of the fascinating elements of this book is how the author seems to struggle between two impulses. On the one hand is the book's central 'windfall' narrative of opportunity and betterment. And on the other is the wish to identify, condemn and grind down the bastards who seem to stand in the way. Joshi's right to point the finger and place blame. The harm done, both in denial of the larger cause and the failure to pursue even the clear wins for the country is scandalous.
That said, I can't help but feel there is more to the politics than he usually identifies (A few specific men, Tony Abbott prime among them, and the corrupting lobby of fossil fuel companies). To the degree the duelling harms narrative has been how many view the issue, it is not one that climate activists can win. Though they have the bigger harm, they also have a more indirect, indistinct and indiscriminate argument. It is not clear to most people that you personally will be the one who suffers from climate change. It is not clear the car ride you took will cause a specific harm. And too many on the left have viewed reducing CO2 tonnes as an opportunity to also achieve social, economic and ideological goals they've held for generations.
But by getting into the specifics Joshi shows that there's no need to see the issues in such dichotomous terms. Drawing on his time working for a wind power company, Joshi shows that much of the local anger about wind turbines is not anti-environmental views, but an injured sense of fairness. That the literal windfall in gains is not spread around, but benefits a lucky few. This then easily leads into how communities can share the gains - a left wing redistributive notion - but one that need not be clothed in tired ideological language.
To be clear, Joshi doesn't use the language of socialism and sin that you often find among teen or retired climate activists, but nor does he really front up to why the new narrative of opportunity, of clear and direct benefits from renewables he is presenting is so much more powerful and compelling.
I don't read many climate change books. The problem and solutions both seem obvious - in the most generic of senses - and the science behind it all generally leaves me cold. But, in Windfall Joshi helpfully brings it down to a specific area - energy - and shows how by getting away from the duelling harms debate those wanting significant and sweeping changes - and I am among them - can offer a much more compelling, direct and optimistic argument. One that is likely to be far more politically potent.
As Tim Dunlop recently pointed out, in a better media environment you could easily imagine Joshi's Windfall being the theme of a Boyer Lectures series that genuinely spoke to our nation and our moment. In print form however, this quick read is well worth your time.
Joshi, an expert in renewable energy, argues that though we are far from where we need to be on climate, the technological and local progress we have made is remarkable and a cause for optimism. What's more, as the trends build upon each other, the benefits of adopting renewables - even putting aside the effect on the climate - are powerful and compelling for Australia. A land bathed in sun and awash with wind.
Windfall takes a welcome step away from abstract talk of 'change' and tonnes of CO2 - most of the time - and instead talks about what it means for Australia. A country which will get a 'hard shove into the business end of a warming planet' due to our location, geography, low water and old soils. Joshi then shows how Australia is primed to benefit by using our rich natural resources - this time above the soil - to sell the kind of power the world and our region desperately needs.
One of the fascinating elements of this book is how the author seems to struggle between two impulses. On the one hand is the book's central 'windfall' narrative of opportunity and betterment. And on the other is the wish to identify, condemn and grind down the bastards who seem to stand in the way. Joshi's right to point the finger and place blame. The harm done, both in denial of the larger cause and the failure to pursue even the clear wins for the country is scandalous.
That said, I can't help but feel there is more to the politics than he usually identifies (A few specific men, Tony Abbott prime among them, and the corrupting lobby of fossil fuel companies). To the degree the duelling harms narrative has been how many view the issue, it is not one that climate activists can win. Though they have the bigger harm, they also have a more indirect, indistinct and indiscriminate argument. It is not clear to most people that you personally will be the one who suffers from climate change. It is not clear the car ride you took will cause a specific harm. And too many on the left have viewed reducing CO2 tonnes as an opportunity to also achieve social, economic and ideological goals they've held for generations.
But by getting into the specifics Joshi shows that there's no need to see the issues in such dichotomous terms. Drawing on his time working for a wind power company, Joshi shows that much of the local anger about wind turbines is not anti-environmental views, but an injured sense of fairness. That the literal windfall in gains is not spread around, but benefits a lucky few. This then easily leads into how communities can share the gains - a left wing redistributive notion - but one that need not be clothed in tired ideological language.
To be clear, Joshi doesn't use the language of socialism and sin that you often find among teen or retired climate activists, but nor does he really front up to why the new narrative of opportunity, of clear and direct benefits from renewables he is presenting is so much more powerful and compelling.
I don't read many climate change books. The problem and solutions both seem obvious - in the most generic of senses - and the science behind it all generally leaves me cold. But, in Windfall Joshi helpfully brings it down to a specific area - energy - and shows how by getting away from the duelling harms debate those wanting significant and sweeping changes - and I am among them - can offer a much more compelling, direct and optimistic argument. One that is likely to be far more politically potent.
As Tim Dunlop recently pointed out, in a better media environment you could easily imagine Joshi's Windfall being the theme of a Boyer Lectures series that genuinely spoke to our nation and our moment. In print form however, this quick read is well worth your time.
Read
December 29, 2020This review was first published on the Underground Writers website here: http://underground-writers.org/review...
‘Australia’s new decade has opened with the static anxiety of helplessness as the dual disasters of fire and disease dominated our hearts, and so it is more vital than ever to know we can fight to control our fate.’
I don’t usually get super excited about non-fiction books, but when science and technology journalist Ketan Joshi announced that his debut book Windfall was coming out I was immediately hooked by its premise. Why, with all evidence pointing in the same direction, do climate denialists still exist? Why, when renewable alternatives exist, are we still building coal and gas plants? Why, when scientists have been begging for action since the seventies, have we been so slow to engage in meaningful change? Joshi sets out to answer these questions in Windfall, looking at the social, political, and economic factors that have led to our current climate crisis and, more importantly, how we can ensure a stable climate for future generations.
Joshi is consistently thorough in his presentation—everything is meticulously researched, with a reference list at the end that goes for 24 pages, including research papers, government policy, news stories, and broadcasts. He trusts the reader to keep up; in one chapter giving a detailed outline of the mechanics behind power grids in order to explain how the South Australian blackout was manipulated to create an anti-renewable energy discourse. If you’re a stickler for the particulars, this book will quench your appetite. However, if the thought of in-depth detail seems bland to you, rest assured Joshi balances this all with his engaging writing—a satisfying mixture of science and politics. Calling on well-known, as well as lesser-known stories, he explains how and why information is manipulated in order to increase support for the ‘slow-and-steady’ argument for change.
While it may seem that this book is one for the average individual, it is also a timely message for activists, politicians, corporate bodies, and the renewable industry itself. Joshi outlines how pseudoscience is used to bog climate-activists in arguments that aren’t worth having, how loopholes in the law allow tactics of intimidation for those who speak out against fossil fuels, how capitalist economics lead to feelings of community disempowerment, how politicians like Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison use distraction to encourage inaction, and why all of this needs to be addressed to see genuine change.
These big-picture discussions are comfortably juxtaposed with Joshi’s recollections from his own time working in the renewable sector. Using stories of success and failure from around the world, he looks back on his time in the industry, applying what he’s learnt to try and assess where his own efforts succeeded and failed. In one particularly memorable chapter he is unflinchingly honest in admitting his own mistakes. He says, ‘We were so invested in winning battles that we never asked why we were fighting in the first place,’ before going on to say, ‘… the forgetting of this fact [not everyone wants to live near a wind farm] by people like me, advocating so strongly for more renewable energy, bears so much responsibility for the escalating silliness that stifled Australia’s renewable energy growth through the 2010s.’ Looking back at the approaches of renewable energy firms in other countries, he ascertains what he would have done differently, and what needs to be done to see movement going forward.
While it may sound to the renewable-energy supporters among us like a mildly depressing read—being confronted with the corporate and political battles that seem impossible to overcome—Joshi is deliberate in his desire to be positive about the capacity for change in the coming decades. Each chapter highlights an area for improvement at corporate, scientific, government, and personal levels. While he must first delve into the issues of the past, Joshi always ends on a decisive and positive note using his conclusions as an opportunity to talk about how things are already starting to change and how the reader can help to drive the climate change movement further.
Windfall is as much a call to arms as a chance to set the record straight. It’s a call for the reader to engage with and support those parties and businesses who work towards meaningful change. Ketan Joshi attempts to fight the rising tide of ‘doomism’ which he describes as just as infuriating as denial. Doomism is comfortable. Like denial, it means you don’t need to do anything. But we are closer than ever to implementing the changes we need and as Joshi says in his opening: ‘Every problem is insurmountable before it is surmounted. Every change is slow before it is fast. Every apocalypse is inevitable until it is cancelled.’ It is essential reading for Australians engaging in the climate-change movement.
‘Australia’s new decade has opened with the static anxiety of helplessness as the dual disasters of fire and disease dominated our hearts, and so it is more vital than ever to know we can fight to control our fate.’
I don’t usually get super excited about non-fiction books, but when science and technology journalist Ketan Joshi announced that his debut book Windfall was coming out I was immediately hooked by its premise. Why, with all evidence pointing in the same direction, do climate denialists still exist? Why, when renewable alternatives exist, are we still building coal and gas plants? Why, when scientists have been begging for action since the seventies, have we been so slow to engage in meaningful change? Joshi sets out to answer these questions in Windfall, looking at the social, political, and economic factors that have led to our current climate crisis and, more importantly, how we can ensure a stable climate for future generations.
Joshi is consistently thorough in his presentation—everything is meticulously researched, with a reference list at the end that goes for 24 pages, including research papers, government policy, news stories, and broadcasts. He trusts the reader to keep up; in one chapter giving a detailed outline of the mechanics behind power grids in order to explain how the South Australian blackout was manipulated to create an anti-renewable energy discourse. If you’re a stickler for the particulars, this book will quench your appetite. However, if the thought of in-depth detail seems bland to you, rest assured Joshi balances this all with his engaging writing—a satisfying mixture of science and politics. Calling on well-known, as well as lesser-known stories, he explains how and why information is manipulated in order to increase support for the ‘slow-and-steady’ argument for change.
While it may seem that this book is one for the average individual, it is also a timely message for activists, politicians, corporate bodies, and the renewable industry itself. Joshi outlines how pseudoscience is used to bog climate-activists in arguments that aren’t worth having, how loopholes in the law allow tactics of intimidation for those who speak out against fossil fuels, how capitalist economics lead to feelings of community disempowerment, how politicians like Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison use distraction to encourage inaction, and why all of this needs to be addressed to see genuine change.
These big-picture discussions are comfortably juxtaposed with Joshi’s recollections from his own time working in the renewable sector. Using stories of success and failure from around the world, he looks back on his time in the industry, applying what he’s learnt to try and assess where his own efforts succeeded and failed. In one particularly memorable chapter he is unflinchingly honest in admitting his own mistakes. He says, ‘We were so invested in winning battles that we never asked why we were fighting in the first place,’ before going on to say, ‘… the forgetting of this fact [not everyone wants to live near a wind farm] by people like me, advocating so strongly for more renewable energy, bears so much responsibility for the escalating silliness that stifled Australia’s renewable energy growth through the 2010s.’ Looking back at the approaches of renewable energy firms in other countries, he ascertains what he would have done differently, and what needs to be done to see movement going forward.
While it may sound to the renewable-energy supporters among us like a mildly depressing read—being confronted with the corporate and political battles that seem impossible to overcome—Joshi is deliberate in his desire to be positive about the capacity for change in the coming decades. Each chapter highlights an area for improvement at corporate, scientific, government, and personal levels. While he must first delve into the issues of the past, Joshi always ends on a decisive and positive note using his conclusions as an opportunity to talk about how things are already starting to change and how the reader can help to drive the climate change movement further.
Windfall is as much a call to arms as a chance to set the record straight. It’s a call for the reader to engage with and support those parties and businesses who work towards meaningful change. Ketan Joshi attempts to fight the rising tide of ‘doomism’ which he describes as just as infuriating as denial. Doomism is comfortable. Like denial, it means you don’t need to do anything. But we are closer than ever to implementing the changes we need and as Joshi says in his opening: ‘Every problem is insurmountable before it is surmounted. Every change is slow before it is fast. Every apocalypse is inevitable until it is cancelled.’ It is essential reading for Australians engaging in the climate-change movement.
December 1, 2020
Review initially published for Underground Writers. You can read it at https://www.patreon.com/posts/review-...
‘Australia’s new decade has opened with the static anxiety of helplessness as the dual disasters of fire and disease dominated our hearts, and so it is more vital than ever to know we can fight to control our fate.’
I don’t usually get super excited about non-fiction books, but when science and technology journalist Ketan Joshi announced that his debut book Windfall was coming out I was immediately hooked by its premise. Why, with all evidence pointing in the same direction, do climate denialists still exist? Why, when renewable alternatives exist, are we still building coal and gas plants? Why, when scientists have been begging for action since the seventies, have we been so slow to engage in meaningful change? Joshi sets out to answer these questions in Windfall, looking at the social, political, and economic factors that have led to our current climate crisis and, more importantly, how we can ensure a stable climate for future generations.
Joshi is consistently thorough in his presentation—everything is meticulously researched, with a reference list at the end that goes for 24 pages, including research papers, government policy, news stories, and broadcasts. He trusts the reader to keep up; in one chapter giving a detailed outline of the mechanics behind power grids in order to explain how the South Australian blackout was manipulated to create an anti-renewable energy discourse. If you’re a stickler for the particulars, this book will quench your appetite. However, if the thought of in-depth detail seems bland to you, rest assured Joshi balances this all with his engaging writing—a satisfying mixture of science and politics. Calling on well-known, as well as lesser-known stories, he explains how and why information is manipulated in order to increase support for the ‘slow-and-steady’ argument for change.
While it may seem that this book is one for the average individual, it is also a timely message for activists, politicians, corporate bodies, and the renewable industry itself. Joshi outlines how pseudoscience is used to bog climate-activists in arguments that aren’t worth having, how loopholes in the law allow tactics of intimidation for those who speak out against fossil fuels, how capitalist economics lead to feelings of community disempowerment, how politicians like Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison use distraction to encourage inaction, and why all of this needs to be addressed to see genuine change.
These big-picture discussions are comfortably juxtaposed with Joshi’s recollections from his own time working in the renewable sector. Using stories of success and failure from around the world, he looks back on his time in the industry, applying what he’s learnt to try and assess where his own efforts succeeded and failed. In one particularly memorable chapter he is unflinchingly honest in admitting his own mistakes. He says, ‘We were so invested in winning battles that we never asked why we were fighting in the first place,’ before going on to say, ‘… the forgetting of this fact [not everyone wants to live near a wind farm] by people like me, advocating so strongly for more renewable energy, bears so much responsibility for the escalating silliness that stifled Australia’s renewable energy growth through the 2010s.’ Looking back at the approaches of renewable energy firms in other countries, he ascertains what he would have done differently, and what needs to be done to see movement going forward.
While it may sound to the renewable-energy supporters among us like a mildly depressing read—being confronted with the corporate and political battles that seem impossible to overcome—Joshi is deliberate in his desire to be positive about the capacity for change in the coming decades. Each chapter highlights an area for improvement at corporate, scientific, government, and personal levels. While he must first delve into the issues of the past, Joshi always ends on a decisive and positive note using his conclusions as an opportunity to talk about how things are already starting to change and how the reader can help to drive the climate change movement further.
Windfall is as much a call to arms as a chance to set the record straight. It’s a call for the reader to engage with and support those parties and businesses who work towards meaningful change. Ketan Joshi attempts to fight the rising tide of ‘doomism’ which he describes as just as infuriating as denial. Doomism is comfortable. Like denial, it means you don’t need to do anything. But we are closer than ever to implementing the changes we need and as Joshi says in his opening: ‘Every problem is insurmountable before it is surmounted. Every change is slow before it is fast. Every apocalypse is inevitable until it is cancelled.’ It is essential reading for Australians engaging in the climate-change movement.
‘Australia’s new decade has opened with the static anxiety of helplessness as the dual disasters of fire and disease dominated our hearts, and so it is more vital than ever to know we can fight to control our fate.’
I don’t usually get super excited about non-fiction books, but when science and technology journalist Ketan Joshi announced that his debut book Windfall was coming out I was immediately hooked by its premise. Why, with all evidence pointing in the same direction, do climate denialists still exist? Why, when renewable alternatives exist, are we still building coal and gas plants? Why, when scientists have been begging for action since the seventies, have we been so slow to engage in meaningful change? Joshi sets out to answer these questions in Windfall, looking at the social, political, and economic factors that have led to our current climate crisis and, more importantly, how we can ensure a stable climate for future generations.
Joshi is consistently thorough in his presentation—everything is meticulously researched, with a reference list at the end that goes for 24 pages, including research papers, government policy, news stories, and broadcasts. He trusts the reader to keep up; in one chapter giving a detailed outline of the mechanics behind power grids in order to explain how the South Australian blackout was manipulated to create an anti-renewable energy discourse. If you’re a stickler for the particulars, this book will quench your appetite. However, if the thought of in-depth detail seems bland to you, rest assured Joshi balances this all with his engaging writing—a satisfying mixture of science and politics. Calling on well-known, as well as lesser-known stories, he explains how and why information is manipulated in order to increase support for the ‘slow-and-steady’ argument for change.
While it may seem that this book is one for the average individual, it is also a timely message for activists, politicians, corporate bodies, and the renewable industry itself. Joshi outlines how pseudoscience is used to bog climate-activists in arguments that aren’t worth having, how loopholes in the law allow tactics of intimidation for those who speak out against fossil fuels, how capitalist economics lead to feelings of community disempowerment, how politicians like Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison use distraction to encourage inaction, and why all of this needs to be addressed to see genuine change.
These big-picture discussions are comfortably juxtaposed with Joshi’s recollections from his own time working in the renewable sector. Using stories of success and failure from around the world, he looks back on his time in the industry, applying what he’s learnt to try and assess where his own efforts succeeded and failed. In one particularly memorable chapter he is unflinchingly honest in admitting his own mistakes. He says, ‘We were so invested in winning battles that we never asked why we were fighting in the first place,’ before going on to say, ‘… the forgetting of this fact [not everyone wants to live near a wind farm] by people like me, advocating so strongly for more renewable energy, bears so much responsibility for the escalating silliness that stifled Australia’s renewable energy growth through the 2010s.’ Looking back at the approaches of renewable energy firms in other countries, he ascertains what he would have done differently, and what needs to be done to see movement going forward.
While it may sound to the renewable-energy supporters among us like a mildly depressing read—being confronted with the corporate and political battles that seem impossible to overcome—Joshi is deliberate in his desire to be positive about the capacity for change in the coming decades. Each chapter highlights an area for improvement at corporate, scientific, government, and personal levels. While he must first delve into the issues of the past, Joshi always ends on a decisive and positive note using his conclusions as an opportunity to talk about how things are already starting to change and how the reader can help to drive the climate change movement further.
Windfall is as much a call to arms as a chance to set the record straight. It’s a call for the reader to engage with and support those parties and businesses who work towards meaningful change. Ketan Joshi attempts to fight the rising tide of ‘doomism’ which he describes as just as infuriating as denial. Doomism is comfortable. Like denial, it means you don’t need to do anything. But we are closer than ever to implementing the changes we need and as Joshi says in his opening: ‘Every problem is insurmountable before it is surmounted. Every change is slow before it is fast. Every apocalypse is inevitable until it is cancelled.’ It is essential reading for Australians engaging in the climate-change movement.
October 30, 2022
Reading Windfall was like reading a documentary where our knowledgeable narrator Ketan Joshi over a series of episodes takes through the entwined topics of climate change, renewable energy and the last decade of Australian politics.
The first half of the book tackles the big renewable energy lies; the infamous wind syndrome and fears of renewable energy caused blackouts. Not just with detailed refutations but answers to what caused them and how we get past them. These kinds of big lies are rarely solved by facts but by tapping into emotions. Joshi insists we must replace fear of change with optimism and community. Australians are ready and willing to contribute to the transition, they want to be involved in the process.
While Joshi is very knowledgeable about renewable energy you can noticeably feel the drop in detail when he is talking about other methods of greenhouse gas reduction. Thankfully, he includes a number of short interviews with experts in those areas to help fill in the gaps. These feel like friendly chats with people who are very passionate about their area of expertise. The optimism is infectious.
The second part is dedicated to a deep dive into the murky waters of the last decade of political turmoil in Australia. Joshi details how climate change action or the lack of it caused an outbreak of backstabbing in Australian politics. In the process bringing back bad memories of Tony Abbot throwing a wrecking ball through all our futures. All leading up to half the country catching fire over the summer. This disaster acted as catalyst for an awakening of climate change activist rage in Australia.
Joshi quotes senior ministers showing the fundamental aversion to climate change action within the liberal and national parties. Their pushing of first coal and more recently gas using lies and disinformation about renewable energy and its ability to power a national grid. At the same time pushing greenwashing to keep Australians placated on the issue of climate change. It is enough to make your blood boil.
Ultimately, I recommend this book to anyone interested in climate change activism in Australia. Particularly for younger activists who might not know the political history. It gives an optimistic take on our ability to tackle climate change and the future of renewable energy. Optimism is something we all sorely need with 2020 being such a difficult year for so many. Optimism and Fury.
The first half of the book tackles the big renewable energy lies; the infamous wind syndrome and fears of renewable energy caused blackouts. Not just with detailed refutations but answers to what caused them and how we get past them. These kinds of big lies are rarely solved by facts but by tapping into emotions. Joshi insists we must replace fear of change with optimism and community. Australians are ready and willing to contribute to the transition, they want to be involved in the process.
While Joshi is very knowledgeable about renewable energy you can noticeably feel the drop in detail when he is talking about other methods of greenhouse gas reduction. Thankfully, he includes a number of short interviews with experts in those areas to help fill in the gaps. These feel like friendly chats with people who are very passionate about their area of expertise. The optimism is infectious.
The second part is dedicated to a deep dive into the murky waters of the last decade of political turmoil in Australia. Joshi details how climate change action or the lack of it caused an outbreak of backstabbing in Australian politics. In the process bringing back bad memories of Tony Abbot throwing a wrecking ball through all our futures. All leading up to half the country catching fire over the summer. This disaster acted as catalyst for an awakening of climate change activist rage in Australia.
Joshi quotes senior ministers showing the fundamental aversion to climate change action within the liberal and national parties. Their pushing of first coal and more recently gas using lies and disinformation about renewable energy and its ability to power a national grid. At the same time pushing greenwashing to keep Australians placated on the issue of climate change. It is enough to make your blood boil.
Ultimately, I recommend this book to anyone interested in climate change activism in Australia. Particularly for younger activists who might not know the political history. It gives an optimistic take on our ability to tackle climate change and the future of renewable energy. Optimism is something we all sorely need with 2020 being such a difficult year for so many. Optimism and Fury.
May 20, 2023
“As guns are to America, coal is to Australia, with both countries stuck in the grip of harmful industries to the bafflement of the rest of the world.”
Ketan Joshi hits the right blend of outrage, incisiveness, optimism and passion, to give us the information we need to bring about a better future. I was filled with fury and rage, reading sections on how our politicians had failed us, stifling action for the lure of political power, ideology and financial benefit. That was the only bit lacking in this - the extent to which the Australian Government is in the pocket of fossil fuel corporations. I know why coal, oil and gas companies refuse to act - profits and capitalism - but it still is inconceivable how a minuscule portion of their profits used to lobby political parties can wreak so much havoc on humanity’s future and our environment. We need to keep harnessing this anger for and make it meaningful action.
Ketan Joshi hits the right blend of outrage, incisiveness, optimism and passion, to give us the information we need to bring about a better future. I was filled with fury and rage, reading sections on how our politicians had failed us, stifling action for the lure of political power, ideology and financial benefit. That was the only bit lacking in this - the extent to which the Australian Government is in the pocket of fossil fuel corporations. I know why coal, oil and gas companies refuse to act - profits and capitalism - but it still is inconceivable how a minuscule portion of their profits used to lobby political parties can wreak so much havoc on humanity’s future and our environment. We need to keep harnessing this anger for and make it meaningful action.
January 2, 2021
This book balances conviction with righteous anger at the misinformation and public manipulation that stands in the way of our prosperous renewable energy future.
On Australian coal exports and the lobbying industry that protects their sanctity, he sets out the 'terrible spiral of reliance, in which the country's wealth is permanently locked to the country's destruction.'
Let Joshi's infuriated optimism guide your thinking and actions in relation to the future of the planet, and all the human and non-human life it sustains.
On Australian coal exports and the lobbying industry that protects their sanctity, he sets out the 'terrible spiral of reliance, in which the country's wealth is permanently locked to the country's destruction.'
Let Joshi's infuriated optimism guide your thinking and actions in relation to the future of the planet, and all the human and non-human life it sustains.
March 11, 2021
Interesting read, even if only for the summarisation of the wasted decade in Australia between 2010-2020.
Offers a glimmer of hope, but one I wouldn't bet the house on.
Offers a glimmer of hope, but one I wouldn't bet the house on.
Want to read
January 30, 2022Wrong Ketan Joshi...
November 19, 2023
Makes you angry and hopeful in equal measure
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews