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Speed & Scale: A Global Action Plan for Solving Our Climate Crisis Now
* Duration: 11 hours and 58 minutes *
Number-one best-selling author and acclaimed venture capitalist John Doerr reveals a sweeping action plan to conquer humanity's greatest challenge: climate change.
To solve the seemingly-insurmountable climate crisis, we have to take collective action, drive societal change and accelerate the net zero economy using a plan of speed and scale. And we have to start now.
In SPEED & SCALE', award-winning author and investor John Doerr convenes the world's foremost change-makers to show us how we can, if we fully commit to a high-stakes action plan, cut carbon emissions in half by 2030 and reach Net Zero by 2050. He shares practical efforts that we must take, applying Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) - the simple but powerful tools that scale small ideas into global movements - to our climate goals, setting out the standards that we need to reach as leaders.
By turns pragmatic and inspiring, 'SPEED & SCALE' intersperses Doerr's wide-ranging analysis with firsthand accounts from contributors Jeff Bezos, Christiana Figueres, Al Gore, Mary Barra, Bill Gates, and many other intrepid policy leaders, entrepreneurs, scientists, and activists. A launchpad for those who are ready to act now, this book is geared to leaders in every walk of life. With a definitive action plan, the latest science, and a rising climate movement on our side, we can still reach net zero before it is too late. But as Doerr reminds us, there is no more time to waste.
This audiobook includes a downloadable PDF of images and charts from the book.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2021 John Doerr (P)2021 Penguin Audio
Number-one best-selling author and acclaimed venture capitalist John Doerr reveals a sweeping action plan to conquer humanity's greatest challenge: climate change.
To solve the seemingly-insurmountable climate crisis, we have to take collective action, drive societal change and accelerate the net zero economy using a plan of speed and scale. And we have to start now.
In SPEED & SCALE', award-winning author and investor John Doerr convenes the world's foremost change-makers to show us how we can, if we fully commit to a high-stakes action plan, cut carbon emissions in half by 2030 and reach Net Zero by 2050. He shares practical efforts that we must take, applying Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) - the simple but powerful tools that scale small ideas into global movements - to our climate goals, setting out the standards that we need to reach as leaders.
By turns pragmatic and inspiring, 'SPEED & SCALE' intersperses Doerr's wide-ranging analysis with firsthand accounts from contributors Jeff Bezos, Christiana Figueres, Al Gore, Mary Barra, Bill Gates, and many other intrepid policy leaders, entrepreneurs, scientists, and activists. A launchpad for those who are ready to act now, this book is geared to leaders in every walk of life. With a definitive action plan, the latest science, and a rising climate movement on our side, we can still reach net zero before it is too late. But as Doerr reminds us, there is no more time to waste.
This audiobook includes a downloadable PDF of images and charts from the book.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2021 John Doerr (P)2021 Penguin Audio
12 pages, Audible Audio
First published October 28, 2021
About the author
John Doerr
26 books512 followersL. John Doerr (born June 29, 1951) is an American investor and venture capitalist at Kleiner Perkins in Menlo Park, California. In February 2009, Doerr was appointed a member of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board to provide the President and his administration with advice and counsel in trying to fix America's economic downturn.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 195 reviews
December 10, 2022
Quite disappointing. If you want to save capitalism, read a book from a venture capitalist. But if you really want to tackle the climate crisis, you should read the climate science literature.
John Doerr (a venture capitalist and about the 100th richest person in the US) attempts to tackle the climate crisis focussing on yet-to-be-proven technofixes and market-based solutions, but neglecting some key and well-established concepts of climate justice and climate change mitigation. The book is interesting at times but seems ill-informed and misguided and concludes on the absurd idea that infinite growth with finite resources is possible.
This book can be valuable as a first peek into the climate issue: the introduction does give some key facts and figures and tries to convey the urgency of the problem. It also mentions some necessary actions to be taken if we are to keep global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperature, such as stopping all fossil fuel extraction (starting with divesting) or banning venting and flaring. And it definitely provides a good insight into some of the technological development that will be necessary to tackle the climate crisis.
However, it completely misses out on some key solutions and aspects, and is just blatantly wrong on others. The most telling example is probably when he writes “We’ve debunked the idea of a tradeoff between expanding the world’s economy and solving the climate crisis. It’s now clear we can have both: profit and planet”. Not only there is absolutely no evidence (and therefore reference in the book) that this is true, but the opposite has actually been measured: the only times in recent human history when global GHG emissions have decreased has been when there has been an economic crisis (the latest example being the COVID19 pandemic, see https://ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions). And while it is true that some countries like the UK have seen their emissions decrease steadily over the last couple of decades (although one should note that these estimates never include international shipping and aviation), this is nowhere near enough to stay within our climate targets (we are already at 1.2 degrees).
The list below shows some other caveats of this book. It is by no means exhaustive, it is just an example of things that should be included in any book that deals with the climate crisis.
- demand side mitigation: the most effective way to emit less greenhouse gases is simply to consume less (less energy, less services, less goods). This is part of every serious pathway to net-zero, and can be found for example in the IPCC reports. In that regard, it is completely nonsensical that the book provides a platform for someone like Jeff Bezos to publicise Amazon, when they are actively trying to promote space tourism (and it does not matter whether their rockets are fuelled by hydrogen or by any ‘sustainable’ way, the point is that for humanity as a whole, this energy would be much better not spent at all). In that sense, it is also worth mentioning that growth can easily wipe out any efficiency improvements that are so often mentioned in this book. The example of the aviation industry in general, and EasyJet in particular is telling: in 10 years, the CO2 per passenger-km of EasyJet’s planes have decreased by 8.7%, but their CO2 emissions have increased by 82% due to a sky-rocketing number of flights
- class inequalities: there is a timid attempt in the book to talk about climate justice, with brief mentions of gender and racial inequalities here and there. But there is no mention whatsoever to the fact that our economic system perpetuates the divide between the rich and the poor, and that this inequality is growing worse over time. A good and well-referenced read on this is The Divide by Jason Hickel, and it shows that any solution to the inequality crisis goes through a radical change in our socio-economic system.
- rebound effect: in several places of the book, John Doerr presents some kind of solution that not only will decrease emissions but will also make consumers wealthier. There is a very large body of literature that shows how this type of economic savings often results in spendings that cancel any climate benefits. A typical example is saving money because a house is better insulated and then taking a flight with that extra money. Again, as long as we live in a model based on infinite growth, we can’t expect that incremental fixes will help solve the climate crisis.
- Technology Readiness Level (TLR): this concept tells how mature a technology is, with an index generally going from 1 to 9 (where 1 is an idea and 9 is a commercially scaled technology). It is simply unbelievable that in a book about technofixes, we do not get a single TLR for any of the suggested solution. John Doerr keeps saying ‘this new product could help decrease emissions’, or ‘this new technology might improve the efficiency’, but he never mentions how mature the concept really is. For example, it is completely ridiculous to think that nuclear fusion can have a role in helping us stay below 1.5 degrees warming. It is a technology that has been in the developmental stage for half a century, and there is no chance it can be scaled up fast enough to make a significant contribution to the world’s energy mix before 2050.
However, the good news is that there are realistic and well-researched scenarios to stay below 1.5 degrees warming above pre-industrial levels (see for example the latest IPCC assessment reports). But they generally imply major changes in our economies and the way we produce and consume goods. John Doerr and several of the people and companies he advertises in his book will loose from such changes, which might be the reason why he (consciously or unconsciously) does not even mention them, but humanity as a whole would gain in equality, justice and well-being.
One thing John Doerr is right about is the importance of activism and grass-root initiatives. Some major achievements of the last century were made possible by a mass of random people like you and I rising up and standing for what is just and equal. The Civil Rights movement in the US, the campaign for India’s independence or the overthrow of Milosevic in ex-Yugoslavia are only a few clear examples of the power people have when we put our will and actions where they matter. In short, it is definitely possible to avoid the worst effects of the climate crisis, but waiting for technology to save us while only implementing marginal changes to our ways of life is simply suicidal. Western societies have to be radically transformed, starting by how governments and corporations are run, and we the people have the power to make that happen.
John Doerr (a venture capitalist and about the 100th richest person in the US) attempts to tackle the climate crisis focussing on yet-to-be-proven technofixes and market-based solutions, but neglecting some key and well-established concepts of climate justice and climate change mitigation. The book is interesting at times but seems ill-informed and misguided and concludes on the absurd idea that infinite growth with finite resources is possible.
This book can be valuable as a first peek into the climate issue: the introduction does give some key facts and figures and tries to convey the urgency of the problem. It also mentions some necessary actions to be taken if we are to keep global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperature, such as stopping all fossil fuel extraction (starting with divesting) or banning venting and flaring. And it definitely provides a good insight into some of the technological development that will be necessary to tackle the climate crisis.
However, it completely misses out on some key solutions and aspects, and is just blatantly wrong on others. The most telling example is probably when he writes “We’ve debunked the idea of a tradeoff between expanding the world’s economy and solving the climate crisis. It’s now clear we can have both: profit and planet”. Not only there is absolutely no evidence (and therefore reference in the book) that this is true, but the opposite has actually been measured: the only times in recent human history when global GHG emissions have decreased has been when there has been an economic crisis (the latest example being the COVID19 pandemic, see https://ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions). And while it is true that some countries like the UK have seen their emissions decrease steadily over the last couple of decades (although one should note that these estimates never include international shipping and aviation), this is nowhere near enough to stay within our climate targets (we are already at 1.2 degrees).
The list below shows some other caveats of this book. It is by no means exhaustive, it is just an example of things that should be included in any book that deals with the climate crisis.
- demand side mitigation: the most effective way to emit less greenhouse gases is simply to consume less (less energy, less services, less goods). This is part of every serious pathway to net-zero, and can be found for example in the IPCC reports. In that regard, it is completely nonsensical that the book provides a platform for someone like Jeff Bezos to publicise Amazon, when they are actively trying to promote space tourism (and it does not matter whether their rockets are fuelled by hydrogen or by any ‘sustainable’ way, the point is that for humanity as a whole, this energy would be much better not spent at all). In that sense, it is also worth mentioning that growth can easily wipe out any efficiency improvements that are so often mentioned in this book. The example of the aviation industry in general, and EasyJet in particular is telling: in 10 years, the CO2 per passenger-km of EasyJet’s planes have decreased by 8.7%, but their CO2 emissions have increased by 82% due to a sky-rocketing number of flights
- class inequalities: there is a timid attempt in the book to talk about climate justice, with brief mentions of gender and racial inequalities here and there. But there is no mention whatsoever to the fact that our economic system perpetuates the divide between the rich and the poor, and that this inequality is growing worse over time. A good and well-referenced read on this is The Divide by Jason Hickel, and it shows that any solution to the inequality crisis goes through a radical change in our socio-economic system.
- rebound effect: in several places of the book, John Doerr presents some kind of solution that not only will decrease emissions but will also make consumers wealthier. There is a very large body of literature that shows how this type of economic savings often results in spendings that cancel any climate benefits. A typical example is saving money because a house is better insulated and then taking a flight with that extra money. Again, as long as we live in a model based on infinite growth, we can’t expect that incremental fixes will help solve the climate crisis.
- Technology Readiness Level (TLR): this concept tells how mature a technology is, with an index generally going from 1 to 9 (where 1 is an idea and 9 is a commercially scaled technology). It is simply unbelievable that in a book about technofixes, we do not get a single TLR for any of the suggested solution. John Doerr keeps saying ‘this new product could help decrease emissions’, or ‘this new technology might improve the efficiency’, but he never mentions how mature the concept really is. For example, it is completely ridiculous to think that nuclear fusion can have a role in helping us stay below 1.5 degrees warming. It is a technology that has been in the developmental stage for half a century, and there is no chance it can be scaled up fast enough to make a significant contribution to the world’s energy mix before 2050.
However, the good news is that there are realistic and well-researched scenarios to stay below 1.5 degrees warming above pre-industrial levels (see for example the latest IPCC assessment reports). But they generally imply major changes in our economies and the way we produce and consume goods. John Doerr and several of the people and companies he advertises in his book will loose from such changes, which might be the reason why he (consciously or unconsciously) does not even mention them, but humanity as a whole would gain in equality, justice and well-being.
One thing John Doerr is right about is the importance of activism and grass-root initiatives. Some major achievements of the last century were made possible by a mass of random people like you and I rising up and standing for what is just and equal. The Civil Rights movement in the US, the campaign for India’s independence or the overthrow of Milosevic in ex-Yugoslavia are only a few clear examples of the power people have when we put our will and actions where they matter. In short, it is definitely possible to avoid the worst effects of the climate crisis, but waiting for technology to save us while only implementing marginal changes to our ways of life is simply suicidal. Western societies have to be radically transformed, starting by how governments and corporations are run, and we the people have the power to make that happen.
November 14, 2021
Speed and Scale is an action plan to solve the climate crisis, written in the style of Objectives and Key Results (OKRs). The main objective to solve the climate crisis is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from 59 Gigatons in 2020 to 0 Gigatons by 2050. Doerr divides his action plan (i.e. the book) into two parts. The first part treats the six areas in which we must reduce emissions: transport, electricity, food, nature, industry, and carbon reduction. This is what we must do. Then, Doerr lists four types of interventions to deliver on these emission reduction goals (Doerr calls these "accelerants"): policy, movements, innovation, investment. This is how we must do it.
There are many roadmaps to net zero. I found this one worth reading for a few reasons:
- The book is comprehensive, quantitative, and precise yet highly accessible to people who are intelligent but do not have domain knowledge. For instance, each of the first six chapters lists the current yearly emissions of that domain and the target emissions by 2050. Graphs are highly legible and full of insights.
- The book includes profiles from some of the world's leading founders, investors, politicians, researchers, and organizers, with whom Doerr has built relationships through a very successful career. These profiles are masterfully woven into the chapters. As a result, the book is not just informative but also inspiring. You realize that in solving this complex problem lies tremendous opportunity for wealth creation and human flourishing.
- The book provides clear scaffolding for action. While it is not meant to prescribe actions you can take as an individual consumer, it provides a great overview of the areas worth tackling.
In summary, I think this is a must-read for any intelligent leader trying to put their head around how to tackle climate change. For those who have been studying this for a while, the book will provide a clear overview, fresh insights, and inspiration to carry on.
There are many roadmaps to net zero. I found this one worth reading for a few reasons:
- The book is comprehensive, quantitative, and precise yet highly accessible to people who are intelligent but do not have domain knowledge. For instance, each of the first six chapters lists the current yearly emissions of that domain and the target emissions by 2050. Graphs are highly legible and full of insights.
- The book includes profiles from some of the world's leading founders, investors, politicians, researchers, and organizers, with whom Doerr has built relationships through a very successful career. These profiles are masterfully woven into the chapters. As a result, the book is not just informative but also inspiring. You realize that in solving this complex problem lies tremendous opportunity for wealth creation and human flourishing.
- The book provides clear scaffolding for action. While it is not meant to prescribe actions you can take as an individual consumer, it provides a great overview of the areas worth tackling.
In summary, I think this is a must-read for any intelligent leader trying to put their head around how to tackle climate change. For those who have been studying this for a while, the book will provide a clear overview, fresh insights, and inspiration to carry on.
May 15, 2022
Long on my to-read list, I finally got around to it after the announcement that Doerr would be funding the new Stanford climate school. Overall, this book is exactly what I expected: a list of climate change challenges with a lot of corporate speak. My next climate book is going to be about socialism to cleanse myself from this.
January 3, 2022
Some interesting short interviews with people in the game
Useful overview if you haven't read something like Project Drawdown and Designing Climate Solutions. Otherwise the Objectives and Key Results are not that new, maybe a bit more quantified in magnitude/cost and due date.
Yes, we need more R&D and investment, but the bottleneck in the U.S. is political. There are chapters on politics & policy and on movements, but they seemed overly rosy and lacked details.
Useful overview if you haven't read something like Project Drawdown and Designing Climate Solutions. Otherwise the Objectives and Key Results are not that new, maybe a bit more quantified in magnitude/cost and due date.
Yes, we need more R&D and investment, but the bottleneck in the U.S. is political. There are chapters on politics & policy and on movements, but they seemed overly rosy and lacked details.
December 10, 2021
Covering 59 giga tons of carbon emissions and eliminating social inequities in one book is a tall order. I get it, the book is a call to action. A broad brush approach will leave readers with the idea our forests can be locked up and everything with be ok.
When using words like protect, preserve, eliminate deforestation, readers come away believing locking our forests up will lead to optimum sequestration. It won’t. Forests are not like oceans where fish return when fishing is eliminated. Unmanaged forests grow old, weak and crowded, where beetles thrive, trees die, and fuel for devastating wildfires accumulates. Doerr refers to improving forest management but readers will interpret this as “leave the forests to manage themselves.” Good forest management includes harvesting, road building, tree planting and controlled burning.
“Measure What Matters”. Readers will not find a number for the sequestration potential for our 144 million acres in our National Forest system ( National Parks and Wilderness Areas not in this number). Our National Forests have been poorly managed. One report stated the National Forests in California are only 25% of what they could be with good management. Readers should walk our National Forests to witness the old, dead and dying beetle infested burned over forests managed by the Forest Service. By investigated well managed forests in Canada and Germany readers will see what our National Forests could become.
Climate change misconceptions include forest wildfires. The magnitude of forest wildfires are caused by poor forest management. Readers should look to well managed forests to see the vast differences in wildfires. Paradise, CA was destroyed by a wildfire originating on the Pulga National Forest where fuel had accumulated inviting destruction. Resource managers are covering their tracks by using climate change as an excuse for poor forest management. A forest manager should be added to the list of experts in Doerr's Acknowledgements.
Doerr believes we will combat climate change only if we continue to elect Democrats. With this being historically unlikely Doerr should share with readers the half-life of CO2 is 1000 years. Temperatures are going to rise. Be prepared.
Goerr should also review research that demonstrates a plants ability to add stomata when elevated levels of CO2 are introduced. Commercial greenhouses add CO2 to invigorate plant growth. Holding all other variables constant as the level of CO2 rises is not reasonable.
What Doerr refers to as deforestation is in many cases land being repurposed for pastures (bad cows) and row crops. Pastures and row crops also consume CO2. Brazil has enough arable land to feed the world. What if Brazil produced all the plant based food required to feed the world and eliminated cows? Current pasture lands would be restored to forests or low tiled farm land. A lot of what Doerr is passionate about will happen but not necessarily the way he envisions it.
When using words like protect, preserve, eliminate deforestation, readers come away believing locking our forests up will lead to optimum sequestration. It won’t. Forests are not like oceans where fish return when fishing is eliminated. Unmanaged forests grow old, weak and crowded, where beetles thrive, trees die, and fuel for devastating wildfires accumulates. Doerr refers to improving forest management but readers will interpret this as “leave the forests to manage themselves.” Good forest management includes harvesting, road building, tree planting and controlled burning.
“Measure What Matters”. Readers will not find a number for the sequestration potential for our 144 million acres in our National Forest system ( National Parks and Wilderness Areas not in this number). Our National Forests have been poorly managed. One report stated the National Forests in California are only 25% of what they could be with good management. Readers should walk our National Forests to witness the old, dead and dying beetle infested burned over forests managed by the Forest Service. By investigated well managed forests in Canada and Germany readers will see what our National Forests could become.
Climate change misconceptions include forest wildfires. The magnitude of forest wildfires are caused by poor forest management. Readers should look to well managed forests to see the vast differences in wildfires. Paradise, CA was destroyed by a wildfire originating on the Pulga National Forest where fuel had accumulated inviting destruction. Resource managers are covering their tracks by using climate change as an excuse for poor forest management. A forest manager should be added to the list of experts in Doerr's Acknowledgements.
Doerr believes we will combat climate change only if we continue to elect Democrats. With this being historically unlikely Doerr should share with readers the half-life of CO2 is 1000 years. Temperatures are going to rise. Be prepared.
Goerr should also review research that demonstrates a plants ability to add stomata when elevated levels of CO2 are introduced. Commercial greenhouses add CO2 to invigorate plant growth. Holding all other variables constant as the level of CO2 rises is not reasonable.
What Doerr refers to as deforestation is in many cases land being repurposed for pastures (bad cows) and row crops. Pastures and row crops also consume CO2. Brazil has enough arable land to feed the world. What if Brazil produced all the plant based food required to feed the world and eliminated cows? Current pasture lands would be restored to forests or low tiled farm land. A lot of what Doerr is passionate about will happen but not necessarily the way he envisions it.
February 19, 2022
I have mixed feelings about this book. The aim is to give a plan to solve the climate crisis. Does he succeed? Kind of. The 50+ OKRs give a useful framework to think about the problem, but not convinced that they constitute a plan in themselves.
The narrative around each OKR varies widely. In some cases, we get deeply justified reasoning, whilst others aren't. Overall, I get the feeling of the whole thing being a little long-winded. The quality of the interviews is erratic too. The big names in particular often role out platitudes and its usually the lesser known people who have the genuinely interesting stories. But then again, when you have a page and a half there's not really that much you can do with it. For me, I'd have preferred half the number of interviews but with better exposition of the story.
To my mind, one failing of the book is that while there's the feeling of lots to be done (even if the focus on those doing something makes you think its all in hand :P), there doesn't seem to be a call to action. As I've heard Doerr say in interviews, that's partially because the area has moved beyond what we as individuals can do. But the politic, movement and investment sections could all have given take aways for people to do.
In summary, a worthwhile read, not too heavy, but probably more as a gateway to further reading than an end point in itself.
The narrative around each OKR varies widely. In some cases, we get deeply justified reasoning, whilst others aren't. Overall, I get the feeling of the whole thing being a little long-winded. The quality of the interviews is erratic too. The big names in particular often role out platitudes and its usually the lesser known people who have the genuinely interesting stories. But then again, when you have a page and a half there's not really that much you can do with it. For me, I'd have preferred half the number of interviews but with better exposition of the story.
To my mind, one failing of the book is that while there's the feeling of lots to be done (even if the focus on those doing something makes you think its all in hand :P), there doesn't seem to be a call to action. As I've heard Doerr say in interviews, that's partially because the area has moved beyond what we as individuals can do. But the politic, movement and investment sections could all have given take aways for people to do.
In summary, a worthwhile read, not too heavy, but probably more as a gateway to further reading than an end point in itself.
December 3, 2022
A comprehensive plan for addressing the climate crisis outlining each step to do so using the OKR (objectives and key results) framework from John Doerr’s other book “Measure What Matters”.
The book also contains sections from 35 well known climate leaders.
I found there was so much information in this book that it took me quite a while to read but it is definitely one that I will refer back to and gives some hope that we can sort what seems like an almost insurmountable problem but we need to get on with it quickly!
This podcast with TIm Ferris interviewing John Doerr gives a flavour of what the book is like:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7LG0...
The book also contains sections from 35 well known climate leaders.
I found there was so much information in this book that it took me quite a while to read but it is definitely one that I will refer back to and gives some hope that we can sort what seems like an almost insurmountable problem but we need to get on with it quickly!
This podcast with TIm Ferris interviewing John Doerr gives a flavour of what the book is like:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7LG0...
October 31, 2022
It's great that all of these very smart venture capitalists have dedicated their attention and wallets to green tech but one never gets the sense here that the profit motive isn't the sole driving force behind the majority of this activity. Would like to read about what nationally motivated efforts can and should do in this space, because it does feel that a lot of these efforts are too little and driven by the clout and gross margin that they can generate. Perhaps I'm too cynical on this and again am glad that these efforts are being made.
April 9, 2023
I loved the structure of this book, especially after grinding through several too-long career books with a similar format of lists and steps to success. This book includes many interviews and stories of current successful individuals sharing the strategies behind their successful organizations and technologies. The book gave me a much expanded list of what kind of climate companies I could have impact at.
May 26, 2022
Several years ago I accepted that mankind was contributing to global warming, but I haven't really looked into the topic very much. Many of the solutions that people talk about have little to no effect. Global warming issues are often conflated with other issues, sometimes to align to a political agenda, or other times to align to a seemingly good cause but one that really doesn't impact global warming.
I was interested to hear about Speed & Scale on Stephen Leavitt's podcast, People I (Mostly) Admire. I trust Leavitt to a large degree and I like the way he thinks. I was intrigued by the purpose of Speed & Scale: a realistic path of what needs to happen to avert climate disaster. Specifically, get to net zero emissions by 2050 and thereby limit the increase in global temperature to 1.5C (if I remember correctly).
I like how the book was written. It covers different categories of emissions, lays out targets, and describes how to get there. It has lots of facts and also has short bios and commentary from several people who are working on solutions.
Some big take-aways for me:
1. Coal power has to be stopped. We're at a point where this is possible. We should likely stop Natural Gas power while we're at it. I wish that the author would have promoted nuclear power more. I see this as a huge solution as solar has big downsides and wind has some downsides.
2. Transportation needs to be changed. It seems like a lot of progress is being made here. I think there are a lot of good things coming in the next few years.
3. Planting trees helps a little but it only gets us so far. Basically we'd have to plant an area the size of the USA to really make a dent, and even then it's not a solution.
4. Carbon capture is also promising, but it's unlikely that it will be a major solution and still has huge technical challenges. Basically, we can't run the oil industry in reverse.
5. It's easy for the US and Europe to make changes. Much harder for India, Africa, and even China.
6. It's remarkable how much beef pollutes compared to other foods. (It's just so good though! I'm really hoping that changes in feed can offset this.)
There were some things that I think Doerr missed. I mentioned nuclear energy. He speaks about it a little bit but not enough. I don't think he gave the full story behind the cattle industry -- like the fact that a lot of the land isn't usable for much else. He doesn't spend a ton of time laying out the costs of all the changes. Also, I think there could be some other alternative solutions which he gives very little time to (like creating a chemical "mirror" in the atmosphere). Sometimes the text felt a little condescending. It's also a little hard for me to translate the goals and solutions to my personal life. I suppose I can eat less beef and drive a little less?
I'm a capitalist and a conservative, so some solutions that people seek are unsavory to me. However, I also recognize that there are huge negative externalities to some people's and company's actions. I'm probably in support of a carbon tax to offset those externalities, but the details would be important. I'd prefer to start it off very low and increase it every year. It seems like this would be the simplest way for end-users to pay for carbon (assuming taxes would be incorporated into the prices of goods and services). That said, I don't like big government and I'm sure it would lead to more government, as did many of the other proposals.
Overall it was a very well-written book. I'm going to read into the topic quite a bit more and think about what I can do personally and as a business owner.
I was interested to hear about Speed & Scale on Stephen Leavitt's podcast, People I (Mostly) Admire. I trust Leavitt to a large degree and I like the way he thinks. I was intrigued by the purpose of Speed & Scale: a realistic path of what needs to happen to avert climate disaster. Specifically, get to net zero emissions by 2050 and thereby limit the increase in global temperature to 1.5C (if I remember correctly).
I like how the book was written. It covers different categories of emissions, lays out targets, and describes how to get there. It has lots of facts and also has short bios and commentary from several people who are working on solutions.
Some big take-aways for me:
1. Coal power has to be stopped. We're at a point where this is possible. We should likely stop Natural Gas power while we're at it. I wish that the author would have promoted nuclear power more. I see this as a huge solution as solar has big downsides and wind has some downsides.
2. Transportation needs to be changed. It seems like a lot of progress is being made here. I think there are a lot of good things coming in the next few years.
3. Planting trees helps a little but it only gets us so far. Basically we'd have to plant an area the size of the USA to really make a dent, and even then it's not a solution.
4. Carbon capture is also promising, but it's unlikely that it will be a major solution and still has huge technical challenges. Basically, we can't run the oil industry in reverse.
5. It's easy for the US and Europe to make changes. Much harder for India, Africa, and even China.
6. It's remarkable how much beef pollutes compared to other foods. (It's just so good though! I'm really hoping that changes in feed can offset this.)
There were some things that I think Doerr missed. I mentioned nuclear energy. He speaks about it a little bit but not enough. I don't think he gave the full story behind the cattle industry -- like the fact that a lot of the land isn't usable for much else. He doesn't spend a ton of time laying out the costs of all the changes. Also, I think there could be some other alternative solutions which he gives very little time to (like creating a chemical "mirror" in the atmosphere). Sometimes the text felt a little condescending. It's also a little hard for me to translate the goals and solutions to my personal life. I suppose I can eat less beef and drive a little less?
I'm a capitalist and a conservative, so some solutions that people seek are unsavory to me. However, I also recognize that there are huge negative externalities to some people's and company's actions. I'm probably in support of a carbon tax to offset those externalities, but the details would be important. I'd prefer to start it off very low and increase it every year. It seems like this would be the simplest way for end-users to pay for carbon (assuming taxes would be incorporated into the prices of goods and services). That said, I don't like big government and I'm sure it would lead to more government, as did many of the other proposals.
Overall it was a very well-written book. I'm going to read into the topic quite a bit more and think about what I can do personally and as a business owner.
July 25, 2024
This was recommended by friends at work as I started my new job working with the investment team of our climate private equity strategy. They said it would be a great intro to sustainability and climate, and the book did not disappoint.
Perfect for anyone curious in learning more about global warming and the climate crisis. The book was rooted in facts and had POVs from key leaders in the space (Bezos, Al Gore, etc.). It was a call to action, but the tone was more educational then trying to scare you, which I appreciated.
Would recommend.
Perfect for anyone curious in learning more about global warming and the climate crisis. The book was rooted in facts and had POVs from key leaders in the space (Bezos, Al Gore, etc.). It was a call to action, but the tone was more educational then trying to scare you, which I appreciated.
Would recommend.
September 18, 2026
I try to stay a little abreast as to what is being published in the popular nonfiction when it comes to environmental stuff. It is something that I am very interested in. Sadly, I am often disappointed with what is being pushed onto the public. I get that I am not the audience for many of these books. I have a far greater understanding as to the ins and outs of this topic since it is what I went to school for and sort of what I do for work.
It also feels like I have been writing about a lot of duds in this lately. And Speed & Scale is no exception. The major problem with the narrative that John Doerr is trying to push is it’s simply out of date. Largely with who he is holding up a spotlight on in industry as exemplars of green tech. He is using tech giants and media moguls as his shining stars at how industry is doing in cleaning up carbon footprints. There are in depth interviews from Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Doug McMillon (a former Walmart CEO), to name a few. This is not to say that all the interviews are from people that have fallen from “grace” in the corporate, nonprofit, and government worlds. It’s just a stark reality check at how quickly public perceptions can turn thanks to a change in administration and how quickly perceived corruption destroys brands.
John Doerr’s name to fame is his pushing OKRs in the business world. He got extremely rich as a venture capitalist and has since pushed his agendas and knowledge on those around him. What are OKRs you ask? It stands for Objectives and Key Results. It is what businesses use as high level strategies to measure goals and results. In my MBA program, we have been working a lot with this along with other methods of creating and measuring goals.
In this book, Doerr is applying his OKRs towards pushing the globe to a carbon neutral state by 2050. You ask, why is he doing this? Because he watched Al Gore’s movie and realized that the world was going to end due to extreme climate change by 2050. It is one of those claims that drive most people away. It is a popular method to create a sense of urgency to facilitate change. The problem is, most people just don’t want to hear it. They are sick of hearing it. Especially since there is so little they can do as individuals, and when they try to do something it either makes prices go up so high that it is unaffordable, or they find out that their efforts did nothing to move the needle.
Doerr is not trying to put it on individuals to make the changes. Which is a nice change from many of the smaller minded people thinking at a tactical level. The problem comes from that Doerr is looking at such a high bird’s eye view that his recommendations have no paths on how to get there. All he does is state what industries are responsible for the majority of the carbon emissions and how low they need to drop those emissions to get to a carbon zero state. Then we get into some of the early cringe areas that drive me up the wall.
Many of these solutions are to be done through legislation. He wants governments to force through bills that will force companies to stop building things (whether that be vehicles, power plants, etc.) that burn fossil fuels. As a red blooded American, it always irks me and makes me want to contradict or oppose someone who wants to force me to do anything (even if it might be in my best interest). Not only that, he never takes into consideration the costs of what it will do to our economy and spending powers if we are forced to electrify everything with green energy. All Doerr says, is that we need to find ways to get the costs down.
Many of the companies that are highlighted in this book are either giants in their given industry or companies that Doerr has invested in. Really it is a great PR project to tell everyone how good of a doobie he is in all the tens of millions he has invested in green focused companies. It got my eyes rolling quite a few times with how often he was patting himself on the back or had quotes from CEOs patting themselves on the back for all the good they claim to be doing.
Doerr also slams nuclear power, as many of these people do. Again, within 5 years, it is amazing how many of the CEOs that were interviewed are suddenly very interested in nuclear power plants as they need to scale up their data centers. Doerr does not seem to understand how much land is needed for wind and solar to power a country like China or the U.S. Nor does he understand how damaging hydro power is to ecosystems or how hard it is to get geothermal power to populated areas is. He is simply throwing everything against the wall and seeing what sticks. As long as it is using the key words that hardcore environmentalists demand to be used.
This book coming out at the front edge of the AI boom also means he failed to predict the massive increase in power consumption that the world now needs to feed these ever growing data centers. Our power grids were already strained. I had heard from multiple sources, that in the U.S., for everyone in the country to switch over to electric vehicles, we would need trillions to update our power grids. We are now so far behind due to the AI bubble, that I can’t imagine what would be happening if we were even close to on track to everyone getting electric vehicles and turning off carbon burning power plants.
This book also is from the view of a billionaire that lives in California. Living in the northeast, where winters are particularly bad on the power grid and batteries, I cannot imagine not using gas or wood. I remember one Christmas, my parents did not have power for 11 days due to an ice storm. And they were on the shorter timeframe in getting their power back. Now imagine if they had only electric heat or electric car. Gas was already at a premium since so many people were running generators for an extended time. If my parents did not have natural gas for cooking and a wood stove to heat the house, they would have been in a lot of trouble.
I guess, what I am trying to say, this book adds little to nothing to changing the world in a more sustainable way. It is a small money grab from a businessman that wants to greenwash his brand and that of his friends. At best, it puts things in business terms for those high level managers of large companies to build a framework in long-term strategies. A way for companies to claim that they are going green without taking the blame for what happens up or down the production line outside of their small section of the process.
While I give credit to John Doerr for wanting to make the world a better place, I believe he is naïve in not only his strategy but in how the world works outside of his bubble. It may have some useful tidbits for some of my MBA classes when I need to use a source for a point I am making, but in the real world, I do not see how this is going to help get carbon emissions down. I know Bjorn Lomborg took a lot of heat for his book nearly 30 years ago, but at least he was coming up with real potential strategies on how to spend money efficiently with the data he had at the time.
I do not recommend this book, unless you are a big business person that needs your specialized terminology to convince you that something needs to be done about the climate. Then this book is all yours.
March 16, 2022
Giving it 5 stars because it is a great introduction to the global challenges on climate change and provides concrete steps on what must be done to meet our climate targets. As someone who has spent the last year studying climate change, I was tempted to give it 4 stars because it was a lot of stuff that was “the basics” but I still learned new things and the book was intended to be an introduction.
12 hours on Audible. Still getting used to audiobooks, I worry I don’t retain as much.
12 hours on Audible. Still getting used to audiobooks, I worry I don’t retain as much.
January 6, 2022
The OKR goals in this book are achievable but call me a pessimist i dont think we can get there with the current set of people who lead us. The authors comparison with world war 2 and the president bar napkin list on how to handle hitler is good but i feel its gotten a little past that. We are not dealing global warming like an emergency and therefore i have little hope..
January 11, 2023
This is a bit of a strange book - although I enjoyed it immensely. John Doerr is a famous and accomplished venture capitalist that presents a detailed action plan for attacking and meeting the Global Climate Crisis (GCC) by 2050.
Let me try to unpack this. First, this is the first book that I have read which goes some length towards explaining the GCC and why it is so important, why it is a global threat, and why it appears to ties together so many other problems. This gets to a real contribution for me. I can easily appreciate immediate concerns such as pollution, flooding, and energy related externalities. I can also appreciate how these problems are tied to more “macro” problems, such as world hunger, north-south development conflicts, and the links of energy to political development. But I have to admit to difficulties in how the GCC comes to link an entire host of interrelated problems, sufficient to motivate global political conferences and major initiatives for collective action.
Doerr’s book goes a long way towards clarifying the problems and why they are so important in ways that make logical and scientific. It is not just that the macro state of the planet has myriad consequences going forward that can be understood and calculated. It is that the crisis also can effectively motivate this action and related social movements. So the topic makes more sense to me after having worked through Doerr’s book.
Speed and Scale also presents a compelling approach for how hundreds and thousands of small ventures, projects, initiatives, firms, and the like can come to coordinate their work towards reaching an understandable and coherent macro set of outcomes. Lots of actors can work together without a central organization locus of control, without national controls directing the action, and without a formalized bureaucratic plan. This is coordinated but flexible action that can incrementally approach broader goals and permit particular sets of local actors to work together on a largely indirect basis.
But this is also a book about business and entrepreneurial ventures and how they work. Doerr explains how the venture management processes work and the importance of metrics for managing how these small firms solve their problems, compete with incumbent firms, and come to succeed (or more often fail). The book is especially interesting in discussing the different types of investment that are relevant for addressing climate issues. Some are business ventures, some are government projects and initiatives, some are targeted efforts by philanthropists to demonstrate a concept and display its possibility so that others can develop it further to eventual commercialization.
The book is well organized and organized around the key objectives of the plan. Doerr also breaks up the story by inserting testimonials from highly significant participants in climate work, with guest testimonials from Laurene Jobs, Bill Gates, Larry Fink, Doug McMillon, and Jeff Besos to lesser known stars of the area.
There is quite a lot going on here, but there is also a lot of information coming through that is helpful and well presented. This book will help me find other books and get more involved in climate discussions with my family and colleagues. I strongly recommend the book.
Let me try to unpack this. First, this is the first book that I have read which goes some length towards explaining the GCC and why it is so important, why it is a global threat, and why it appears to ties together so many other problems. This gets to a real contribution for me. I can easily appreciate immediate concerns such as pollution, flooding, and energy related externalities. I can also appreciate how these problems are tied to more “macro” problems, such as world hunger, north-south development conflicts, and the links of energy to political development. But I have to admit to difficulties in how the GCC comes to link an entire host of interrelated problems, sufficient to motivate global political conferences and major initiatives for collective action.
Doerr’s book goes a long way towards clarifying the problems and why they are so important in ways that make logical and scientific. It is not just that the macro state of the planet has myriad consequences going forward that can be understood and calculated. It is that the crisis also can effectively motivate this action and related social movements. So the topic makes more sense to me after having worked through Doerr’s book.
Speed and Scale also presents a compelling approach for how hundreds and thousands of small ventures, projects, initiatives, firms, and the like can come to coordinate their work towards reaching an understandable and coherent macro set of outcomes. Lots of actors can work together without a central organization locus of control, without national controls directing the action, and without a formalized bureaucratic plan. This is coordinated but flexible action that can incrementally approach broader goals and permit particular sets of local actors to work together on a largely indirect basis.
But this is also a book about business and entrepreneurial ventures and how they work. Doerr explains how the venture management processes work and the importance of metrics for managing how these small firms solve their problems, compete with incumbent firms, and come to succeed (or more often fail). The book is especially interesting in discussing the different types of investment that are relevant for addressing climate issues. Some are business ventures, some are government projects and initiatives, some are targeted efforts by philanthropists to demonstrate a concept and display its possibility so that others can develop it further to eventual commercialization.
The book is well organized and organized around the key objectives of the plan. Doerr also breaks up the story by inserting testimonials from highly significant participants in climate work, with guest testimonials from Laurene Jobs, Bill Gates, Larry Fink, Doug McMillon, and Jeff Besos to lesser known stars of the area.
There is quite a lot going on here, but there is also a lot of information coming through that is helpful and well presented. This book will help me find other books and get more involved in climate discussions with my family and colleagues. I strongly recommend the book.
January 1, 2023
I was recommended this book by a mentor who, upon hearing that I was looking for software engineering roles in climate, said I should check out this book by "the OKR man himself." To be honest the fact that it's framed around OKRs was more of a turn off than turn on (ew corporate 🤮), but after I heard Speed & Scale recommended in other "books on climate change" lists I decided to give it a shot.
Overall, it gave a good overview on the different industries that emit greenhouse gas emissions, and how we can get to net zero. I think that for readers who aren't well-versed in the subject, this could be a good introduction, though personally I think I prefer How to Avoid a Climate Disaster as an intro-to-climate-change book, as it gives more of a science background, but Speed & Scale is OK as well.
I liked the examples Doerr gives of different companies that are helping to solve climate change in their own ways. I also liked how Doerr breaks down the problem into different industry, because I do think that it helps readers understand what the different pieces to the puzzle are. However, I did _not_ like how he kept advertising OKRs at every corner and used a lot of corporate speak 🥴
Overall, I would give this a 3.5/5. Rounding the half star up to 4/5 as I normally do on Goodreads.
Overall, it gave a good overview on the different industries that emit greenhouse gas emissions, and how we can get to net zero. I think that for readers who aren't well-versed in the subject, this could be a good introduction, though personally I think I prefer How to Avoid a Climate Disaster as an intro-to-climate-change book, as it gives more of a science background, but Speed & Scale is OK as well.
I liked the examples Doerr gives of different companies that are helping to solve climate change in their own ways. I also liked how Doerr breaks down the problem into different industry, because I do think that it helps readers understand what the different pieces to the puzzle are. However, I did _not_ like how he kept advertising OKRs at every corner and used a lot of corporate speak 🥴
Overall, I would give this a 3.5/5. Rounding the half star up to 4/5 as I normally do on Goodreads.
September 18, 2026
Giving this 5 stars for the time it was written, but now outdated given 2025 goals have come and gone… still worth reading IMO & the updated goals & climate action plan can be found @ speedandscale.com.
Takeaways -
- We need much more investment in R&D for clean energy & innovation, especially fusion. Interesting to read this, when energy security is defining the moment we are living in now.
- National price of carbon and global price of carbon are essential
- The countries that have contributed to climate change the least, like Nepal, are acutely feeling the impacts of climate change. Although, we are experiencing it as well. It is in our backyards - flooding in NJ, wildfire smoke choking the east coast this summer, acute winter weather this past winter, hurricanes, heat waves in Europe, etc.
Takeaways -
- We need much more investment in R&D for clean energy & innovation, especially fusion. Interesting to read this, when energy security is defining the moment we are living in now.
- National price of carbon and global price of carbon are essential
- The countries that have contributed to climate change the least, like Nepal, are acutely feeling the impacts of climate change. Although, we are experiencing it as well. It is in our backyards - flooding in NJ, wildfire smoke choking the east coast this summer, acute winter weather this past winter, hurricanes, heat waves in Europe, etc.
March 8, 2023
I can always appreciate a book that talks about our climate crises and what we need to do about it. I wish i could have absorbed it more, instead of skimming through it for an essay i have past-due for a class :) lol. I enjoy the perspectives it had and the hard issues it discussed. I mostly appreciated the fact that it discussed the issues of environmental justice, but it definitely could’ve given more room for it. I feel odd giving this 5 stars at the moment because it slightly puts Jeff Bezos on a pedestal
June 26, 2023
My first book on climate change. A good plan on how we can get to carbon neutral by 2050. It has the right level of specificity vs. also capturing the global picture. PS: We'll need a lot of policy-making to get there.
April 1, 2024
A complete guide that clearly shows us where our emissions are, and how they are distributed
It is accompanied by 6 major goals and 55 OKRs on how to get to a zero emissions world.
It is a blueprint, not a master plan on how to get there.
Very inspiring and easy to read.
Highly recommend
It is accompanied by 6 major goals and 55 OKRs on how to get to a zero emissions world.
It is a blueprint, not a master plan on how to get there.
Very inspiring and easy to read.
Highly recommend
March 9, 2026
I’ve had this book for two years and finally finished it over spring break in Dubai. From nature-based solutions to policy and movements, it’s got all the insights for the cleantech movement and resources for building a zero-emissions world.
March 10, 2022
Well we’re definitely fucked.
August 19, 2022
A great book if you’re new to the space! Succint and good storytelling.
April 18, 2023
Would recommend to anyone. Doerr crystallizes the climate crisis and proposes a detailed action plan very succinctly.
January 30, 2022
Climate Change is happening right here and now, whether you believe it or not. Its a crisis which is seen as existential, too hard and too big to do anything about it, but as we have seen with COVID-19 when urgent action is required it is possible to make the impossible possible. Speed and Scale provides the action plan to tackle the challenge, with interviews with many people who are making a difference. Noticeably these people have the will and desire to deliver change. A fascinating book which taught me a lot, made me question whether we could make a difference but also provide me with hope that we can do it.
December 11, 2022
Probably one of the most personally influential books I’ve ever read
January 24, 2022
A stimulating and provocative read; surprisingly optimistic.
Part 1 puts forward a specific plan to get to net zero by 2050, with very specific OKRs (of course!) to track progress:
- 6Gt from electrifying transportation (including personal cars, but also trucking, busses, planes, and ships)
- 21Gt from decarbonizing the grid (renewables, and storage)
- 7Gt from agriculture (sustainable practices, and vegetable proteins)
- 7Gt from nature (protecting and restoring forests, reforestation, oceans and kelp)
- 8Gt from industry (sustainable manufacturing and efficient buildings)
- 10Gt from sequestration
None of these are easy, but all are doable, given significant effort, investment, and a good few breakthroughs. (which are fairly predictable given research funding). However, the challenge of scaling them fast enough gives the book its title!
The second part is about getting it done - politics, policy, movements, and investment.
This second part is the more important, in my mind. There are plenty of texts on the technologies (e.g. Gates "Avoid a Climate Crisis") and there are many ways to slice and dice the 51Gt/year that we need to cut, but nothing helpful on actually getting the systemic changes necessary to get it done!
This feels far more actionable than e.g. Michael Mann's "New Climate War" (also a powerful read).
Most who read this book will feel compelled to make a few personal changes, and rethink how to circumvent the gridlock and push for government action - especially at the local and state level.
Part 1 puts forward a specific plan to get to net zero by 2050, with very specific OKRs (of course!) to track progress:
- 6Gt from electrifying transportation (including personal cars, but also trucking, busses, planes, and ships)
- 21Gt from decarbonizing the grid (renewables, and storage)
- 7Gt from agriculture (sustainable practices, and vegetable proteins)
- 7Gt from nature (protecting and restoring forests, reforestation, oceans and kelp)
- 8Gt from industry (sustainable manufacturing and efficient buildings)
- 10Gt from sequestration
None of these are easy, but all are doable, given significant effort, investment, and a good few breakthroughs. (which are fairly predictable given research funding). However, the challenge of scaling them fast enough gives the book its title!
The second part is about getting it done - politics, policy, movements, and investment.
This second part is the more important, in my mind. There are plenty of texts on the technologies (e.g. Gates "Avoid a Climate Crisis") and there are many ways to slice and dice the 51Gt/year that we need to cut, but nothing helpful on actually getting the systemic changes necessary to get it done!
This feels far more actionable than e.g. Michael Mann's "New Climate War" (also a powerful read).
Most who read this book will feel compelled to make a few personal changes, and rethink how to circumvent the gridlock and push for government action - especially at the local and state level.
January 30, 2023
If you asked for a single book to provide a comprehensive blueprint for how we might achieve net zero by 2050 and minimize the chances of facing devastating climate change, this might have been that book. Doerr and Panchadsaram, both of Kleiner Perkins, start Speed & Scale with a sector by sector play to cancel out ~60 Gt/year of CO2-eq emissions. First, electrify transportation, decarbonize the grid, "fix food", protect nature, and remove carbon from the atmosphere (and the oceans), this last part attached to a lofty 10 Gt target. The targets and timetables adopt an Objectives and Key Results (OKR) framework which the authors emphasize in the introduction as critical for success. Standard "you can only manage what you measure" messaging.
While the book is meant to be a banquet table of solutions wrapped in an aura of innovation and smothered in magisterial scope, the plan is primarily a technocratic plug-and-play alteration of our current existence. Cars? Replace with EVs. Electricity? More renewables, more battery storage. Supply chains? Better monitoring and land set asides.
Towards the end of the book, Laurene Powell Jobs provides one of the few worthwhile quotations: "You have to address everything at the same time."
I had hoped Doerr and Panchadsaram might reflect on how the climate crisis could be an opportunity to reconfigure society in a way that simultaneously forestalls climate change while also fixing our other ills: gun violence, obesity, suicidality, extreme partisanship...
That holism peaks out at times, like in advocating for universal education and shrinking gender gaps in India through programs like Educate Girls.
But urbanism and a restructuring of values and social relations was simply not on this banquet table. A lot of ink was spent on EVs and battery technology and Rivian and Teslas --- not even a page was dedicated to bikes, e-bikes, and improved walkability. Classic technocratic plug-and-play. Current ICE cars bad, just replace with EVs. Meat? Ethan Brown of Beyond Meat fame has a call-out box and there's some discussion about the carbon intensity of meat consumption, but there's certainly no investment plan to convince the masses to forego the flesh. Examples like these strike me as big failings of the book. For the authors, it feels like the problem is one of hardware version, not values. If we can just upgrade to the next version, then humanity will be saved...
This book is frustrating because it's described through the prism of Kleiner Perkins investments. Sure, it's definitely helpful to roll back the curtain on failed investments or the signals that investors use to assess the viability of new technologies, like renewables in the 2000s and "clean-tech" currently. But a lot of the changes that need to happen are tangential to investments -- it's about pressure campaigns on governments local and federal, and shifting public consciousness about what constitutes a full life.
In short, the vision in Speed & Scale is that if we can innovate, invest, and shave down the green premium -- the added that the 'sustainable' option has over the existing, unsustainable alternative -- then we can solve our way out of this problem. If $1.7 trillion can be invested per year over the next 20 years, then we can have matured the necessary technologies.
And yet, in spite of all the advances in the past decades, 2022 still saw the largest annual amount of GHG emissions ever.
While the book is meant to be a banquet table of solutions wrapped in an aura of innovation and smothered in magisterial scope, the plan is primarily a technocratic plug-and-play alteration of our current existence. Cars? Replace with EVs. Electricity? More renewables, more battery storage. Supply chains? Better monitoring and land set asides.
Towards the end of the book, Laurene Powell Jobs provides one of the few worthwhile quotations: "You have to address everything at the same time."
I had hoped Doerr and Panchadsaram might reflect on how the climate crisis could be an opportunity to reconfigure society in a way that simultaneously forestalls climate change while also fixing our other ills: gun violence, obesity, suicidality, extreme partisanship...
That holism peaks out at times, like in advocating for universal education and shrinking gender gaps in India through programs like Educate Girls.
But urbanism and a restructuring of values and social relations was simply not on this banquet table. A lot of ink was spent on EVs and battery technology and Rivian and Teslas --- not even a page was dedicated to bikes, e-bikes, and improved walkability. Classic technocratic plug-and-play. Current ICE cars bad, just replace with EVs. Meat? Ethan Brown of Beyond Meat fame has a call-out box and there's some discussion about the carbon intensity of meat consumption, but there's certainly no investment plan to convince the masses to forego the flesh. Examples like these strike me as big failings of the book. For the authors, it feels like the problem is one of hardware version, not values. If we can just upgrade to the next version, then humanity will be saved...
This book is frustrating because it's described through the prism of Kleiner Perkins investments. Sure, it's definitely helpful to roll back the curtain on failed investments or the signals that investors use to assess the viability of new technologies, like renewables in the 2000s and "clean-tech" currently. But a lot of the changes that need to happen are tangential to investments -- it's about pressure campaigns on governments local and federal, and shifting public consciousness about what constitutes a full life.
In short, the vision in Speed & Scale is that if we can innovate, invest, and shave down the green premium -- the added that the 'sustainable' option has over the existing, unsustainable alternative -- then we can solve our way out of this problem. If $1.7 trillion can be invested per year over the next 20 years, then we can have matured the necessary technologies.
And yet, in spite of all the advances in the past decades, 2022 still saw the largest annual amount of GHG emissions ever.
December 5, 2021
As we start to comprehend the measures required to solve for climate crisis, this book lays out an ambitious plan to zero out emissions across industries and markets. While it won't be a one-size-fits-all approach, coherent policies, actions, breakthrough innovations, and investments would define the path ahead. Every player in the ecosystem - governments, organizations, investors, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, individuals - will have a role to play in decarbonizing the global economy and to tackle the crisis - with speed and at scale.
A highly recommended read.
A highly recommended read.
June 12, 2023
Super interesting and thought-provoking book about a series of global strategies about how nations and individuals should view efforts to addressing climate change. I am very glad that I read it, and I do hope that political and economic leaders around the world do so as well.
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