Episode · The Ezra Klein Show · 2023-08-22
Books mentioned on When Great Power Conflict and Climate Action Collide
Jason Bordoff recommended The Prize by Daniel Yergin and Silent Spring Revolution by Douglas Brinkley and others. Ezra Klein discussed Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. Megan O'Sullivan recommended The Avoidable War by Kevin Rudd and How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Prize
The Prize by Daniel Yergin is a sweeping historical account that explores the central role energy, particularly oil, has played in shaping global power and geopolitics over the past century.
Recommended“the prize is a really classic work about the central role energy particularly oil has played in global power and geopolitics for more than a century”
Where to get it
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Silent Spring Revolution
Silent Spring Revolution by Douglas Brinkley and Stephen Graybill is an extensive history of the modern American environmental movement.
Recommended“earlier this year I had kovid I was in isolation for a week and I got a huge 800 page history of the modern American Environmental Movement by the American historian Douglas Brinkley called Silent Spring Revolution”
Where to get it
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Silent Spring
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson is a groundbreaking environmental science book published in 1962 that documented the devastating ecological effects of pesticides like DDT, ultimately launching the modern environmental movement.
Discussed“there was a lot of work on this there was the famous book Silent Spring and then it kind of all in the late 60s 1970 in the first Earth Day came to a head where one in 10 Americans came out in the into the streets in the first Earth Day in 1970 and said we just can't live”
Where to get it
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The Avoidable War
The Avoidable War by Kevin Rudd is a political analysis examining the deep structural tensions, misperceptions, and risks of catastrophic military conflict between the United States and Xi Jinping's China.
Recommended“so one of the books I wanted to mention was Kevin Rudd's book called The avoidable War the dangers of a catastrophic conflict between the U.S and XI jinping's China”
Where to get it
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How to Avoid a Climate Disaster
How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates outlines a comprehensive, technology-driven roadmap for eliminating greenhouse gas emissions and achieving zero carbon by mid-century.
Recommended“I think that many of your listeners might enjoy reading Bill Gates how to avoid a climate disaster unlike Kevin Redd's book which is a lot about policy and geopolitics Gates's book is a lot about technology”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“Ernest Hemingway once wrote of a character in one of his books who was asked how he went bankrupt and the character replied in two ways gradually and then all of a sudden and I think Brinkley's book really shows how history tells us climate action might proceed along a similar course as we see you know temperature indexes combinations”