Mike Berners-Lee

The Carbon Footprint of Everything is a book that directly addresses our individual ability to reduce carbon emissions and protect the environment. In it, Mike Berners-Lee considers the carbon cost of items, including the energy to produce and transport them. This allows us to consider alternatives and choose the less environmentally destructive option.

By the way, bananas are pretty good options since they come in their own naturally-formed packaging. Ironically, I read his section on bananas the same day I saw a viral photo of bananas being sold in plastic packaging after being sorted by ripeness. I hope it is a hoax, but people seem to like the idea. If I worked at a desk, I would pound my head on it.

I like that this book gives you guidance so you can compare two or more options. After reading it, you will want to keep it as a handbook to look things up when you need to comparison shop.

I like this book quite a bit. I thought it likely that a book emphasizing individual choices to combat climate change might be unrealistic and judgmental. Instead, it is merely unrealistic. I mean, we have experienced extraordinary extreme weather, fires, hurricanes, floods, and heat domes. But look, we can buy bananas sorted by ripeness in convenient plastic packaging.

While we, as individuals, can have a small impact on climate change, our greatest impact is who we vote for. Individual morality is not the answer. Strong government action and regulation of industry will do far more. Nonetheless, until governments start taking this as seriously as is needed, we, as individuals need to do what we can.

A lot of things can be sold and used without packaging. There are shampoo and dish soap in bar form so no plastic bottle is needed. There is laundry detergent pressed into sheets of ‘paper’ that dissolve in water so no plastic. Glass bottles can be washed again and again and they don’t wear out. You can was plastic food bags and reuse them. So we can do what we can, but no matter how much we do, if industry and government do not take action, the most righteous environmentalist keeping well below the goal of 5 tons per year will only have minimal effect.

I received an ARC of The Carbon Footprint of Everything from the publisher through LibraryThing.

The Carbon Footprint of Everything at Profile Books
Mike Berners Lee on Twitter

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2023/01/20/the-carbon-footprint-of-e...… (meer)

A surprising delight! When I first received this book, I quickly paged through it and saw that it's mostly a list of items and their corresponding carbon footprints. As reference books are infrequently read, I dreaded getting started. However, Mr. Berners-Lee uses his wit to bring this reference book alive. Without coming across as a condescending guilt-trip, he manages to bring awareness to the large (or sometimes small) environmental impact of the activity of our lives. Even those who may not agree with climate change would find the book informational and fair-minded as the author is fully transparent in his calculations including stating when he is using a best estimate. There were many surprises for me in the book including the relative impact of things like commercial air flights. It's easier to reduce, reuse and recycle fairly frequently but give up travel for climate change? That can be a bit harder! Overall, this is likely one of the most useful and entertaining books on climate change you'll find on the shelves. * I received this book for free in exchange for a review.… (meer)