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The Infinite Resource: The Power of Ideas on a Finite Planet
The most valuable resource on earth is not oil, gold, water, or land. Instead, our capacity for expanding human knowledge is our greatest resource, and the key to overcoming the very real and enormous environmental challenges we face. Throughout human history we have learned to overcome scarcity and adversity through the application of innovation - the only resource that is expanded, not depleted, the more we use it. The century ahead is a race between our damaging overconsumption and our growing understanding of ways to capture and utilize abundant natural resources with less impact on the planet. The Infinite Resource is a clear-eyed, visionary, and hopeful argument for progress.
364 pages, Hardcover
First published April 9, 2013
About the author
Ramez Naam
31 books1,432 followersRamez Naam was born in Cairo, Egypt, and came to the US at the age of 3. He's a computer scientist who spent 13 years at Microsoft, leading teams working on email, web browsing, search, and artificial intelligence. He holds almost 20 patents in those areas.
Ramez is the winner of the 2005 H.G. Wells Award for his non-fiction book More Than Human: Embracing the Promise of Biological Enhancement. He's worked as a life guard, has climbed mountains, survived dust storms in the desert, backpacked through remote corners of China, and ridden his bicycle down hundreds of miles of the Vietnam coast. He lives in Seattle, where he writes and speaks full time.
Ramez is the winner of the 2005 H.G. Wells Award for his non-fiction book More Than Human: Embracing the Promise of Biological Enhancement. He's worked as a life guard, has climbed mountains, survived dust storms in the desert, backpacked through remote corners of China, and ridden his bicycle down hundreds of miles of the Vietnam coast. He lives in Seattle, where he writes and speaks full time.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 169 reviews
May 18, 2013
As I started this book, I started to think, "OK, another book about how wonderful innovation can be. Shades of Kurzweill. Yawn." The book starts out with a couple of chapters about how these are the "best of times", followed by a few chapters about how these are the "worst of times". All sorts of ills of our times are described; running out of fossil fuels, soaring food prices, soaring commodity prices, water shortages, deforestation, global warming, acidifying oceans--all very depressing.
Then the book takes an about-face, and describes how ideas and innovations are our one limitless resource. The remainder of the book is virtually unfettered optimism. But the optimism is well backed-up by some excellent arguments. First, Ramez Naam discusses how the experts of the past, with doomsday messages, ignored the power of innovation. When CFC's were seen as the culprit in the development of the "ozone hole", industry claimed that corporations would go bankrupt trying to remedy the problem. Even the EPA claimed it would be a costly problem to correct. But it turned out that the solution was far cheaper than even that claimed by the EPA. Malthus famously claimed that as the world's food supply grows arithmetically, the population grows geometrically, and at some point soon there would be massive starvation. His prediction ignored the power of innovations in agriculture.
In the past, all sorts of commodities that were considered absolutely necessary were exhausted. Whale oil for lighting, guano and saltpeter for fertilizer, diamonds for industry, and rubber have all been seen to be exhausted. Innovation has found substitutes for all of these materials.
In many of these cases, it was a race against time. It takes time to develop innovative technologies, and when resources are depleted without a practical substitute, then huge hardships can occur. That is why Naam argues for the need for anticipating needs, by investing in R&D on a larger scale.
Interestingly, Naam points out that unpopular ideas are seen to be more believable if they are espoused by similar people. Most Republicans don't believe in global climate change because Al Gore did so much to publicise it. But Republican presidents (Nixon, Bush senior, and Reagan) signed into law the EPA, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Montreal Protocol, and amendments to the Clean Air Act.
While market-based economies have flourished and raised the standard of living of the developing and developed world, there are some serious flaws. Free markets do not incentivize corporations to cut down on pollution. So, Naam suggests various incentive approaches; cap-and-trade worked well for reducing sulfur emissions. Naam makes a couple of similar suggestions to reduce CO2 emissions.
This book is filled with reasonable approaches for solving many of the world's resource problems. On the whole, the optimism shines through, which makes it quite an enjoyable read.
Then the book takes an about-face, and describes how ideas and innovations are our one limitless resource. The remainder of the book is virtually unfettered optimism. But the optimism is well backed-up by some excellent arguments. First, Ramez Naam discusses how the experts of the past, with doomsday messages, ignored the power of innovation. When CFC's were seen as the culprit in the development of the "ozone hole", industry claimed that corporations would go bankrupt trying to remedy the problem. Even the EPA claimed it would be a costly problem to correct. But it turned out that the solution was far cheaper than even that claimed by the EPA. Malthus famously claimed that as the world's food supply grows arithmetically, the population grows geometrically, and at some point soon there would be massive starvation. His prediction ignored the power of innovations in agriculture.
In the past, all sorts of commodities that were considered absolutely necessary were exhausted. Whale oil for lighting, guano and saltpeter for fertilizer, diamonds for industry, and rubber have all been seen to be exhausted. Innovation has found substitutes for all of these materials.
In many of these cases, it was a race against time. It takes time to develop innovative technologies, and when resources are depleted without a practical substitute, then huge hardships can occur. That is why Naam argues for the need for anticipating needs, by investing in R&D on a larger scale.
Interestingly, Naam points out that unpopular ideas are seen to be more believable if they are espoused by similar people. Most Republicans don't believe in global climate change because Al Gore did so much to publicise it. But Republican presidents (Nixon, Bush senior, and Reagan) signed into law the EPA, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Montreal Protocol, and amendments to the Clean Air Act.
While market-based economies have flourished and raised the standard of living of the developing and developed world, there are some serious flaws. Free markets do not incentivize corporations to cut down on pollution. So, Naam suggests various incentive approaches; cap-and-trade worked well for reducing sulfur emissions. Naam makes a couple of similar suggestions to reduce CO2 emissions.
This book is filled with reasonable approaches for solving many of the world's resource problems. On the whole, the optimism shines through, which makes it quite an enjoyable read.
December 9, 2015
3.5 stars
Unlike many of its kind which has flooded the market in the past few years, Infinite Resource is a book of ideas and positive solutions. Instead of scaring the reader with talks of impending doom, it takes a closer look at dire situations that we are facing or will face in the near future and offers optimistic solutions. Over population, drastic climate changes, dwindling natural resources (scarcity of fresh water being a priority), pollution, etc. just to name a few big ones. The author believes that by working together, pooling our resources, and most importantly, sharing ideas and technological advances we can make the planet sustainable again. Naam references various times in history when people came together, with a collective/hive mind, to work toward a specific goal and believes that can happen again. He points to specific recent examples--most are in Europe--of sustainable lifestyles and how they can be achieved.
This book is well-written and the ideas presented are data-heavy but easy to follow. Naam maintains an optimistic tone from beginning to end, and I think that's admirable in light of the subject matter. Since the book sticks to a textbook-style format, it would be great for a univerity intro course. The ideas presented are new, yet approachable enough to make discussions interesting among hive-minded individuals and perhaps motivate those individuals to think positively.
One critique, though. As optimistic the tone is, it can seem lofty at times. I'd like to believe in Naam's positive attitude toward humanity and human innovations, but it's difficult to do when I take in the current state of... everything. Since his ideas depend so much on humanity working together and humanity as a collective, Naam should have at least mentioned the fact that greed is responsible for many of the problems the planet is facing today and that overcoming greed is what we should focus on first.
* I received this book as a GR giveaway from the author himself.
Unlike many of its kind which has flooded the market in the past few years, Infinite Resource is a book of ideas and positive solutions. Instead of scaring the reader with talks of impending doom, it takes a closer look at dire situations that we are facing or will face in the near future and offers optimistic solutions. Over population, drastic climate changes, dwindling natural resources (scarcity of fresh water being a priority), pollution, etc. just to name a few big ones. The author believes that by working together, pooling our resources, and most importantly, sharing ideas and technological advances we can make the planet sustainable again. Naam references various times in history when people came together, with a collective/hive mind, to work toward a specific goal and believes that can happen again. He points to specific recent examples--most are in Europe--of sustainable lifestyles and how they can be achieved.
This book is well-written and the ideas presented are data-heavy but easy to follow. Naam maintains an optimistic tone from beginning to end, and I think that's admirable in light of the subject matter. Since the book sticks to a textbook-style format, it would be great for a univerity intro course. The ideas presented are new, yet approachable enough to make discussions interesting among hive-minded individuals and perhaps motivate those individuals to think positively.
One critique, though. As optimistic the tone is, it can seem lofty at times. I'd like to believe in Naam's positive attitude toward humanity and human innovations, but it's difficult to do when I take in the current state of... everything. Since his ideas depend so much on humanity working together and humanity as a collective, Naam should have at least mentioned the fact that greed is responsible for many of the problems the planet is facing today and that overcoming greed is what we should focus on first.
* I received this book as a GR giveaway from the author himself.
April 15, 2013
The free market is such a powerful catalyst of innovation that we need to be very careful about where we fail to employ it. The inventions of the industrial revolution, telephones, electric light bulbs, cars, airplanes, radio, television, computers, DVDs, iPods, and iPhones are all innovative products, encouraged by the free market, that improve our lives. But we are once again living in the best of times and the worst of times. We are approaching peak oil—the point in time when global oil production will decline forever, food prices doubled between 2002 and 2010, catches of wild fish have plateaued, fresh water shortages are becoming more common, and deforestation continues. Today’s population is consuming 1.5 planets’ worth of natural resources, yet we have only one planet. Resource consumption will continue to get worse, if everyone on earth lived like Americans we’d be using up 4.4 planets’ worth of natural resources.
Perhaps the most ominous warning of all is that our planet is warming. Even former skeptics now recognize that global warming is real. While many factors contribute, it is clear that carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere are now higher than at any point in the last million years. The warming we are seeing is almost entirely man made. Forecasts now show seas rising three to six feet by the end of this century, enough to displace millions of people from coastal cities and villages. Extreme weather, pressures on agriculture, rapid species extinctions, and ocean acidification are all likely.
The evidence and the consequences are clear. We must find ways to produce food and energy that sharply reduce greenhouse gas emissions. How can free market mechanisms help?
There is a giant loophole in how we apply the free market today, it is called The Commons. The commons refers to those resources used freely by many, yet excluded from typical financial calculations. The oceans, rivers, lakes, and the air we breathe are now available free to any and all comers. This leads to the “Tragedy of the Commons” where waste and distortions occur from overuse of these essential resources. This market error is manifest today as overfishing, many forms of pollution, and the free emission of greenhouse gasses. The market isn’t just neutral to pollution. If polluting saves companies money, the market encourages it.
“The key to that—to all of that—is to make sure the market directly values the natural resources we care about. . . . Pricing carbon isn’t a big-government initiative. It’s a way to improve the market by giving it access to information it doesn’t have—the external costs of carbon emissions.”
The author proposes this simple plan for creating a carbon dividend:
1. Tax carbon. For the first five years the tax is zero.
2. Raise the tax periodically and predictably until the emissions goal is met.
3. Tax imports from countries that don’t have a carbon price, to level the playing field.
4. Give all the money collected back to the taxpayers. This is the direct dividend.
This is a tax on the bad rather than on the good, and it can be tax and revenue neutral. This simple plan provides insurance against the risks of peak oil, rising coal prices, and climate change.
With effective market incentives, innovation can unleash solar energy, desalinization, recycling, and continued increases in efficiency of materials and energy used. Our challenge isn’t that we’re running out of energy, it’s that we’re using the wrong source. To collect enough energy to provide for all of humanity’s current needs, using current consumer-grade solar technology, it would take only 0.6 percent of Earth’s land area. Because of the learning curve, every solar panel built makes solar energy cheaper. Every barrel of oil extracted makes oil more expensive.
This immensely important book is a joy to read. It is innovative, well written, clear, well researched, and scrupulously balanced. The author presents and examines the traditionally conservative viewpoints, the traditionally liberal viewpoints, the big business arguments, and the environmentalist arguments, clearly, factually, fairly, and completely. He embraces capitalism, free markets, nuclear energy, and genetically modified crops, along with government regulations and the imperative to shift to solar energy sources and reduce greenhouse gasses. He particularly courts conservative thinkers with appeals to free markets, highlighting successful ecological actions of Ronald Reagan and George Bush, and the opportunity to return money to taxpayers. He identifies the free exploitation of the commons as a form of socialism, rather than an example of free market forces at work.
The author is not only innovative and practical, he is optimistic. Throughout the book he identifies many available alternatives that can improve the lives of all future generations. The last chapter identifies four changes that we as a society need to make:
1. Fix our markets to properly account for the value of the commons.
2. Invest in research and development to fund long-range innovations.
3. Embrace the technologies that stand poised to improve our lives while bettering our planet.
4. Empower each of the billions of minds on this planet, to turn them into assets that can produce new ideas that benefit us all. Add to the Knowledge Commons.
The book ends with two very different tours of the future. One describes affluence and well-being for all, the other is quite grim. The choice is clearly ours, and this book clearly informs our choice.
Perhaps the most ominous warning of all is that our planet is warming. Even former skeptics now recognize that global warming is real. While many factors contribute, it is clear that carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere are now higher than at any point in the last million years. The warming we are seeing is almost entirely man made. Forecasts now show seas rising three to six feet by the end of this century, enough to displace millions of people from coastal cities and villages. Extreme weather, pressures on agriculture, rapid species extinctions, and ocean acidification are all likely.
The evidence and the consequences are clear. We must find ways to produce food and energy that sharply reduce greenhouse gas emissions. How can free market mechanisms help?
There is a giant loophole in how we apply the free market today, it is called The Commons. The commons refers to those resources used freely by many, yet excluded from typical financial calculations. The oceans, rivers, lakes, and the air we breathe are now available free to any and all comers. This leads to the “Tragedy of the Commons” where waste and distortions occur from overuse of these essential resources. This market error is manifest today as overfishing, many forms of pollution, and the free emission of greenhouse gasses. The market isn’t just neutral to pollution. If polluting saves companies money, the market encourages it.
“The key to that—to all of that—is to make sure the market directly values the natural resources we care about. . . . Pricing carbon isn’t a big-government initiative. It’s a way to improve the market by giving it access to information it doesn’t have—the external costs of carbon emissions.”
The author proposes this simple plan for creating a carbon dividend:
1. Tax carbon. For the first five years the tax is zero.
2. Raise the tax periodically and predictably until the emissions goal is met.
3. Tax imports from countries that don’t have a carbon price, to level the playing field.
4. Give all the money collected back to the taxpayers. This is the direct dividend.
This is a tax on the bad rather than on the good, and it can be tax and revenue neutral. This simple plan provides insurance against the risks of peak oil, rising coal prices, and climate change.
With effective market incentives, innovation can unleash solar energy, desalinization, recycling, and continued increases in efficiency of materials and energy used. Our challenge isn’t that we’re running out of energy, it’s that we’re using the wrong source. To collect enough energy to provide for all of humanity’s current needs, using current consumer-grade solar technology, it would take only 0.6 percent of Earth’s land area. Because of the learning curve, every solar panel built makes solar energy cheaper. Every barrel of oil extracted makes oil more expensive.
This immensely important book is a joy to read. It is innovative, well written, clear, well researched, and scrupulously balanced. The author presents and examines the traditionally conservative viewpoints, the traditionally liberal viewpoints, the big business arguments, and the environmentalist arguments, clearly, factually, fairly, and completely. He embraces capitalism, free markets, nuclear energy, and genetically modified crops, along with government regulations and the imperative to shift to solar energy sources and reduce greenhouse gasses. He particularly courts conservative thinkers with appeals to free markets, highlighting successful ecological actions of Ronald Reagan and George Bush, and the opportunity to return money to taxpayers. He identifies the free exploitation of the commons as a form of socialism, rather than an example of free market forces at work.
The author is not only innovative and practical, he is optimistic. Throughout the book he identifies many available alternatives that can improve the lives of all future generations. The last chapter identifies four changes that we as a society need to make:
1. Fix our markets to properly account for the value of the commons.
2. Invest in research and development to fund long-range innovations.
3. Embrace the technologies that stand poised to improve our lives while bettering our planet.
4. Empower each of the billions of minds on this planet, to turn them into assets that can produce new ideas that benefit us all. Add to the Knowledge Commons.
The book ends with two very different tours of the future. One describes affluence and well-being for all, the other is quite grim. The choice is clearly ours, and this book clearly informs our choice.
May 2, 2013
*Attention: This Review has an Explicit Language/Content Warning!
Before I get too far in I owe heartfelt thanks to Ramez Naam and GoodReads for providing me with a FREE COPY of The Infinite Resource: The Power of Ideas on a Finite Planet, which I won in a giveaway. I am usually the one giving things away on my blog (DJ6ual: An Irish Girl’s Blog) so it was a nice change of pace for me.
When I receive a book I try to clear my mind and open myself to its mysteries before I even crack the spine. Rarely do I dismiss a potential masterpiece because it could vary from my point of view or even due to my lack of interest in its jacket. I quite literally try not to judge a book by its cover! Being that The Infinite Resource: The Power of Ideas on a Finite Planet was not at all what I was expecting, this practice came in handy. Had I gone in with any preconceived notions, or not checked my personal beliefs at the door, I don’t think I would have made it past page two!
When I find myself wavering from interest while reading I try to ask myself what I can do to re-spark my enthusiasm in the story, instead of what the author has done to leave me behind. In short, I give all the chances I can to a book before I deem it a D.O.A.! No matter how you relate to the overall subject matter of the book Ramez Naam has an incredible affinity for historical prose. Dark and dystopian as the periods he chose to make his points, Ramez Naam takes you on a journey down a rabbit hole that will leave you feeling like you will be living in 1984 if we don’t listen intently to his solutions. I would expect nothing less from an H.G. Wells Award winner (2005 H.G. Wells Award/non-fiction/More Than Human: Embracing the Promise of Biological Enhancement).
Unfortunately, although Ramez Naam takes on a lot of important issues in the book Infinite Resource: The Power of Ideas on a Finite Planet, along the way he references ideas and praises people I am not sure he is even aware of that are offensive and downright dangerous! I would blame it on a cultural difference, but Ramez Naam while born in Cairo, Egypt came to the US at the age of 3. I think it has more to do with his own environment; working with a world-renowned eugenicist (Bill Gates) at Microsoft has to have influenced his thinking.
A great example of this is an intense story that Ramez Naam tells about how the disease of polio has affected his family and his view on the progression of modern medicine. It is well written and gripping, sure to make any bleeding heart weep with compassion. What you don’t read are words like; forced vaccinations, Jonas Salk, and Big Pharma but they are all there between the lines. Now I doubt this was the author’s intent, at least I would hope not, but never the less this is a theme that replays throughout the book.
Less than 50 pages through you will encounter tales that will leave you reminiscent of; Communism, Eugenics, Georgia Guidestones, Global Compliance, GMO, Global Warming, Illuminati, Sustainable Living, Monsanto, Muslim Brotherhood, New World Order, Occupy Wallstreet, One World Government, Revolution, Rosicrucians, Rothschild, Sterilization, Slavery and even Socialism. You will (in most cases) never see these words in print within the pages of this manuscript, however; I fear you shall recognize them, and more, as you read between the lines!
Excerpt:
“The few genetically engineered crops we’ve deployed so far are already proving themselves to be environmental wins.”
Promoting the use of GMO Foods in any capacity is a nightmare, but Ramez Naam seems to champion the sales quota of these killers all by himself! He even suggests RoundUp Ready crops are healthier and superior to real food. I hope when the trials begin, for the murderers who sold the world the empty shells of disease and called it nutritious food, Ramez Naam has a good lawyer on retainer!
At many points the text talks directly to an audience other than the reader. Again, this may not be intentional, but is glaringly obvious. It as if the words want to jump off the page and tickle Al Gore’s balls or stroke George Soros’ cock. I doubt my language will offend, being that we spend a long time talking about “idea sex” in the book. A theory I quite enjoyed, for the most part. I wish the reader had been better caressed instead of the sources pandered to.
Excerpt:
“Innovators are good, and innovators are people. A larger market encourages even more innovation, and markets are made of people. So would having more people on the planet be better? Of course, there’s huge untapped brainpower in the world already.”
At least we know that Ramez Naam is not a Rosicrucian. It is commonly accepted that Rosicrucians follow the advice of the Georgia Guidestones to limit the overall population. If there is one point Ramez Naam tries to drive home in his book, besides his love for poisoning the world with hybrid produce, it’s filling it up with as many people as possible. I am not too far away from him on this point. We have a lot of undeveloped land that the “green” movement freaks out about, a little too much, whenever someone wants to build a house on it. Funny, how they are the same people to scream about how we have too much homelessness in this Country. Just sayin’.
Excerpt:
“Exceptional claims demand exceptional evidence. I’m claiming in this book that it’s possible for humanity to live in higher numbers than today, in far greater wealth, comfort, and prosperity, with far less destructive impact on the planet than we have today.”
Ramez Naam does not successfully back up his claims that he lays out in the beginning of his book. His exploration into various cultures’ progress in science and technology, as well as the market economy as a whole, is fascinating but offers no concrete solutions. The only thing discussed read like infomercials for products that scientists are learning are toxic and hazardous (GMO/Hybrid Foods).
In the end I am glad I got the chance to read The Infinite Resource: The Power of Ideas on a Finite Planet because if you weed through all of the hokum I really think there is a good writer in there. I didn’t hate the book, but I didn’t love it either.
Buy and read your copy of The Infinite Resource: The Power of Ideas on a Finite Planet today.
May 20, 2013
Per FTC rules: I received a free copy of this book as a giveaway from Goodreads First Reads.
It has been some time since a book so clearly defined its ideas and was so well researched as to force me to counter my own long held opinions about many things. Ramez Naam has concocted an incredible resource in its own right that will have you questioning the very thoughts you felt were solidly planted in your mind. This is not a bad thing. As a matter of fact, I recommend this book as a challenge to everyone, regardless of your political stripe, your religious intent, or your desire for the health of this planet and the people who live on it. I've communicated my thoughts to the author myself and he graciously replied. It was a true joy to read something that so thoroughly injected new life into my critical thinking processes. This book is worth every single cent you will spend on it.
It has been some time since a book so clearly defined its ideas and was so well researched as to force me to counter my own long held opinions about many things. Ramez Naam has concocted an incredible resource in its own right that will have you questioning the very thoughts you felt were solidly planted in your mind. This is not a bad thing. As a matter of fact, I recommend this book as a challenge to everyone, regardless of your political stripe, your religious intent, or your desire for the health of this planet and the people who live on it. I've communicated my thoughts to the author myself and he graciously replied. It was a true joy to read something that so thoroughly injected new life into my critical thinking processes. This book is worth every single cent you will spend on it.
April 26, 2013
Although I am a clima skeptic and Ramez Naan is not I do not hesitate to recommend this book.
This book may be one of the most important written in our age. Here are basic, good and realistic advice on what to do to solve our problems on this earth. And Ramez shows that this is really possible without resorting to zero growth, instead he goes for increased growth through increased innovation.
Also, he does not fall in the trap of arguing against nuclear power, he wants to increase our reliance on this energy technology - for a while. His chapter on nuclear power may be one of the most interesting in this book.
Ramez is basically an optimist, like Matt Ridley. He even cites Ridley and his ideas on when ideas have sex in the book The Rational Optimist (also highly recommended)
This book may be one of the most important written in our age. Here are basic, good and realistic advice on what to do to solve our problems on this earth. And Ramez shows that this is really possible without resorting to zero growth, instead he goes for increased growth through increased innovation.
Also, he does not fall in the trap of arguing against nuclear power, he wants to increase our reliance on this energy technology - for a while. His chapter on nuclear power may be one of the most interesting in this book.
Ramez is basically an optimist, like Matt Ridley. He even cites Ridley and his ideas on when ideas have sex in the book The Rational Optimist (also highly recommended)
April 13, 2013
"The Infinite Resource" gives a realistic portrayal of the dangers of our current behaviors, but is remarkably optimistic about how we can innovate our way out of it. It outlines a number of great ideas, and combines hope with a direct call to action. This book merges data from many different disciplines. I learned so much from reading it, and it opened my eyes on a number of issues.
May 1, 2013
*A full executive summary of this book is available here: http://newbooksinbrief.com/2013/04/30...
Ever since the industrial revolution the developed world (and increasingly the developing world) has enjoyed remarkable economic growth. This economic growth has yielded wealth to a degree previously unimaginable. Indeed, many of us today enjoy conveniences, comforts and opportunities of a kind that have traditionally been unattainable by even the world’s wealthiest and most powerful people.
However, we may question just how sustainable all of this economic growth (and the resulting wealth) really is. For the economic growth has been accompanied by environmental depletion and degradation of a kind as unprecedented as the growth itself. And while some of the environmental crises that have come up along the way have been solved by new technologies, others yet remain, and are as daunting as any we have seen. Climate change in particular stands out as one of the greatest challenges we now face. What’s worse, many of the earth’s resources that we have used to generate the economic growth are dwindling, and face extinction. Indeed, the very resource that has powered the industrial era (and that has also caused many of our deepest environmental woes), fossil fuels, has now nearly peaked.
Looking to the past, we find that we would not be the first civilization to perish at the hands of a resource shortage brought on by overzealous extraction. Indeed, such an event has occurred on several occasions (including amongst the Mayan civilization, and that of the Easter Islanders).
So we find ourselves at a crossroads, unsure of whether our impressive economic growth can continue, and equally unsure of whether our lavish lifestyle lives but on borrowed time (and resources).
For writer Ramez Naam, though, we do have reason to be optimistic, and in his new book The Infinite Resource: The Power of Ideas on a Finite Planet Naam lays out the reasons for his optimism. To begin with, Naam argues that the natural resources on our planet are far from running out. He assures us that there is enough water and arable land on the earth’s surface, minerals in the earth’s crust, and energy from the sun to feed the demands of the planet’s plateauing population for time out of mind (especially when we reuse and recycle these resources, which is what we are increasingly doing).
The problem, at present, is our relative inefficiency in accessing these resources. Even here, though, Naam argues, there is room for optimism. For our saving grace is our ability to innovate. It is our ability to innovate, Naam maintains, that is responsible for virtually all of our progress and economic growth to this point. It has brought us everything from the first stone tools and the ability to harness fire, to phones that fit in our pockets and allow us to access a world of information and all the world’s people. Along the way (and more to the point), our ability to innovate has allowed us to access an ever greater percentage of the earth’s resources (while at the same time decreasing the relative amount of resources that each of uses to achieve an increasingly affluent lifestyle).
And the really wonderful thing about our ability to innovate is that, unlike natural resources, it does not shrink over time. Rather, it only expands. This is because innovation is built on ideas, and ideas themselves only grow and multiply. Ideas can even be shared without ever being diluted. Instead, the sharing of ideas often generates even more ideas. The power of ideas—and the innovation that goes along with it—truly is an infinite resource.
Now, wherever there has been an incentive to innovate, innovation has come, and this helps explain why the market economy has been the single biggest spur to innovation ever invented. The market economy harnesses innovation by way of tying useful inventions to economic gain, thus exploiting self-interest for the benefit of all. Up until recently, a relatively small proportion of the world lived under a market economy. Not coincidentally, these were also the most inventive and affluent parts of the world. In the past 40 years, though, an ever increasing portion of the world has switched over to a more market-oriented economy, and this has greatly accelerated both economic growth and the speed of innovation. For Naam, this trend bodes very well for the future.
Now, as powerful as the market system is, Naam does concede that it has one fatal flaw. And this is that it does not put an accurate price on the degradation of communal goods, such as the environment. The end result is that the environment is not cared for as well as it might be (this phenomenon is known as ‘The Tragedy of the Commons’). Nevertheless, a market economy can be tweaked to ensure that a price is put on environmental degradation. Indeed, this has happened before, and it has helped put an end to several environmental crises (including, recently, both acid rain and the ozone-hole threat).
For Naam, this approach is also the best way to deal with the greatest environmental threat we now face: global warming. Specifically, Naam argues we ought to put a price on carbon dioxide (and return the tax proceeds to the people). This would not only help ensure against global warming, but also hasten the inevitable transition to the use of solar power and clean fuels to meet our energy needs.
With the right approach and policies, Naam argues, we can live in a world of plenty for all (and one that is clean to boot).
This is a brilliant book. The writing is excellent, the logical flow is superb, the supporting evidence is well-chosen and extensive, and the argument is air tight. In a world that is dominated by fear-mongering on the one hand, and blind optimism on the other, Naam is a shining beacon of sober and rational thought. If you are looking for a big-picture view of the challenges we face and how best to meet them, this book is for you. A full executive summary of the book is available here: http://newbooksinbrief.com/2013/04/30... A podcast discussion of the book will be available soon.
Ever since the industrial revolution the developed world (and increasingly the developing world) has enjoyed remarkable economic growth. This economic growth has yielded wealth to a degree previously unimaginable. Indeed, many of us today enjoy conveniences, comforts and opportunities of a kind that have traditionally been unattainable by even the world’s wealthiest and most powerful people.
However, we may question just how sustainable all of this economic growth (and the resulting wealth) really is. For the economic growth has been accompanied by environmental depletion and degradation of a kind as unprecedented as the growth itself. And while some of the environmental crises that have come up along the way have been solved by new technologies, others yet remain, and are as daunting as any we have seen. Climate change in particular stands out as one of the greatest challenges we now face. What’s worse, many of the earth’s resources that we have used to generate the economic growth are dwindling, and face extinction. Indeed, the very resource that has powered the industrial era (and that has also caused many of our deepest environmental woes), fossil fuels, has now nearly peaked.
Looking to the past, we find that we would not be the first civilization to perish at the hands of a resource shortage brought on by overzealous extraction. Indeed, such an event has occurred on several occasions (including amongst the Mayan civilization, and that of the Easter Islanders).
So we find ourselves at a crossroads, unsure of whether our impressive economic growth can continue, and equally unsure of whether our lavish lifestyle lives but on borrowed time (and resources).
For writer Ramez Naam, though, we do have reason to be optimistic, and in his new book The Infinite Resource: The Power of Ideas on a Finite Planet Naam lays out the reasons for his optimism. To begin with, Naam argues that the natural resources on our planet are far from running out. He assures us that there is enough water and arable land on the earth’s surface, minerals in the earth’s crust, and energy from the sun to feed the demands of the planet’s plateauing population for time out of mind (especially when we reuse and recycle these resources, which is what we are increasingly doing).
The problem, at present, is our relative inefficiency in accessing these resources. Even here, though, Naam argues, there is room for optimism. For our saving grace is our ability to innovate. It is our ability to innovate, Naam maintains, that is responsible for virtually all of our progress and economic growth to this point. It has brought us everything from the first stone tools and the ability to harness fire, to phones that fit in our pockets and allow us to access a world of information and all the world’s people. Along the way (and more to the point), our ability to innovate has allowed us to access an ever greater percentage of the earth’s resources (while at the same time decreasing the relative amount of resources that each of uses to achieve an increasingly affluent lifestyle).
And the really wonderful thing about our ability to innovate is that, unlike natural resources, it does not shrink over time. Rather, it only expands. This is because innovation is built on ideas, and ideas themselves only grow and multiply. Ideas can even be shared without ever being diluted. Instead, the sharing of ideas often generates even more ideas. The power of ideas—and the innovation that goes along with it—truly is an infinite resource.
Now, wherever there has been an incentive to innovate, innovation has come, and this helps explain why the market economy has been the single biggest spur to innovation ever invented. The market economy harnesses innovation by way of tying useful inventions to economic gain, thus exploiting self-interest for the benefit of all. Up until recently, a relatively small proportion of the world lived under a market economy. Not coincidentally, these were also the most inventive and affluent parts of the world. In the past 40 years, though, an ever increasing portion of the world has switched over to a more market-oriented economy, and this has greatly accelerated both economic growth and the speed of innovation. For Naam, this trend bodes very well for the future.
Now, as powerful as the market system is, Naam does concede that it has one fatal flaw. And this is that it does not put an accurate price on the degradation of communal goods, such as the environment. The end result is that the environment is not cared for as well as it might be (this phenomenon is known as ‘The Tragedy of the Commons’). Nevertheless, a market economy can be tweaked to ensure that a price is put on environmental degradation. Indeed, this has happened before, and it has helped put an end to several environmental crises (including, recently, both acid rain and the ozone-hole threat).
For Naam, this approach is also the best way to deal with the greatest environmental threat we now face: global warming. Specifically, Naam argues we ought to put a price on carbon dioxide (and return the tax proceeds to the people). This would not only help ensure against global warming, but also hasten the inevitable transition to the use of solar power and clean fuels to meet our energy needs.
With the right approach and policies, Naam argues, we can live in a world of plenty for all (and one that is clean to boot).
This is a brilliant book. The writing is excellent, the logical flow is superb, the supporting evidence is well-chosen and extensive, and the argument is air tight. In a world that is dominated by fear-mongering on the one hand, and blind optimism on the other, Naam is a shining beacon of sober and rational thought. If you are looking for a big-picture view of the challenges we face and how best to meet them, this book is for you. A full executive summary of the book is available here: http://newbooksinbrief.com/2013/04/30... A podcast discussion of the book will be available soon.
April 26, 2013
"The Infinite Resource" simply describes the environmental issues that exist today and offers hope that the world's intelligence and market forces will provide solutions. The first third reads like a dystopian novel, focusing on the resource and climate issues the world has and really not offering answers. You've probably heard this all before, but put together it is quite depressing. The rest of the book, though, focuses on the solutions. The author takes on energy, food, climate change, and overpopulation, suggesting that the markets have a history of coming up with answers that are less costly than expected. But often they need a push, an incentive, a cost of doing the wrong thing needs to be added. He likens investing in advance in these solutions to insurance, and he makes a reasonable case. There are quite a few facts thrown around. Some, such as deaths caused by coal, are repeated often yet aren't explored as to validity, while other numbers are explored in depth. Some of the solutions offered were over-simplified, but I think that fit in with the aim of the book - to get the concepts out. The book can get repetitive and could have been shorter. The examples were interesting, in a wonkish sort of way, which I liked. Shout out to Flora, Illinois, where the author grew up. It's mentioned in the book (but not in the index!). I've been through there.
Book won in Goodreads First Reads contest.
Book won in Goodreads First Reads contest.
April 30, 2013
I don't discount the ideas in this book, but I do have a problem with the way they are organized and communicated. The writing isn't clear, it's far from concise, and it contains far too many grammatical errors. I found the editor in me taking out my pen and crossing out so many unnecessary and useless and repetitive thoughts.
This book is cluttered, and that clutter smothers the argument it tries to make.
I did not find The Infinite Resource compelling, though I think the topic is a significant one worth discussing with clarity, purpose, and intelligence.
This book is cluttered, and that clutter smothers the argument it tries to make.
I did not find The Infinite Resource compelling, though I think the topic is a significant one worth discussing with clarity, purpose, and intelligence.
May 3, 2013
I read about 2 chapters but I just could not get into the book. For me it was hard to follow.
May 27, 2013
“The core argument of this book is that the force that’s propelled us to our present well-being is also the most powerful resource we have to tackle out future challenges: innovation.” (preface)
Ramez Naam has done a remarkably good job of developing this thesis. The amount of research he had to have done to put his story together is daunting. It is well written, and interestingly and logically presented. It is a serious book, not suitable for a weekend read at the beach. I would have been inclined to give it six stars, but because of a few criticisms and lots of little nits, I cut my evaluation down to only five. Nits and all, it deserves five.
Mr. Naam begins by recounting the general story of how successive innovation has brought us to the modern world, and how much it has improved the lives of those of us lucky enough to be in the leading edge of that evolution. This serves to cement his thesis that human ideas and creativity are the Infinite Resource. He argues that since more people imply more innovation, we should welcome a large global population. Innovation already has demonstrated that the globe can support us all. And, intelligently directed, the higher level of future innovation afforded by more people to do the innovating can lead to even better lives in the future. (This is not without some qualifications which I will not try to enumerate.)
Mr. Naam paints a pessimistic picture of the global warming threat, emphasizing the danger of a little warming causing the release of much more the very potent greenhouse gas methane, thus accelerating the warming trend in a very positive feedback. Not uniquely, he champions the reduction of CO2. I do not fault his valuation, but I do fault his failure to cite that fact that there are responsible opinions that do not see the problem as bleakly as he does.
Quite correctly in my opinion, he places the availability of energy as a key determinant of the world’s future well-being. With enough cheap energy we can compensate for many other deficiencies; we can desalinate water, manufacture fertilizers, make up for other deficiencies.
He devotes some discussion to the notion of “peak oil”, which he considers to be either now or in our near future. He recognizes that the end of oil has been predicted many times before, and somehow improving technology of exploration and recovery has staved off any but short and artificial price peaks. But he seems to consider us now near the end of our rope, and the coming shortage from this source puts urgency into the development of other sources. Clearly someday it will peak—it is not infinite—but only parts of the world have been extensively searched, and I am less convinced the show is nearly over. In my perhaps poorly informed judgment a rising trend in price will be slow enough to allow reasonably deliberate substitution from other sources when it does happen to start downhill.
Mr. Naam discusses at some length three alternate sources of energy: solar, wind, and nuclear. He devotes considerable attention to solar, and obviously sees great potential here. He notes the need for better methods of storage to accompany solar and wind—production patterns do not match usage patters—but doesn’t address anything but batteries. In my view, he underestimates the storage problem or perhaps overestimates the potential for further battery improvement. First, batteries as an energy source for vehicles are at a huge technical disadvantage to fossil fuels. That is very apparent when one compares the range of a conventional car with an all-electric one (and the comparisons I have seen assume the batteries are not also cooling or heating the vehicle. Heating comes for essentially free with an internal combustion engine).
This range deficiency in the all-electric vehicle comes from the fact that a conventional vehicle produces energy by burning carbon and oxygen, producing CO2. It carries the carbon, about 20% of the weight of a CO2 molecule, in the form of a fossil fuel in its tank; it gets the oxygen part, about 80% of the weight, from the air around it. Current batteries do not use a gas from the air, so have to carry all the fuel that produces the electricity. This puts batteries at a roughly 5:1 energy per pound disadvantage that is very difficult to overcome, and is the reason that the range of electric cars is so restricted.
A much more hopeful prospect discussed by Mr. Naam is nuclear. The technical picture is very bright, and it, in my opinion, is by far the best prospect for fulfilling our future energy needs. He explains that nuclear is being held back by both public fear and a failure to understand its promise of much lower costs than current experience would suggest. These fairly pervasive fears will have to be alleviated for it to reach its potential.
The criticisms and differences of opinion expressed above are trivial in the larger picture of Mr. Naam’s discussions of a host of other considerations: feeding the multitudes, the impact of the urbanization trend on innovation, longevity, market behavior, government actions, and coda for the future. He is an optimist, and I found it a delight to read his very thoughtful analyses.
Ramez Naam has done a remarkably good job of developing this thesis. The amount of research he had to have done to put his story together is daunting. It is well written, and interestingly and logically presented. It is a serious book, not suitable for a weekend read at the beach. I would have been inclined to give it six stars, but because of a few criticisms and lots of little nits, I cut my evaluation down to only five. Nits and all, it deserves five.
Mr. Naam begins by recounting the general story of how successive innovation has brought us to the modern world, and how much it has improved the lives of those of us lucky enough to be in the leading edge of that evolution. This serves to cement his thesis that human ideas and creativity are the Infinite Resource. He argues that since more people imply more innovation, we should welcome a large global population. Innovation already has demonstrated that the globe can support us all. And, intelligently directed, the higher level of future innovation afforded by more people to do the innovating can lead to even better lives in the future. (This is not without some qualifications which I will not try to enumerate.)
Mr. Naam paints a pessimistic picture of the global warming threat, emphasizing the danger of a little warming causing the release of much more the very potent greenhouse gas methane, thus accelerating the warming trend in a very positive feedback. Not uniquely, he champions the reduction of CO2. I do not fault his valuation, but I do fault his failure to cite that fact that there are responsible opinions that do not see the problem as bleakly as he does.
Quite correctly in my opinion, he places the availability of energy as a key determinant of the world’s future well-being. With enough cheap energy we can compensate for many other deficiencies; we can desalinate water, manufacture fertilizers, make up for other deficiencies.
He devotes some discussion to the notion of “peak oil”, which he considers to be either now or in our near future. He recognizes that the end of oil has been predicted many times before, and somehow improving technology of exploration and recovery has staved off any but short and artificial price peaks. But he seems to consider us now near the end of our rope, and the coming shortage from this source puts urgency into the development of other sources. Clearly someday it will peak—it is not infinite—but only parts of the world have been extensively searched, and I am less convinced the show is nearly over. In my perhaps poorly informed judgment a rising trend in price will be slow enough to allow reasonably deliberate substitution from other sources when it does happen to start downhill.
Mr. Naam discusses at some length three alternate sources of energy: solar, wind, and nuclear. He devotes considerable attention to solar, and obviously sees great potential here. He notes the need for better methods of storage to accompany solar and wind—production patterns do not match usage patters—but doesn’t address anything but batteries. In my view, he underestimates the storage problem or perhaps overestimates the potential for further battery improvement. First, batteries as an energy source for vehicles are at a huge technical disadvantage to fossil fuels. That is very apparent when one compares the range of a conventional car with an all-electric one (and the comparisons I have seen assume the batteries are not also cooling or heating the vehicle. Heating comes for essentially free with an internal combustion engine).
This range deficiency in the all-electric vehicle comes from the fact that a conventional vehicle produces energy by burning carbon and oxygen, producing CO2. It carries the carbon, about 20% of the weight of a CO2 molecule, in the form of a fossil fuel in its tank; it gets the oxygen part, about 80% of the weight, from the air around it. Current batteries do not use a gas from the air, so have to carry all the fuel that produces the electricity. This puts batteries at a roughly 5:1 energy per pound disadvantage that is very difficult to overcome, and is the reason that the range of electric cars is so restricted.
A much more hopeful prospect discussed by Mr. Naam is nuclear. The technical picture is very bright, and it, in my opinion, is by far the best prospect for fulfilling our future energy needs. He explains that nuclear is being held back by both public fear and a failure to understand its promise of much lower costs than current experience would suggest. These fairly pervasive fears will have to be alleviated for it to reach its potential.
The criticisms and differences of opinion expressed above are trivial in the larger picture of Mr. Naam’s discussions of a host of other considerations: feeding the multitudes, the impact of the urbanization trend on innovation, longevity, market behavior, government actions, and coda for the future. He is an optimist, and I found it a delight to read his very thoughtful analyses.
April 10, 2013
I received a copy of this book through the goodreads giveaways. Thanks for the opportunity to read it!
I very much liked the optimism of the book. Naam makes very good arguments for the possibilities and potentials of innovation, and I did read a few ideas that I had not yet heard of, which was neat. I like the idea of using the capitalist system to prompt further innovation and change, though I thought he was putting perhaps a bit too much faith in our ability to do that.
I wanted to give this book another star, because I liked the optimism, I liked the sense that there was still hope, I liked what it was saying about human potential to create. However, it seems like it was saying that any field not in the sciences was next to worthless and people were foolish for choosing to study them (which is completely untrue...arts, psychology, languages, etc are immensely important for conveying, expressing, and nurturing ideas and contributing to the imagination and mental health of those minds that form the ideas), even going so far as to say people should be monetarily penalized for choosing to study these things. In my mind, we should encourage people into professions where they're the most skilled, which would lead to greater contributions overall, not encourage people who are lousy at sciences to study them solely for money. Another missing factor seemed to be the role of society and culture, the commonly held beliefs that can hold people back or influence them in ways that don't allow them to fulfill their potential. There was very little mention of the fact that many inventions could be locked away in the minds of women, who, even when they receive education, are often discouraged away from what's thought of as male-fields or from continuing their education or careers in order to have children. There are issues of race that hold people back, and there are issues of poverty, family environment, general environment, etc, that can't be fixed solely by changing the schools a little (though I think just about everyone would agree improvements can be made in schools). The book seemed to be basing its arguments on assuming that everyone is about equally matched in this world, and those who weren't could become so with a few solar panels or new kinds of rice. But that leaves out that societies don't just operate on who has the best innovations. A person's ability to contribute still depends on who they were born as, and that's something that I felt should have been mentioned also as a potential needing to be unlocked. Though, I suppose it's not something a person can easily throw money at, so I'm not sure how much place it would have in this book.
At any rate, I did enjoy the optimism that we do have the power to affect positive changes in our futures and with this planet, and this was mostly an interesting read.
I very much liked the optimism of the book. Naam makes very good arguments for the possibilities and potentials of innovation, and I did read a few ideas that I had not yet heard of, which was neat. I like the idea of using the capitalist system to prompt further innovation and change, though I thought he was putting perhaps a bit too much faith in our ability to do that.
I wanted to give this book another star, because I liked the optimism, I liked the sense that there was still hope, I liked what it was saying about human potential to create. However, it seems like it was saying that any field not in the sciences was next to worthless and people were foolish for choosing to study them (which is completely untrue...arts, psychology, languages, etc are immensely important for conveying, expressing, and nurturing ideas and contributing to the imagination and mental health of those minds that form the ideas), even going so far as to say people should be monetarily penalized for choosing to study these things. In my mind, we should encourage people into professions where they're the most skilled, which would lead to greater contributions overall, not encourage people who are lousy at sciences to study them solely for money. Another missing factor seemed to be the role of society and culture, the commonly held beliefs that can hold people back or influence them in ways that don't allow them to fulfill their potential. There was very little mention of the fact that many inventions could be locked away in the minds of women, who, even when they receive education, are often discouraged away from what's thought of as male-fields or from continuing their education or careers in order to have children. There are issues of race that hold people back, and there are issues of poverty, family environment, general environment, etc, that can't be fixed solely by changing the schools a little (though I think just about everyone would agree improvements can be made in schools). The book seemed to be basing its arguments on assuming that everyone is about equally matched in this world, and those who weren't could become so with a few solar panels or new kinds of rice. But that leaves out that societies don't just operate on who has the best innovations. A person's ability to contribute still depends on who they were born as, and that's something that I felt should have been mentioned also as a potential needing to be unlocked. Though, I suppose it's not something a person can easily throw money at, so I'm not sure how much place it would have in this book.
At any rate, I did enjoy the optimism that we do have the power to affect positive changes in our futures and with this planet, and this was mostly an interesting read.
May 23, 2013
I won this through the first reads giveaway.
At this point (5/21/13) I'm a 3rd of the way done. And let me tell you I'm terrified! The first 3rd of this book talks about all the problems our planet faces - global warming, oil shortages, water wars, human over-population, mass extinctions, etc. With facts and figures to back up everything that is being put forth to the reader. And it is very, very scary. The good part is that the author doesn't just give us the gloom and doom, but also hope that with our increasing technology and innovation we can meet and exceed these demands on our planet. So I can't wait to keep reading!
Update! 5/23/13 I've finished the book and I would absolutely recommend this to anyone interested in global warming/climate change or anyone interested in environmental science. This book was so insightful. I have completely changed my opinion on quite a few topics and learned many new and interesting things. Like did you know that nuclear energy is less deadly and less costly than coal is? Coal kills more people than nuclear power yet because nuclear disasters are so sensationalized people fear them. Another factoid that I learned is that GMOs have been studied EXTENSIVELY. Being a biologist, I was always worried about the consequences of inserting foreign DNA into the food that we eat, and since this too has been discussed as being "poison for your body" its hard to find real information. The few studies that have shown some risks have been retracted or have been discredited by the scientific community. Those are just a few of the many things that I have learned from this book!
The overall message of this book is that there is hope. We have overcome grave challenges is the past - CFC depleting the ozone layer - Reagan signed the Montreal Protocol even though his administration told him it would bankrupt the country and there would be no refrigeration. Yet because this law was implemented correctly, it actually forced inovation and the price tag ended up being 1/10 of what was predicted. And we still have refrigeration! So yes, we as a global community face many challenges in the near future, but with our power to innovate we can overcome all of these challenges that we face, just like we have in the past.
At this point (5/21/13) I'm a 3rd of the way done. And let me tell you I'm terrified! The first 3rd of this book talks about all the problems our planet faces - global warming, oil shortages, water wars, human over-population, mass extinctions, etc. With facts and figures to back up everything that is being put forth to the reader. And it is very, very scary. The good part is that the author doesn't just give us the gloom and doom, but also hope that with our increasing technology and innovation we can meet and exceed these demands on our planet. So I can't wait to keep reading!
Update! 5/23/13 I've finished the book and I would absolutely recommend this to anyone interested in global warming/climate change or anyone interested in environmental science. This book was so insightful. I have completely changed my opinion on quite a few topics and learned many new and interesting things. Like did you know that nuclear energy is less deadly and less costly than coal is? Coal kills more people than nuclear power yet because nuclear disasters are so sensationalized people fear them. Another factoid that I learned is that GMOs have been studied EXTENSIVELY. Being a biologist, I was always worried about the consequences of inserting foreign DNA into the food that we eat, and since this too has been discussed as being "poison for your body" its hard to find real information. The few studies that have shown some risks have been retracted or have been discredited by the scientific community. Those are just a few of the many things that I have learned from this book!
The overall message of this book is that there is hope. We have overcome grave challenges is the past - CFC depleting the ozone layer - Reagan signed the Montreal Protocol even though his administration told him it would bankrupt the country and there would be no refrigeration. Yet because this law was implemented correctly, it actually forced inovation and the price tag ended up being 1/10 of what was predicted. And we still have refrigeration! So yes, we as a global community face many challenges in the near future, but with our power to innovate we can overcome all of these challenges that we face, just like we have in the past.
May 20, 2013
My review isn't entirely reflective of the quality of this book. I'm merely rating it based off my perception of what I was getting and what I actually got. I had thought this would be a book about the creation of ideas, improving your ideas, and how important ideas were fostered and how they helped shape the world we are in today. I felt it was going to be something that improved my thinking skills and helped me become a better version of myself. But like Malcolm Gladwell's Blink it talks more about its subject than it improves your ability with the subject.
Unlike Malcolm Gladwell's Blink this books is written like a research paper and though the author's interest is easily seen it doesn't make for all to interesting reading half the time. His passion infects you occasionally but it isn't enough to carry a book that seems to jump from one source to another. The book appears to be a list of other peoples' ideas that this author was kind enough to put it one spot.
The greatest thing this book has to offer, in my opinion, is a terrific helper for a paper of project you would have to write, on global warming, population, food production, whatever. If I was grading it for that it would be a five but I'm grading it based on my enjoyment and I did not enjoy it which is unfortunate.
Unlike Malcolm Gladwell's Blink this books is written like a research paper and though the author's interest is easily seen it doesn't make for all to interesting reading half the time. His passion infects you occasionally but it isn't enough to carry a book that seems to jump from one source to another. The book appears to be a list of other peoples' ideas that this author was kind enough to put it one spot.
The greatest thing this book has to offer, in my opinion, is a terrific helper for a paper of project you would have to write, on global warming, population, food production, whatever. If I was grading it for that it would be a five but I'm grading it based on my enjoyment and I did not enjoy it which is unfortunate.
June 7, 2015
I received this book via Goodreads giveaway.
I am rather mixed on this book and that's why I gave it a two star rating.
I was very impressed by the volume of information provided. It is very evident he spent considerable effort researching his facts and included snippets from interviews and conversations. You are unable to distinguish if he is a liberal or conservative (refreshing for once)and states global warming is a human problem and both sides, liberals and conservatives, need to work together.
There are many points that I had trouble with. The reliance on government as the driving force behind solving the environmental problems, from supplying funds for research to their involvement of collecting fees from carbon taxes. It's too tempting for politicians and bureaucrats to divert funds to campaign donors or special pet projects that the free market would have never funded. The ones who lose out are the taxpayers (see current IRS scandal).
I understand his point about needing more scientists and engineers. But the statement about cutting funding for liberal arts degrees or adjusting interest rates on student loans is counter to the free market argument he supports.
This book was written in a conversational tone and I liked that a lot.
I am rather mixed on this book and that's why I gave it a two star rating.
I was very impressed by the volume of information provided. It is very evident he spent considerable effort researching his facts and included snippets from interviews and conversations. You are unable to distinguish if he is a liberal or conservative (refreshing for once)and states global warming is a human problem and both sides, liberals and conservatives, need to work together.
There are many points that I had trouble with. The reliance on government as the driving force behind solving the environmental problems, from supplying funds for research to their involvement of collecting fees from carbon taxes. It's too tempting for politicians and bureaucrats to divert funds to campaign donors or special pet projects that the free market would have never funded. The ones who lose out are the taxpayers (see current IRS scandal).
I understand his point about needing more scientists and engineers. But the statement about cutting funding for liberal arts degrees or adjusting interest rates on student loans is counter to the free market argument he supports.
This book was written in a conversational tone and I liked that a lot.
May 8, 2013
A good overview of the likely set of global challenges our generation and our children's generation face, and of the most likely way out of the problem. I liked the way the author uses the metaphor of the global brain, and the notion of ideas undergoing a turbocharged form of evolution via a form of natural selection.
As Ray Kurzweil does in his writings, the author reminds us how technology and ideas and their impact on society grows exponentially, and how we tend to overestimate the effect of exponential growth in the short term yet underestimate it in the long term. Although year to year we don't necessarily feel the impact of better ideas and technology on our lives, the author reminds us just how much more productive we are, how much more resource efficient we've become, and how much better off we are than just a few generations ago. And the size of the global brain (ie the number of people able to contribute to the set of ideas available to first world citizens), which has grown by hundreds of millions over the past century, is set to grow by billions this century. It is this resource, argues the author, that is humanity's greatest resource, and could be its saving grace, considering the problems our environment faces.
As Ray Kurzweil does in his writings, the author reminds us how technology and ideas and their impact on society grows exponentially, and how we tend to overestimate the effect of exponential growth in the short term yet underestimate it in the long term. Although year to year we don't necessarily feel the impact of better ideas and technology on our lives, the author reminds us just how much more productive we are, how much more resource efficient we've become, and how much better off we are than just a few generations ago. And the size of the global brain (ie the number of people able to contribute to the set of ideas available to first world citizens), which has grown by hundreds of millions over the past century, is set to grow by billions this century. It is this resource, argues the author, that is humanity's greatest resource, and could be its saving grace, considering the problems our environment faces.
August 13, 2014
This book took me a while to read. It's not a bad book but I disagreed with the author quite a bit regarding education and the free market. Public education, just like public healthcare, are not ever really going to be 'money makers'. I was also turned off by his disdain for anyone who studies liberal arts, social sciences, and general humanities. He cannot possibly think that if everyone goes into STEM that everyone will somehow get a high-paying job in STEM? It takes many people to make a world and all sorts of ways of thinking and understanding to solve problems. His mild suggestion at simply not letting students who don't study STEM get student loans was pretty messed up. The humanities especially have a problem of economically and socially privileged people's voices being heard over others. The humanities are about studying the human experience - why would only that one section of the human experience be worth studying?
I appreciated the little microhistories I got in this book about the rise and fall of certain markets and the author's optimism that we will be able to solve some of our environmental disasters (if the free market wants us to).
I appreciated the little microhistories I got in this book about the rise and fall of certain markets and the author's optimism that we will be able to solve some of our environmental disasters (if the free market wants us to).
August 6, 2014
Got the book from First Reads. In a time where we face numerous environmental challenges, it's not safe nor reasonable to assume that they will solve themselves (e.g. peak oil, peak gas, etc.). We have to take collective action against the issues facing the Earth. Money is not the answer to our problems; you can't buy another Earth. This book makes a great point, that we must use our creativity to fight environmental problems like hydraulic fracturing and tar sands (Keystone XL). If we can align economic and other incentives to favor the preservation of our Earth, maybe we can avert environmental disaster.
The reason I gave it 3 stars is because at times, the book was rather abstract, and instead of giving concrete reasoning or examples, it reverted to almost philosophical matters. If we're going to create any creative change, flowery rhetoric and unclear objectives won't get us anywhere. But overall, this was a good read for those interested in understanding how we can creatively fight global warming.
The reason I gave it 3 stars is because at times, the book was rather abstract, and instead of giving concrete reasoning or examples, it reverted to almost philosophical matters. If we're going to create any creative change, flowery rhetoric and unclear objectives won't get us anywhere. But overall, this was a good read for those interested in understanding how we can creatively fight global warming.
May 21, 2013
I received this as a Goodreads Giveaway and went into it with my eyes 'wide open.' They opened wider and wider as I read it... Not always with a smile on my face.
If nothing else, as a born optimist, it reinforces that each of us have a role to play and the ability to make an impact, however small it might be, as we live each day. Globalization, the way we use energy and climate change cannot be stressed enough in our schools, government and marketplace.
Education, all areas of education, is central to the success of us all and the restructuring of our educational system must be a priority. Mr. Nama needs to have an in depth conversation with Sir Ken Robinson!
Thought and conversation provoking!
If nothing else, as a born optimist, it reinforces that each of us have a role to play and the ability to make an impact, however small it might be, as we live each day. Globalization, the way we use energy and climate change cannot be stressed enough in our schools, government and marketplace.
Education, all areas of education, is central to the success of us all and the restructuring of our educational system must be a priority. Mr. Nama needs to have an in depth conversation with Sir Ken Robinson!
Thought and conversation provoking!
July 29, 2016
I won this book on Goodreads, otherwise I most likely wouldn't have read it. However, it was a worthwhile read. The author takes a very in-depth look at the resources available to our world. Naturally, the first things that come to mind are oil, gold, water, etc., when in reality, according to the author, it is the fact that we have our minds. With our intellect, we can generally create solutions to problems that might on first blush not seem to have an easy solution. He looks back through history at example after example of just how we "thought" ourselves out of sticky situations and created unique solutions to the thorniest of issues. Very well-researched and a more thorough analysis of this axiom than one could think possible.
February 12, 2014
Sought this book out after reading Naam's fiction. This is an optimists survey of the state of the human ecosystem. Some very good ideas in here for managing the planet and your local politics also.
I am not scientist enough to say whether these ideas will work or not, but our author has some good friends who are. It is about time we do something about solar power, one way or another.
Really interesting to read about the collective intelligence. I think political climate has to factor in also - lots of people in a repressive China basically stagnated in technology - but these ideas are pretty cool. In his fiction books, the "groupthink" is taken to an extreme. Will be interesting to see what the third book of the series does with this.
I am not scientist enough to say whether these ideas will work or not, but our author has some good friends who are. It is about time we do something about solar power, one way or another.
Really interesting to read about the collective intelligence. I think political climate has to factor in also - lots of people in a repressive China basically stagnated in technology - but these ideas are pretty cool. In his fiction books, the "groupthink" is taken to an extreme. Will be interesting to see what the third book of the series does with this.
March 25, 2014
I was predisposed to like The Infinite Resource. At a glance, it looked like a compelling book with new information and insights.
The book got off to a great start. Naam provides an excellent overview of The Best of Times and The Worst of Times. On the one hand, human innovation has led to longer life expectancy, improved health, less poverty, higher literacy, and access to information. On the other it has devastated our planet. His gift of storytelling is evident.
From there, the book went downhill but I slogged through to the end. Naam seems to have cherry picked data and ideas to promote some agenda in his head. The new information and exciting ideas I was expecting were absent. I was disappointed.
The book got off to a great start. Naam provides an excellent overview of The Best of Times and The Worst of Times. On the one hand, human innovation has led to longer life expectancy, improved health, less poverty, higher literacy, and access to information. On the other it has devastated our planet. His gift of storytelling is evident.
From there, the book went downhill but I slogged through to the end. Naam seems to have cherry picked data and ideas to promote some agenda in his head. The new information and exciting ideas I was expecting were absent. I was disappointed.
May 14, 2013
I received this book from the Goodreads Firstreads program. This book really surprised me. First of all, it was incredibly easy to read. It did include a lot of statistics but I never felt that it dragged the content down at all. Also, aside from the first few chapters, it was basically a positive outlook on the human race. I agreed with a lot of what was said and I never wanted to crawl under a blanket and hide...which some of these books definitely warrant.
Overall, although I wasn't on board with everything, I enjoyed reading this and think that it is a wonderful addition to the field.
Overall, although I wasn't on board with everything, I enjoyed reading this and think that it is a wonderful addition to the field.
May 15, 2013
I received this book from GoodReads giveaways. When I first got this book, I was thinking it might be a bit of slog, but I must say I was pleasantly surprised. I found this book easy to read and to understand. Naam's premise is that because of innovation, we are going to be able to, as a people, work around issues such as climate change and diminishing resources (fossil fuels and food). He has me reconsidering my feelings about genetically modified food and feeling more optimistic about earth's future in general.
May 12, 2013
Lets face it. Our planet is doomed. We are using the natural resources faster than the earth can replenish them. We poison the water and land with man made chemicals. We all know this to be true. Now... What the Hell can we do about it? Enter this book! The author is absolutely, 100% correct. In order for us as a human race to get out of the mess we have made is to stop being so greedy and to exploit the one resource that we have an infinite amount of that is also our most valuable; our minds (well, when I say infinite I am really talking about those of us who have brains...
February 4, 2014
Great read from Ramez Naam's book. Mez and I worked together on the forerunner of Bing at Microsoft and he is an excellent technologist and writer. This book provides an optimistic view of what our future could be like if we are able to properly tap into "The infinite Resource." He takes strong stands on topics like GMOs and other controversial topics. He is overly optimistic IMO but I liked seeing the portrait of what could be.
November 3, 2015
This was mentioned which I found to be amazing .
http://science.howstuffworks.com/envi...
In general, I liked the book though some was repetitive to things I read before. The info new to me was interesting.
I like some of the insights on his blog esp. those on solar http://rameznaam.com/2015/08/10/how-c...
http://science.howstuffworks.com/envi...
In general, I liked the book though some was repetitive to things I read before. The info new to me was interesting.
I like some of the insights on his blog esp. those on solar http://rameznaam.com/2015/08/10/how-c...
May 14, 2013
Simply put, if you breathe and wish to continue doing so, comfortably ... you need to give this author your attention.
I received this book as a first reads, but would gladly have purchased this invaluable resource.
I received this book as a first reads, but would gladly have purchased this invaluable resource.
May 4, 2013
A five star review for "The Infinite Resource: The Power of Ideas on a Finite Planet" by Ramez Naam
A Must Read!!
A Must Read!!
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