How to Save the World for Just a Trillion Dollars
The Ten Biggest Problems We Can Actually Fix
by Rowan Hooper
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Pub Date Apr 05 2022 | Archive Date Apr 12 2022
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Description
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What would you do with a trillion dollars? The ultimate thought experiment opens our eyes to ten world-changing ideas within our grasp
If we can come up with a trillion dollars to bail out banks, imagine what else we could do. Science journalist Rowan Hooper decided to find out, speaking with experts of all kinds about ten incredibly ambitious projects that— if realized—would secure profound, enduring benefits: trying to end global poverty, reverse climate change, extend our lifespans, refreeze the Arctic, save all endangered species, and more. Then, he dives into strategies and costs to see: How far would $1 trillion really go? You’ll have to read on to learn which project he concludes would do the most good . . . but the biggest surprise is how many astonishing advances are actually within our grasp—if we dare to reach for them.
Advance Praise
“Rowan Hooper shows that the world’s most intractable problems might not actually be intractable, if we just devoted the resources to solving them. How to Spend a Trillion Dollars is a fascinating, thought-provoking work.”—Elizabeth Kolbert, journalist and Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Sixth Extinction
Acclaim from the UK
“Will someone just give Rowan Hooper a mere trillion dollars and let him, very sensibly, save the world?”—Caitlin Moran
“In a world of doom-scrolling, trembling on the brink of causing a mass extinction event that will devastate civilization, it’s crucially important to point out that we already have the abilities needed not only to avoid catastrophe, but to thrive. That’s what Hooper does in fascinating and exciting detail.”—Kim Stanley Robinson
“At a moment when science is proving it can solve the most urgent of problems—given the right funding—Rowan Hooper asks a very interesting question. How much would it cost to solve all the world’s other problems? . . . Like any good game, this is deadly serious. What starts off seeming absurd ends up feeling obvious. Why would we not invest in our future? As Hooper says, ‘The world is full of extraordinary opportunities, and the vast majority are never undertaken.’”—James McConnachie, Sunday Times
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781615198283 |
| PRICE | $15.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 320 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
nathan h, Reviewer
An exercise that hopefully, by and large, doesn't stop as just that; with what seems like bummer after bummer appearing all around us, Hooper arrives with a book that aims to convince that all is not lost (yet). There's not only time to fix things, but many of the seemingly-impossible issues are quite fixable, given that we all work together.
It's broken into 10 chapters/ways to spend the trillion, each with its own allure and reward. From the obvious (fix climate change) to something you might not have thought about in a while (expand our concept of reality), it's consistently thought-provoking material.
Rather than lay rows of statistics at the reader's feet and trust that it completes the labor of convincing, Hooper lays out his "pitches" in a fairly casual manner, which successfully makes this work feel more passionate, personal, and engaging (which is what you want in a book trying to save the world, right?).
You'll learn a lot about what people are doing *currently* to help fix these problems without the benefit of a trillion dollar investment (the "getting the world to go vegan" chapter was particularly illuminating) and what some extra funding could do to help things out.
As a reader, I feel more informed, empowered, and aware of my impacts.
Many thanks to NetGalley and The Experiment for the advance read.
