The acclaimed broadcaster, host of CBC Radio’s Quirks & Quarks, and science journalist Bob McDonald discusses his new book The Future is Now: Solving the Climate Crisis with Today’s Technologies (Viking, 2022), with Joseph Planta.

The Future is Now: Solving the Climate Crisis with Today’s Technologies by Bob McDonald (Viking, 2022). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Future is Now

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Bob McDonald joins me again. He’s just published a new book, The Future is Now: Solving the Climate Crisis with Today’s Technologies. The book is a lot more optimistic than most books on the climate emergency. Mr. McDonald lays out the myriad sources of energy that could wean us off fossil fuels. A lot of these alternative energy sources like wind, solar, and geothermal have been available for years now. And because they’re not enough, we need to look at other forms such as nuclear, biofuels, hydrogen and carbon capture. And such sources like wind and solar, they can take up less space, and can be cheaper. Nuclear, for example, is much safer today than it was forty or fifty years ago. The technology is there, and is developing rapidly. A lot of political will is needed too, and Bob addresses that in his engaging and highly readable book. As I tell him in our conversation from last week, you can’t help read the book without hearing his inimitable voice. Since 1992, Bob McDonald has hosted CBC Radio’s Quirks & Quarks. He celebrates his thirtieth anniversary as host later this month. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada, and has received countless honors and awards for his distinguished work as a print and broadcast journalist covering science and space. This new book is published by Viking. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Bob McDonald; Mr. McDonald, good morning.

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