Clearing the Air - by Hannah Ritchie (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Clear, simple answers to the most common and vexing questions about climate change that we can take action on right now.

We can't afford to delay climate action, but with all the shouting and disagreement, it's hard to know where to turn. In Clearing the Air, data scientist and bestselling author Hannah Ritchie answers 50 key climate questions once and for all, clearing the air so we can take action and fix things.

The first piece of good news is that Ritchie is here with answers and the steps we need to take right now. Using simple, clear data, she tackles questions such as: Is it too late? Won't we run out of minerals? Aren't we too polarized? The second piece of good news: The truth is far more hopeful than you might think.

We're at a critical moment for our planet, and getting the facts straight is step one. But even more crucial is feeling hopeful about what we can do next. The third piece of good news? We already have many of the solutions we need to create a more sustainable planet for future generations.

Review Quotes

Included in the Financial Times's Best Books of 2025: Environment

"Addressing 50 commonly asked questions about climate change, her book provides actions that individuals and countries can put into practice...A hopeful guide to solving climate change offers some steps we can all take now."
--Kirkus Reviews

"If you have ever wondered if we can afford solar power, or if electric cars are really green, or whether heat pumps actually work, this highly readable book has all the facts you need. From nuclear energy to plant-based burgers, it gives brisk, smart insights into the big climate questions."
--the Financial Times

"This is a refreshingly pragmatic and undoomy book."
--The Guardian

ENDORSEMENTS

"When I start to feel overwhelmed by the climate challenges we face, I turn to Hannah Ritchie."
--Bill Gates

"The world needs practical, calm, and data-led climate problem solving, and Clearing the Air provides answers--and hope--in spades."
--Saul Griffith, author of Electrify

"Hannah Ritchie is the world's most levelheaded, no-nonsense purveyor of truth about our changing planet, and I'm deeply grateful she's given us the gift of Clearing the Air."
--Kate Marvel, author of Human Nature

"The best thing you can do for the climate is read this book--now."
--Mark Lynas, author of Six Degrees

"If there were a Nobel Prize for clear thinking, Hannah Ritchie would have my vote. She doesn't just cut through the noise--she vaporizes it. With a scientist's rigor and a storyteller's grace, she shows us what the data actually says about the biggest challenges of our time. Her work is essential reading for anyone who still believes facts can change minds and optimism can change the world."
--Rutger Bregman, author of Utopia for Realists and Humankind

"Thank goodness for Hannah Ritchie and her clear, data-led optimism. An essential myth-busting primer on climate actions for everyone navigating the blizzard of confusing opinions and misinformation around the defining issue of our time."
--Gaia Vince, author of Nomad Century

About the Author

Hannah Ritchie is Senior Researcher in the Program for Global Development at the University of Oxford. She is also Deputy Editor of Our World in Data and was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Statistical Society. In 2022, she was named Scotland's Youth Climate Champion. In 2024, she was selected by Prospect magazine as one of their "Top 25 Thinkers." She is the author of Not the End of the World.