Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World
Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World
Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World
Audiobook11 hours

Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World

Written by Bill Nye

Narrated by Bill Nye

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

Just as World War II called an earlier generation to greatness, so the climate crisis is calling today's rising youth to action: to create a better future.

In UNSTOPPABLE, Bill Nye crystallizes and expands the message for which he is best known and beloved. That message is that with a combination of optimism and scientific curiosity, all obstacles become opportunities, and the possibilities of our world become limitless. With a scientist's thirst for knowledge and an engineer's vision of what can be, Bill Nye sees today's environmental issues not as insurmountable, depressing problems but as chances for our society to rise to the challenge and create a cleaner, healthier, smarter world. We need not accept that transportation consumes half our energy, and that two-thirds of the energy you put into your car is immediately thrown away out the tailpipe. We need not accept that dangerous emissions are the price we must pay for a vibrant economy and a comfortable life. Above all, we need not accept that we will leave our children a planet that is dirty, overheated, and depleted of resources. As Bill shares his vision, he debunks some of the most persistent myths and misunderstandings about global warming. When you are done reading, you'll be enlightened and empowered. Chances are, you'll be smiling, too, ready to join Bill and change the world.

In Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World, the New York Times bestselling author of Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation and former host of "Bill Nye the Science Guy" issues a new challenge to today's generation: to make a cleaner, more efficient, and happier world.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateNov 10, 2015
ISBN9781427271747
Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World
Author

Bill Nye

Bill Nye is a scientist, engineer, comedian, and inventor. He has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University where he studied under Carl Sagan, and worked on the 747 as an engineer at Boeing before creating and hosting his much-loved Emmy award-winning PBS/Discovery Channel show Bill Nye the Science Guy. He holds six Honorary Doctorate degrees from Lehigh University, Willamette University, Quinnipiac University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Goucher College, and Johns Hopkins, and teaches at Cornell regularly as a visiting professor.

More audiobooks from Bill Nye

Related to Unstoppable

Related audiobooks

Environmental Science For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for Unstoppable

Rating: 3.843750014583333 out of 5 stars
4/5

48 ratings8 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Mostly both the science and the world-changing here involve climate change, energy production, and the reduction of greenhouse emissions, although there are also a few short chapters at the end about space travel. As the title perhaps indicates, Bill Nye is optimistic about the possibilities -- or was in 2015 when this was published, although I don't think the book is too dated -- and believes that with a combination of advancing technology and political will, we can deal with the current challenges without sacrificing our standard of living or preventing the developing world from developing. I'm not sure if I'm nearly that much of an optimist at this point, myself, but, hey, you certainly don't accomplish anything if you don't try, so I think it's a useful attitude in any case.While I like the attitude, I did have slightly mixed feelings about the book itself. Much of it involved some rather simplified basic science lectures about things like electrical power generation, although possibly I should have expected that. But, after spending so much time on the basics, I think a lot of his explorations of different kinds of technologies and the changes they might bring about are kind of shallow. This may still actually be a good introduction to people who don't have any kind of science background and haven't read very much on those subjects before, so if that happens to be you it may be just what you want. But I think I was hoping for something with just a bit more depth. I did get a little bit of a kick out of the chapters where he describes his slightly over-the-top competition with his neighbor, Ed Begley Jr., over who has the most eco-friendly house, though.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Bill Nye sets out his ideas on how climate change is (a) real (problem), but that it's not quite yet irreversible, and then explains ways in which we can start living a life that helps reverse those changes. I liked this one but I didn't love it as I wanted to, for a couple of reasons: 1) The Preaching-to-the-Choir syndrome (which I fully admit isn't the fault of the book at all) - there wasn't much here that I didn't know already and of course I agree with the arguments completely; and 2) The writing was a little too simplistic and choppy for me. Again, this second point isn't necessarily a bad thing (I think a simple style is likely what Nye was going for, to reach a bigger audience, maybe); it just didn't work for me. My love of Bill Nye remains completely intact, of course, and I do think this is a great book for the proper audience.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I liked this book by Bill Nye. His emphasis is on explaining and discussing solutions to the global warming problem. He teaches a bit of science along the way and concludes with some political solutions. He explains his overly optimistic attitude toward solving our problems. While global warming is a significant problem and I concur most of what is stated, I would state that global warming is only one of the symptoms of our expanding population. I strongly recommend this book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    TV's Science Guy takes on climate change, but in a far more optimistic way than I expected. The title of the book isn't so much about how "unstoppable" climate change is, but rather how we as a species are more powerful than we realize - unstoppable, even. Nye talks about technological advances (and some tech that is already available) that can improve things ecologically without forcing people to give up the comforts of life. Even if you don't "believe in" climate change (whatever that means), I hope that everyone can agree that improving the efficiency of our machines, reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, cleaning up the air we breathe, and lowering our electric bills are all Good Things. And that's really what this focuses on. And it runs quite the gamut of tech, from solar stills on houses to batteries made out of columns of bedrock to water desalination techniques. It was quite a bit of food for thought, and while sometimes it felt a little awkward to be listening to this in my gasoline-powered car, I never felt like I was a bad person for, say, not commuting solely by bicycle. It was refreshing, really. There was a bit of humor and a whole lot of information, but without any of the science going over my head. I admit I was surprised to learn just how much of our electricity still comes from steam-powered generators. Anyway, this book is definitely recommended to people who want to learn more about climate change and the science of energy production in a way that is hopeful and inspiring. I also got a bunch of ideas of changes I want to make to my house to improve its efficiency.Side note: I think the chapters are meant to be read in any order, or on their own, so there is some repeated information that can get a little tedious when you read straight through. I am now well aware that Nye is the CEO of the Planetary Society, and that he has a friendly rivalry with his neighbor Ed Begley Jr., and that he refers to his house as Nye Labs. Once I realized that each chapter is written without assuming that you've read the rest of the book, I found these little repetitions less annoying.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    There are several reasons to seek efficiency in our use of resources. It costs us less, reduces waste, extends how long what we have will last, and helps preserve our environment. In this book, Bill Nye suggests several ways in which we can use resources more efficiently, with special emphasis on reducing our use of fossil fuels. Currently, especially in the U.S. it seems, there are vested interests and politicians who stubbornly refuse to acknowledge that human activity is changing the composition of Earth's atmosphere, which in turn is changing Earth's climate. This is not a good thing, especially at the rate it is occurring. Nye's intent in this book isn't to alarm us about disruptions that climate changes will necessitate, it's to show us some of the things that could be done to slow it. These include a few that he himself has done at his house in California. If you own a suburban home, you may get a few good ideas from these.

    Some of his suggestions are larger, more sweeping, and outside the power of any one individual to accomplish (at least one who isn't a billionaire). The only thing most of us can do is vote for politicians who at least are willing to admit there is a problem and that we should do something about it.

    And we can. Most of what he suggests can be done now. We have the technology. We just need the societal will and the political commitment.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Sometimes you just want to yell at an author to "stop it already!" This is one of those times. The constant (pun intended) became more than just a bit annoying by the third iteration, but continued non-stop throughout the book, often puns that were unlikely to be caught by a person with no prior science background. That said, the book itself was a typical book by a typical engineer - promoting various engineering solutions at rapid fire speed, dismissing some of them, but giving all of them at least an "interesting idea". Never once did he bother to acknowledge one of the most important issues that will come into play - biology. He mentioned other species about three times, twice in passing, and once to dismiss them as relevant, while he focused solely on technological, anthropocentric solutions that would make humans happy but would, at least in many cases, create more problems than they solve. If we do not acknowledge the biological realities of the planet, we will get the solutions wrong. To his credit, he does dismiss many of these solutions as unworkable, but fails to notice problems with others. Then he gives us a personal rundown of the things he has done to make his house greener, and suggests these are the sort of things everyone can do, without noticing that he is a highly paid TV star and the rest of us...aren't. These solutions would be out of the range of the budget for nearly all Americans. There are other, low-tech solutions that don't require inventing anything, or buying anything, that are available now, but few of these get even a nod. Yes, he's a tinkerer. Yes, he can afford to go out and buy windows that he acknowledges cost about the cost of a mid-sized car. He says that to make them sound extremely affordable, without realizing that few Americans can cover that cost and still pay their basic expenses. In short, a naive, unrealistic book that fails to take into account anything but engineering solutions, some of which are feasible and a good idea, but many of which are not. A very big disappointment.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    must read for everyone. So many people are so full of doom and gloom about the environment and think that it is beyond our repair. For all of you pessimists I encourage you to read this ASAP. Nye gives us hope that we can change and recover from all the damage we have done to this beautiful world. Throughout the book he discusses all of the rapidly changing technologies that will help us and most of all encourages us to make these changes. He also highlights that we could do more if governments would just put the money into research. As usual it is full of his delightfully sweet and self deprecating humour. I especially enjoyed when he discusses how he and Ed Beagley Jr, have been healthily competing to make their respective homes more environmentally friendly than the other . I really wish I had been exposed to men like him when I was learning science in school, he makes it fascinating and sexy. Hmm wonder if we can get him to run for President of the US, imagine the changes he could bring about. Truly inspirational and full of hope. Favorite Quotes“so long as we each focus only on our individual decisions and their short-term consequences, we will act like renters, not owners of this Earth.” —“We can be a lot smarter and more capable than a lot of the technology doubters and climate deniers assume. The people who dismiss concerns about global warming seem to be the pessimists who would rather give up than own up to the problems we have all created. The people who worry most about what we are doing to the planet are the optimists who believe we also have the intelligence—we, as a species, working together—to come up with powerful solutions to the problems we’re working on that will change the world for the better. Which way of looking at the world is going to produce a Next Greatest Generation? Will it be the ones who give up, or the ones who get going?” “The less we do to address climate change now, the more regulation we will have in the future.” 5 Dewey'sDidn't have to review this one - as usual just gotta share my opinion on books
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    In Unstoppable, Bill Nye argues, "A certain amount of global warming and weather disruption is baked in; in a word, it is unstoppable. But you know what? So are we. Humans, and human progress, are also unstoppable" (p. 326). There are three main points to his argument. First, he explains all of the overwhelming scientific evidence of climate change to prove, once and for all, its existence to any doubter who may have picked up his book. Second, Nye examines all of the different proposed methods for cutting back on carbon emissions, from the unrealistic (like giant solar reflectors in space) to existent technologies that need only be refined (such as better windmills, batteries, electric cars, and the technology Nye himself uses to effect a form of energy independence in his own home). The final part of Nye's argument, which runs throughout Unstoppable, is a call to younger readers, whom he calls "The Next Great Generation," to take up this challenge and solve it. Though they cannot stop global warming, they can slow its escalation and minimize its impact.Like Nye's previous book, Undeniable, this book focuses on big ideas and represents and appeal from the author directly to his readers to stop fearing or denying science because it only serves to hurt us as a society. His great sense of optimism and wit permeates every chapter so that even those portions that casual readers may find dull have their share of entertainment. As Nye proved on the Science Guy show, humor is an effective tool in education. That said, he is serious when the topic calls for it. Unstoppable should serve as a wake-up call to readers around the world to get actively engaged not only in petitioning their governments to do something about climate change, but to implement many of the small-scale ideas that Nye is already using in his own home. Together, we can change the world!