The absence of “regular” human activities has dramatically affected our environment: Venice’s waters have returned to a sparkling blue colour in the absence of motorized boats and gondolas; deer have been spotted roaming cities in Italy; mountain goats recently took over a small seaside town in Wales; and, whales have taken advantage of the decreased boat traffic to return to roaming Vancouver’s harbours.
In this book “The Future is Now, Solving the Climate Crisis with Today's Technologies”, Bob McDonald turns his focus to global energy sources, and shows how the global shutdowns may have been exactly what we needed to show us that a greener future is achievable. This is not another “wake-up call” nor another plea to heed the climate science: this is an exploration of the incredible technologies that our species can use to get out of the mess we’ve made for ourselves. It is a work of immense optimism, to counteract the sense of doom that hangs over most discussions of the environment.
Many alternative energy sources such as wind, solar, and geothermal have been available for decades, but they alone will not be enough. Additional power will come from small nuclear reactors the size of an office desk, and space-based solar power satellites with enormous mirrors that can capture sunlight, convert it to microwaves, and beam it to the ground to light up entire cities. Energy will be captured from waves, tides, and hydrogen. Vehicles will no longer have tailpipes that emit smog particles. Food will be sourced locally. Green technology is one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy and will only continue to skyrocket as current products improve their performance and new products emerge. A new green age is upon us.
This presentation can be your guide to the future. Bob McDonald will be available to sign his book that will also be available to buy at the event.
Bob McDonald
Mr. McDonald is a Canadian author and science journalist. He is the national science commentator for CBC Television and CBC News Network. He has been the host of a weekly radio science show, Quirks & Quarks which draws approximately 800,000 listeners each week since 1992. Bob began his science communication career in 1972 as a demonstrator at the Ontario Science Centre. He watched live NASA's Voyager 2 space probe launch in California and upon his return he was in great demand to talk about the missions and eventually became the regular science correspondent for several shows. From 1986–1992, he was the host and one of the producers of Wonderstruck, a Gemini Award-winning science program for children. In 1992, he took over from Jay Ingram to become the host of the weekly CBC Radio science program "Quirks & Quarks". The show is among the most popular on the network and is also heard on Sirius XM Radio as well as a number of public radio stations in the United States. On September 8, 2005, McDonald premiered a new three-season, 39-part series on TVOntario called Heads Up!, which he both wrote and hosted. Heads Up! was nominated for Gemini Awards in 2006, and in again in 2008 for which he was awarded the Gemini for best host in a preschool, children's or youth program or series. McDonald has written a number of books including Wonderstruck, Wonderstruck II Measuring the Earth with a Stick: Science as I've Seen It (short-listed for the Canadian Science Writers Association book award), and most recently The Future is Now, Solving the Climate Crisis with Today's Technologies.
