Clearing the Air by Hannah Ritchie - Non Fiction - Hardback

Details:
Condition: BRAND NEW
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9781784745745
Publisher: Chatto & Windus

Overview:
In Clearing the Air, Oxford researcher and Our World in Data deputy editor Hannah Ritchie tackles fifty of the most pressing climate questions with clarity and evidence rather than alarm. Rather than adding to the noise of conflicting headlines, this hardback distils years of rigorous data analysis into plain-spoken answers on energy, food, transport, and policy. The result is a refreshingly hopeful, solutions-focused read for anyone who wants to understand the climate crisis without wading through jargon or despair, and to act with genuine confidence.

About the Book:
Clearing the Air is structured around fifty concise, reader-driven questions that cut straight to what people actually want to know about climate change: Is it too late to act? Will we run out of critical minerals? Should I feel guilty about flying? Ritchie answers each with careful reference to global data, historical trends, and credible research, avoiding both doom-laden pessimism and complacent optimism. Her background as a scientist and data communicator shines through in how she untangles competing claims, correcting common misconceptions while acknowledging genuine uncertainties. The book moves fluidly between big-picture systems—energy grids, agriculture, industrial emissions—and everyday decisions like home heating, diet, and travel choices, showing how individual actions intersect with policy and technology. Praised on release as a Financial Times and New Statesman Best Book, and highlighted by Bill Gates as one of the clearest explanations of the climate challenge available, it has quickly become a touchstone for readers seeking a calm, evidence-based voice in a polarised debate. Ritchie doesn't shy away from complexity, but she consistently returns to a central, hopeful message: meaningful progress is already happening, and further progress is achievable if we focus effort where it counts. Whether you are a student encountering climate science for the first time, a parent fielding difficult questions from children, or simply a concerned citizen tired of conflicting news coverage, this book offers a trustworthy reference you can return to again and again as new headlines emerge.

Key Benefits:

• Data-driven climate answers from a leading Oxford researcher
• 50 clear, focused questions covering energy, food, and policy
• Hopeful, solutions-oriented tone rather than doom and gloom
• Praised by Bill Gates and named a Best Book of 2025
• Ideal for students, professionals, and climate-curious readers
• A thoughtful gift for anyone who wants facts over fear

About the Author:
Dr Hannah Ritchie is Senior Researcher in the Programme for Global Development at the University of Oxford and Deputy Editor at Our World in Data, where she communicates complex research to a global audience. She holds an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Statistical Society, and her work appears regularly in The Economist, New York Times, Financial Times, BBC, WIRED, and New Scientist. In 2022 she was named Scotland's Youth Climate Champion, and in 2024 Prospect magazine named her among its Top 25 Thinkers.

Why You'll Love This Book:
A calm, credible antidote to climate doom-scrolling, packed with real data and genuinely useful answers. Perfect for anyone who wants clarity over confusion, and hope grounded firmly in evidence rather than wishful thinking.

Please Note: Cover may vary slightly; this is the UK edition hardback as shown, with UK ISBN 9781784745745.