Clearing the Air

This pacey book is an antidote to the bewildering and contradictory arguments with which we are bombarded about climate change and net zero… A breath of fresh air * Sunday Times, Books of the Year *
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 – Pilita Clark * Financial Times Best Books of 2025 *
If you want clear facts about the pros and cons of tackling climate change, this is the book for you. If you are a prime minister leading the country on climate action, and needing all the arguments to refute opposers, this is also the book for you – Anthony Albanese * Guardian *
Rebuts 50 arguments against green technology with lively pragmatism and authority… refreshingly pragmatic and undoomy – Steven Poole * Guardian *
One of the clearest explanations of the climate challenge I’ve read… She’s realistic about the risks but grounded in data that shows real progress… a hopeful, fact-driven overview of where climate solutions stand – BILL GATES * Gates Notes *
Ritchie’s now trademark optimism shines through… the effect is powerful: you come away feeling informed and hopeful… in a world of fake news and political spin, this book is a breath of fresh air – Madeleine Cuff * New Scientist *
This is a book built out of short, simple sentences. And these short, simple sentences have a power. Reassuringly, they make it feel as if there is a clear, logical pathway to dealing with the climate crisis * Scotsman *
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
The best thing you can do for the climate is to read this book – now – MARK LYNAS, author of Six Degrees
This book is such a pleasure. Each question snaps another piece of the jigsaw puzzle satisfyingly into place, presenting a big picture that is vivid, accurate and hopeful. I learned so much – TIM HARFORD, author of How To Make The World Add Up

Dr Hannah Ritchie is Senior Researcher in the Programme for Global Development at the University of Oxford. She is also Deputy Editor at Our World in Data and has been awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Statistical Society. Her research appears regularly in The Economist, New York Times, Financial Times, BBC, WIRED and New Scientist. In 2022, Ritchie was named Scotland’s Youth Climate Champion and New Scientist called her ‘The woman who gave COVID-19 data to the world’. In 2024, she was selected by Prospect magazine as one of their ‘Top 25 Thinkers’.

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