While there are a few decent facts in this book, the creative use of statistics by the author leaves them in the category of "don't trust, verify" (to paraphrase a former American president). Although the authors continually flout their environmental credentials by accepting the reality behind global warming, their ties to the oil industry burst through loud and clear. In fact, it's the sort of book you would expect from people with one foot firmly planted in the Union for Concerned Scientists and the other firmly in the oil industry - a book that accepts a major problem as genuine, but touts a bunch of technologically unproven, and in some cases unlikely, fixes that leave the car culture basically intact. The conclusion that we can in fact support two billion cars sustainably can only be supported if you do like this duo, and reduce the entire environmental question down to one of emissions, and ignore all ecology that is unrelated to human convenience. I wish I had back the hours I spent reading it. ( )

With China and India poised to follow in the tire tracks of car-centric America and add hundreds of millions of greenhouse-gas-spewing internal combustion engines to our already poisoned planet the world we leave for our grandchildren looks grim indeed. One can only hope that the powers-that-be implement the solutions posited by this book, and very soon. ( )

A Definitive Guide

This is probably the most comprehensive and in-depth survey of the challenges of vehicle efficiencies, global warming, and alternative fuel technologies. The authors, Daniel Sperling and Deborah Gordon bring academic and real world policy experience -- the result is a balanced perspective with plenty of depth.

I really enjoyed how Sperling and Gordon explored the politics of Detroit, Big Oil, and the Ethanol lobby. But even better were the sections on California and China and the steps they are taking respectively to address the issue from both supply and demand perspectives.

The authors's conclusions probably appear too tempered for the radical environmentalists, they instead are pragmatic, and realistically achievable in the short-term leading to lasting long-term outcomes which is what we should be focusing on anyways. They are critical of singular approaches like the hype of cap-and-trade (Obama's current plan), carbon taxes, and ethanol. Instead, they advocate for more modest short-term goals such as progressive low-carbon fuel standards, vehicle performance standards, and transforming consumer habits through more incentives.

Overall, a fantastic read, a great primer on anyone wanted to educate themselves on the issues, and a realistic agenda to the challenges we face in the future. ( )

NOT a rant against pollution, necessarily; the authors acknowledge that cars aren't going anywhere, and are trying to formulate a plan for how to cope with the number of cars we will have in the not too distant future. One thing about this book - after you read it, the recent bailout of the big three auto manufacturers in the US will enrage you, even more than it may have already. Sperling and Gordon do not look favorably on the auto industry's practices in recent years, and show how both the industry and the unions are to blame for their current problems. ( )