What are these ten technologies? Here's what you'll find in this book:

INTRODUCTION
Goodall sets out his realistic viewpoint that we’re not going to convince everyone to alter their lifestyles to save the environment. We should invest in technologies that can work together to reduce carbon output while still fulfilling the world’s energy needs. The shift to these technologies will not be without obstacles, but they are not beyond our reach.

1. CAPTURING THE WIND: CLEAN POWER THAT’S MORE RELIABLE THAN YOU’D THINK
After infrastructure to harness wind power is set up, wind energy is basically free. Concerns that wind farms are unsightly and unreliable can be addressed by developing offshore wind farms and by combining wind technology with the other energy sources discussed in the book.

2. SOLAR ENERGY: ENOUGH TO POWER THE WORLD MANY TIMES OVER
Solar collectors on less than 1 per cent of unused land could match the energy output of all of the world’s fossil fuels. Because it makes sense to use solar collectors in areas of the world that are the hottest, such as deserts, and because they can be installed on rooftops, harnessing solar power doesn’t put pressure on food-producing land.

3. ELECTRICITY FROM THE OCEANS: TAPPING TIDES, WAVES AND CURRENTS
Marine energy is a denser source of electricity than wind, and although it is cyclical, the tides are predictable. Much of the technology can exploit infrastructure currently being used for offshore oil drilling. Technology is also being developed to exploit temperature gradients in the ocean. North America is well poised to use marine energy owing to its vast coastline.

4. COMBINED HEAT AND POWER: FUEL CELLS AND DISTRICT HEATING
Today’s power plants burn fuel for electricity and release heat as waste; the electricity is then often used to heat homes—this process is clearly wasteful. By using microgenerators and fuel cells near homes, the heat from the generation process goes directly into warming the living space. District heating plants, whose main aim is creating heat that can be funnelled to homes in the neighbourhood but which also generate some usable electricity, is another possible technology combining heat and power.

5. SUPER-EFFICIENT HOMES: PASSIVHAUS AND ECO-RENOVATIONS
Climate control—heating and cooling homes and offices—may ultimately contribute more carbon to the atmosphere than driving. The passivhaus movement, already going strong in Germany and other parts of Europe, encourages building air-tight, very well insulated structures that do not require additional heating apart from the sun and the heat generated by the building’s occupants and appliances. Retrofitting existing buildings to approach or meet passivhaus standards makes financial sense to homeowners in the short term, and so the technology should encounter less resistance than other proposed solutions.

6. ELECTRIC CARS: THE INEVITABLE SWITCH TO BATTERY PROPULSION
Despite the environmental movement’s push for better transit and self-propelled transportation, people are unlikely to stop driving their cars. The transition to the electric car is already happening, with hybrids and such imminent releases as the Chevrolet Volt. A car running on electricity makes the most sense of the proposed alternatives to fossil fuel–powered vehicles. Goodall discusses the current and emerging technologies to decrease cost and increase efficiency and power of electric cars.

7. MOTOR FUELS FROM CELLULOSE: SECOND-GENERATION BIOFUELS
First-generation biofuels―involving ethanol from corn and other foodstuffs―have gained a bad reputation because they compete with food production and put pressure on land. Second-generation biofuels exploits thermal and chemical processes to break down cellulose—available in all plant waste materials, such as coconut husks and straw―into ethanol.

8. CAPTURING CARBON: CLEAN COAL, ALGAE AND SCRUBBING THE AIR
The technology to capture carbon dioxide from the combustion process, then liquefy and store it underground in aquifers, has been tested but is expensive and may require government tax incentives to kick-start. Another option is to use algae to extract carbon from the atmosphere through biofixation, an added advantage being that certain algae can produce oils suitable for biofuel. Techniques to use high-tech materials to extract carbon dioxide directly from the air, so-called ambient scrubbing, are also being tested.

9. BIOCHAR: SEQUESTERING CARBON AS CHARCOAL
Making charcoal from woody materials not only permanently locks carbon in a stable form, but the charcoal can also be used to increase the productivity of soil for agriculture. This technology doesn’t require much investment in either money or skill and is perfect for developing communities.

10. SOIL AND FORESTS: IMPROVING THE PLANET’S CARBON SINKS
The soil and vegetation are excellent carbon sinks, but their effectiveness has been compromised by deforestation and poor agricultural practices. By moving away from factory farming and toward zero-till cultivation, and by better controlling grazing to preserve topsoil, we can mitigate our damage and begin to take steps to lock up some of the carbon we’ve released.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER: ARE THE TEN TECHNOLOGIES ENOUGH TO SAVE THE PLANET?
Goodall crunches the numbers and shows how much of the world’s energy demands can be met by implementing the ten technologies together in complementary and supportive ways. Although they will not eliminate carbon emissions, they go a long way to help countries meet their targets to reduce their carbon footprint.

EPILOGUE
Goodall acknowledges that the technologies will carry a large initial cost, but they are nascent and will become more affordable with time. He emphasizes the need for governments to establish sound taxation policies to encourage their development. He also considers some additional technologies, including nuclear power and geoengineering, and explains why they did not make it into this book.