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*NATIONAL BESTSELLER*

“An optimistic book that looks at existing technologies and how they can be used now to address the environmental emergency.” —Vancouver Sun

Saving our planet is not only possible—it’s possible now.

Look around you. Everything that powers up, gets warm, or moves uses energy. All we have to do is gather it up and put it to work. And that’s the good news: we already have the technology we need to capture the free energy of the sun, wind, ocean waves, and the heat of Earth itself.

The bad news isn’t news anymore. Climate change is no longer something for future generations to worry about or in far-off places like the Arctic where polar bears are affected. It’s a clear and present danger with record-high temperatures, wildfires, and water supplies dwindling. Climate change is here now—but so are the sustainable technologies we need to solve it.

Alternative energy sources such as wind, solar, and geothermal alone may not be enough, but additional power can come from innovative new places: small nuclear reactors the size of an office desk, or space-based solar power satellites that can capture sunlight, convert it to microwaves, and beam it to the ground. Here, Bob McDonald turns his focus to global energy sources to show us that a greener future is achievable.

The Future Is Now is a work of immense optimism that counteracts the sense of doom hanging over most discussions about the environment. A new green age is upon us—let this book be your guide to the future.

About the Author

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BOB MCDONALD has been the host of CBC Radio’s Quirks & Quarks since 1992. He is a regular science commentator on CBC's News Network and a science correspondent for CBC TV’s The National. His book Measuring the Earth with a Stick was shortlisted for the Canadian Science Writers Association Book Award. He has been honoured with the 2001 Michael Smith Award for Science Promotion from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; the 2002 Sandford Fleming Medal from The Royal Canadian Institute; and the 2005 McNeil Medal for the Public Awareness of Science from the Royal Society of Canada. In November 2011, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Praise For…

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One of: 
CBC’s “27 Canadian books we can't wait to read in September”
CBC’s “60 works of Canadian nonfiction to watch for in fall 2022”
Toronto Star's “40-plus books we’re most looking forward to this season”
The Globe and Mail’s “Best books to gift this year [2022]”
Corporate Knights’ “Four solution-packed books about climate change you need to read this fall”

“Bob McDonald uses the global industrial shutdowns brought on by COVID-19 to show that a green future is possible – and upon us. McDonald explores the usual alternative energy sources, but also introduces readers to new ones, including desk-sized nuclear reactors, space-based solar power satellites, and energy from waves, tides, and hydrogen.”
—Quill & Quire

“McDonald takes the reader on a bit of an energy safari . . . showing off some of humanity’s impressive achievements and explaining how they’ll all fit together in a green future . . . making science easily digestible. [T]he book is packed with optimism.”
—Corporate Knights

“The Future is Now is not another wake-up call, but rather an optimistic book that looks at existing technologies and how they can be used now to address the environmental emergency.”
—Vancouver Sun