This book is written to help people make sense of the discussion on climate change. In particular on the question of whether we can solve this problem. It is now generally accepted that our climate has changed and that it will further change due to our fossil fuel based economy, our transformation of the planet's surface, and the increasing number of people and their increasing wealth. But the confusion about the solutions is increasing.

Some people believe the only way is to change our way of life drastically. Give up our cars, give up our central heating, no more air travel. ‘Back to the middle ages’ so to speak. Some people believe that technology will give us abundant CO2 free energy at low cost in the near future. Others think nuclear power is the only solution, because renewable energy and energy efficiency will never reduce CO2 emissions strongly enough. For almost every possible solution to keep climate change under control there are problems to overcome. Biofuels can threaten food production and precious nature. Preserving forests may compete with land needed for food production. Wind turbines spoil the landscape. Nuclear reactors produce radioactive waste and increase the risk of proliferation of nuclear weapons. Capturing and storing CO2 from coal fired power plants would make continued coal use compatible with stringent climate policy, but that would imply continuation of coal mining with its accidents and its air pollution. Energy efficient lamps seduce people to light up the garden.