In this highly accessible read, Tim Berners-Lee aims to
demystify the world of carbon footprints and give the reader an 'instinct for
carbon', similar to most peoples' instinct for money. In the same way that you
know that a car costs a lot more to buy than a chocolate bar, Berners-Lee sets
out how everyday objects and activities relate to each other in terms of their
global warming impact, commonly described as carbon footprints.
The book begins with a quick introduction to the measurement
(or more realistically the estimation) of carbon footprints and then runs
through a list of objects and activities ranging from the humble banana to a
nuclear war. Each item is given a range of figures for its carbon footprint
depending on how it is made, transported, stored and consumed or disposed of. These
figures are then discussed in light detail.
‘How Bad Are Bananas?’ has a few eye-opening findings. It
seems that rice production is surprisingly carbon intensive and the milk in a
cup of tea can have as much carbon impact as growing, harvesting, storing and
transporting the tea leaves then supplying and heating fresh water. There are
also contentious statements, although Berners-Lee is quite open about his
arithmetic and presents his work throughout as a first attempt rather than a
definitive account.
The book's real strength is in doing exact what it sets to do.
Whether you read it cover to cover or dip in and out of the subjects most
relevant to you, ‘How Bad Are Bananas?’ will leave you with an appreciation of the
complexity of carbon footprints and the beginnings of the ‘instinct for carbon’
that Berners-Lee argues will be so vital in the future.
A lecture by the author, Mike Berners-Lee can also be found
on Youtube. The presentation neatly summarises the idea behind the book and
explores some of the findings.
This book is unlikely to have an immediate impact on your
behaviour as a designer, a developer or a consumer. Nonetheless, we recommend
it as an excellent primer on carbon footprints, which continue to grow in the
public consciousness.