When you look at the world through the lens of upfront carbon, everything changes

The astonishing upfront carbon of everyday objects from coffee cups to heat pumps, and why electric bikes, not electric cars, are the answer.

Think that buying an electric car or switching to a heat pump is going to save the planet? Think again.

Upfront carbon refers to all emissions involved in making your car, your home, or any other item. These invisible embodied carbon emissions matter a lot. As we weed out fossils fuels and incorporate more renewables into our energy supply, upfront carbon becomes increasingly dominant compared to operating emissions, yet it is often ignored.

By focusing on consumption rather than production, The Story of Upfront Carbon covers:

• Why we are fixated on energy efficiency, not carbon, and why this needs to change
• Why carbon calculations are so fiendishly difficult
• How the simple idea of sufficiency for individuals and whole economies is a powerful strategy to avert looming climate catastrophe
• How big-picture thinking and a systemic approach to production can help guide the transition to degrowth and an equitable, zero-carbon society.

Leavened with wit and packed with concrete strategies for minimizing the ecological footprint of transportation, agriculture, consumer goods, the built environment, and more, this highly readable and accessible guide is required reading for a world on the brink.

AWARDS

• DISTINGUISHED FAVORITE 2025 Independent Press Award: Social/Political Change

Stop thinking about efficiency and start thinking about sufficiency

Living the 1.5 Degree Lifestyle reveals the carbon cost of everything we do, identifying where we can make big reductions, while not sweating the small stuff.

The international scientific consensus is that we have less than a decade to drastically slash our collective carbon emissions to keep global heating to 1.5 degrees and avert catastrophe. This means that many of us have to cut our individual carbon footprints by over 80% to 2.5 tonnes per person per year by 2030. But where to start?

Drawing on Lloyd Alter's journey to track his daily carbon emissions and live the 1.5 degree lifestyle, coverage includes:

• What it looks like to live a rich and truly green life
• From take-out food, to bikes and cars, to your internet usage - finding the big wins, ignoring the trivial, and spotting marketing ploys
• The invisible embodied carbon baked into everything we own and why electric cars aren't the answer
• How to start thinking about sufficiency rather than efficiency
• The roles of individuals versus governments and corporations.

Grounded in meticulous research and yet accessible to all, Living the 1.5 Degree Lifestyle is a journey toward a life of quality over quantity, and sufficiency over efficiency, as we race to save our only home from catastrophic heating.