Renewable fuels alone can’t stop climate change

In discussions about climate change, many people seem to think the only real problem is replacing fossil fuels, and once that's done nothing much really needs to change. 'That's not only false, it's a really dangerous way of thinking,' said Karen Pinkus, professor of Romance studies and comparative literature in the College of Arts and Sciences. Her new book, 'Fuel: A Speculative Dictionary,' works to undo the assumption that all we have to do is scale up renewable fuels on the free market 'and then everything will be rainbows and unicorns,' she said. 'Climate change is terrifyingly heterogeneous and complex, from the long timescales of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to the knots binding capitalism and fossil fuels; from inequality to massive global disruption. Now more than ever, the idea that conservation or virtuous consumerism of 'good fuels' can make a difference is simply delusional.' Pinkus chose a dictionary format for her book as a way of undercutting the certainty people feel after reading traditional narratives of hope or despair.