Misinformation and ignorance are amongst the greatest challenges when it comes to fighting climate change and protecting our future. Fossil fuel companies knew all the facts back in the 1970s, but instead of trying to prevent the disaster they foresaw, they have spent billions to mislead and confuse the public. And they have been very successful at it, costing us decades during which we could have taken action. As we speak, there are still many politicians in the UK who keep peddling the falsehood that net zero will ruin us, when in fact renewable energy is already much cheaper than energy derived from fossil fuels.
Knowledge is power. An informed public does not fall for the lies that right-wing populists and vested corporate interests want to feed them. One of the most effective things we can therefore do is to inform ourselves. This starts by reading not your social media feed, but trusted sources of quality journalism. And it continues by reading the right books.
Here are 3 that we recommend. They will be available at our book swap on May 10th at Swiss Cottage Library on a first-come, first-serve basis!
1. THERE IS NO PLANET B (Mike Berners-Lee)
If you read only one book on climate change, this should be it.
Extremely informative, it covers every aspect of human environmental impact in an entertaining and accessible – yet never patronising – style. Whilst he clearly holds those responsible to account, Berners-Lee is never militant or self-righteous and tries to find solutions that work. As an example, he does not dictate veganism to all, but acknowledges that in the west we need to collectively cut our meat consumption by half.
One of the strong points of the book is that he places enormous importance on wider values. There is a chapter on prison, which at first seems unusual in a book about the environment, but makes perfect sense once we realise that protecting the environment is not just about cutting emissions, but about the goals and values we consider worthwhile pursuing.
2. REGENESIS (George Monbiot)
When we think of soil, we instinctively think of dirt. Yet there is a gigantic microcosm, a whole universe of millions of organisms teeming in our soil that are vital to maintaining the ecosystem.
Monbiot describes this universe with passion and explains how conventional farming destroys our soil, pollutes the environment, and is unsustainable in the long run. He points to the importance of alternative farming methods to maintain soil health, and the necessity to re-wild large sections of farmland. He does this without pretending that there are simple solutions in a world that needs to provide more food to more people, using less land.
We also recommend looking at Monbiot’s other books and his regular writings in The Guardian.
3. NOT THE END OF THE WORLD (Hannah Ritchie)
When we provide only scaremongering and doomsday scenarios, the effect can often be the opposite of what we intended. Rather than action, we achieve inertia. People either go into full denial mode because they don’t want to face reality, or they are so overwhelmed with fear that it paralyses them (“It’s too late now anyway!”).
It’s therefore sometimes important to have a calm, reassuring, positive voice that puts things into perspective. Ritchie is just this voice. She is a data scientist and researcher at Oxford University and has over the last few years meticulously studied all the data to conclude that not everything is quite (and there needs to be a strong emphasis on ‘quite’) as bad as it seems. And that it is not too late to take action.
THE BOOK SWAP ON SATURDAY MAY 10TH AT SWISS COTTAGE LIBRARY: 11am- 3pm
How it works is really simple. You bring up to 5 of your own books and swap them for 5 books others have brought in. And of course, you get to meet us, other book swappers, and have a chat about anything you want to talk about!
(There might even be someone playing the piano in the foyer…)
To get things going at 11am we’ll have a good number of exciting titles on the shelf, ready to be taken and read.
Location: Swiss Cottage Library, Entrance Foyer, 88 Avenue Road, NW3 3HA
Time: 11am- 3pm
Get your invite here!
Get your ticket here!
Can’t wait to see you there,
Your Friends of the Earth Camden team