''One of the finest writers of his generation'' Financial Times Before the 18th century, every single nutmeg in the world originated around a group of small volcanic islands east of Java, known as the Banda Islands. As the nutmeg made its way across the known world, they became immensely valuable - in 16th century Europe, just a handful could buy a house. It was not long before European traders became conquerors, and the indigenous Bandanese communities - and the islands themselves - would pay a high price for access to this precious commodity. Yet the bloody fate of the Banda Islands forewarns of a threat to our present day. Amitav Ghosh argues that the nutmeg''s violent trajectory from its native islands is revealing of a wider colonial mindset which justifies the exploitation of human life and the natural environment, and which dominates geopolitics to this day. Written against the backdrop of the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests, and interweaving discussions on everything from climate change, the migrant crisis, and the animist spirituality of indigenous communities around the world, The Nutmeg''s Curse offers a sharp critique of Western society, and reveals the profoundly remarkable ways in which human history is shaped by non-human forces.
When students David Nelles and Christian Serrer struggled to find a book that explained the nuts and bolts of climate change in a way that was comprehensive, concise and enjoyable to read, they decided to write it themselves. With meticulous research corroborated by over 100 scientists, Small Gases, Big Effect summarises all the latest findings on the causes and effects of climate change. Combining clear, thoughtful writing with illuminating graphics, it is a little book that presents complex scientific evidence in a way that everyone will find easy to understand.
The author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Forest Unseen visits with natures most magnificent networkers -- trees Both a love song to trees, an exploration of their biology, and a wonderfully philosophical analysis of their role they play in human history and in modern culture. Science Friday WINNER OF THE 2018 JOHN BURROUGHS MEDAL FOR OUTSTANDING NATURAL HISTORY WRITING David Haskell has won acclaim for eloquent writing and deep engagement with the natural world. Now, he brings his powers of observation to the biological networks that surround all species, including humans. Haskell repeatedly visits a dozen trees, exploring connections with people, microbes, fungi, and other plants and animals. He takes us to trees in cities (from Manhattan to Jerusalem), forests (Amazonian, North American, and boreal) and areas on the front lines of environmental change (eroding coastlines, burned mountainsides, and war zones.) In each place he shows how human history, ecology, and well-being are intimately intertwined with the lives of trees. Scientific, lyrical, and contemplative, Haskell reveals the biological connections that underpin all life. In a world beset by barriers, he reminds us that lifes substance and beauty emerge from relationship and interdependence.
Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, shares what he has learnt in over a decade of studying climate change and investing in innovations to address climate problems. He explains how the world can work to build the tools it needs to get to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions - investing in research, inventing new technologies and deploying them quickly at a large scale. Gates is optimistic that the world can prevent the worst impacts of the climate crisis. This is a visionary and inspiring book by one of the world's most celebrated public figures.
A Radical Guide to Thinking Differently About the World and Initiating Change In 2013, Lily Cole was aware that change was needed in the world - big change. Global warming had reached terrifying heights of severity, human expansion and development had seen the extinction of countless species, and Neoliberalism and led to a destructive divide in wealth and to a polarisation of mainstream politics. And she believed that, in the face of such a gloomy predicament, the answer lay in optimism. Taking inspiration from altruism-based communities, she launched Impossible, a platform (Impossible People) for people to give their time and skills to help others. Impossible has since evolved into an incubator and innovator, which uses design and technology to help solve social and environmental issues. Reasons for Optimism draws together Lily's knowledge, the experiences which led her to Impossible, and everything she has learned from the enterprise. In it she describes how we can build stronger communities, invest in sustainable solutions and ultimately divest ourselves of the enormous burden represented by capitalism and our current monetary system. Full of practical tips to help you instigate change, from how to build a community library to share books and knowledge, to how to launch a social network like Impossible, Reasons for Optimism is a radical vision for a new and better world.
How Bad Are Bananas? was a groundbreaking book when first published in 2009, when most of us were hearing the phrase 'carbon footprint' for the first time. Mike Berners-Lee set out to inform us what was important (aviation, heating, swimming pools) and what made very little difference (bananas, naturally packaged, are good!). This new edition updates all the figures (from data centres to hosting a World Cup) and introduces many areas that have become a regular part of modern life - Twitter, the Cloud, Bitcoin, electric bikes and cars, even space tourism. Berners-Lee runs a considered eye over each area and gives us the figures to manage and reduce our own carbon footprint, as well as to lobby our companies, businesses and government. His findings, presented in clear and even entertaining prose, are often surprising. And they are essential if we are to address climate change.
Empowering the Greta Thunberg generation to change fast fashion With the Covid-19 global lockdown and a call to action from David Attenborough in Blue Planet II making everyone re-evaluate the relationship they have with the natural world, it has never been so important to consider the impact our clothing choices have on the planet. Shake up the fashion world by taking action as conscious consumers and active citizens. We have the power to collectively change the world with a change of clothes! In the UK alone, over a million tonnes of clothes are thrown away each year and around £140 million worth of clothes head to landfill. Learn how to love your clothes by reusing, swapping and mending what you already have and discover how to choose wisely when you do buy something new. This practical, positive and empowering book will open eyes to the impact our clothing choices have on people and the planet and empower children to demand answers to questions and take action.
@00000400@This is the story of a family led to confront a crisis they had never foreseen. Aged eleven, their eldest daughter has stopped eating and speaking. Alongside diagnoses of autism and selective mutism, her parents slowly become aware of another source for her distress: her imperilled future on a rapidly heating planet. @00000163@@00000400@Steered by her determination to understand the truth, the family begins to see the deep connections between their own and the planet's suffering. Against forces that try to silence them, disparaging them for being different, they discover ways to strengthen, heal, and act in the world. And then one day, fifteen-year-old Greta decides to go on strike.@00000163@
Jonathan Safran Foer is the author of Everything Is Illuminated , Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close , Eating Animals and Here I Am . He has also edited a new modern edition of the sacred Jewish Haggadah . Everything Is Illuminated won several literary prizes, including the National Jewish Book Award and the Guardian First Book Award. He edited the anthology A Convergence of Birds: Original Fiction and Poetry Inspired by the Work of Joseph Cornell , and his stories have been published in the Paris Review , Conjunctions and the New Yorker . Jonathan Safran Foer teaches Creative Writing at New York University.
Extinction Rebellion are inspiring a whole generation to take action on climate breakdown. Now you can become part of the movement - and together, we can make history. It's time. This is our last chance to do anything about the global climate and ecological emergency. Our last chance to save the world as we know it. Now or never, we need to be radical. We need to rise up. And we need to rebel. Extinction Rebellion is a global activist movement of ordinary people, demanding action from Governments. This is a book of truth and action. It has facts to arm you, stories to empower you, pages to fill in and pages to rip out, alongside instructions on how to rebel - from organising a roadblock to facing arrest. By the time you finish this book you will have become an Extinction Rebellion activist. Act now before it's too late.
