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Hope in Hell: A Decade to Confront the Climate Emergency
‘Brave and unflinching in setting out the reality of the hell towards which we’re headed, but even more urgent, passionate and compelling about the grounds for hope if we change course fast enough, Hope in Hell is a powerful call to arms from one of Britain’s most eloquent and trusted campaigners.’ Caroline Lucas, MP
'Extraordinarily powerful, deeply troubling, scathing but ultimately purposeful and hopeful. This book is a clarion call to action, and action now. After reading this, we know for sure that nothing, not even a pandemic, must divert us from the most serious problem facing every living creature on the planet. In plain language, Jonathon Porritt is spelling it out. This is our last chance. Read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest. Then act.' Michael Morpurgo
Climate change is the defining issue of our time - we know, beyond reasonable doubt, what that science now tells us. Just as climate change is accelerating, so too must we – summoning up a greater sense of urgency, courage and shared endeavour than humankind has ever seen before.
The Age of Climate Change is an age of most extreme this, biggest that, most costly ever. The impacts worsen every year, played out in people’s backyards and communities, and more and more people around the world now realise this is going to be a massive challenge for the rest of their lives. In Hope in Hell, Porritt confronts that dilemma head on. He believes we have time to do what needs to be done, but only if we move now – and move together. In this ultimately optimistic book, he explores all these reasons to be new technology; the power of innovation; the mobilisation of young people – and a sense of intergenerational solidarity as older generations come to understand their own obligation to secure a safer world for their children and grandchildren.
'Extraordinarily powerful, deeply troubling, scathing but ultimately purposeful and hopeful. This book is a clarion call to action, and action now. After reading this, we know for sure that nothing, not even a pandemic, must divert us from the most serious problem facing every living creature on the planet. In plain language, Jonathon Porritt is spelling it out. This is our last chance. Read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest. Then act.' Michael Morpurgo
Climate change is the defining issue of our time - we know, beyond reasonable doubt, what that science now tells us. Just as climate change is accelerating, so too must we – summoning up a greater sense of urgency, courage and shared endeavour than humankind has ever seen before.
The Age of Climate Change is an age of most extreme this, biggest that, most costly ever. The impacts worsen every year, played out in people’s backyards and communities, and more and more people around the world now realise this is going to be a massive challenge for the rest of their lives. In Hope in Hell, Porritt confronts that dilemma head on. He believes we have time to do what needs to be done, but only if we move now – and move together. In this ultimately optimistic book, he explores all these reasons to be new technology; the power of innovation; the mobilisation of young people – and a sense of intergenerational solidarity as older generations come to understand their own obligation to secure a safer world for their children and grandchildren.
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Published June 25, 2020
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About the author
Jonathon Porritt
45 books17 followersJonathon Porritt, Co-Founder of Forum for the Future, is an eminent writer, broadcaster and campaigner on sustainable development. Established in 1996, Forum for the Future is now the UK's leading sustainable development charity, with 70 staff and over 100 partner organisations, including some of the world's leading companies.
In addition, Jonathon is President of Population Matters, President of The Conservation Volunteers and a Director of Collectively (an online platform celebrating sustainable innovation). He was formerly Director of Friends of the Earth (1984-90), co-chair of the Green Party (1980-83), of which he is still a member, a Trustee of World Wildlife Fund UK (1991-2005) and between 2000-2009 he was Chair of the UK Sustainable Development Commission, providing high-level advice to Government Ministers. Jonathon was installed as the Chancellor of Keele University in February 2012 and he received a CBE in January 2000 for services to environmental protection.
In addition, Jonathon is President of Population Matters, President of The Conservation Volunteers and a Director of Collectively (an online platform celebrating sustainable innovation). He was formerly Director of Friends of the Earth (1984-90), co-chair of the Green Party (1980-83), of which he is still a member, a Trustee of World Wildlife Fund UK (1991-2005) and between 2000-2009 he was Chair of the UK Sustainable Development Commission, providing high-level advice to Government Ministers. Jonathon was installed as the Chancellor of Keele University in February 2012 and he received a CBE in January 2000 for services to environmental protection.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
July 7, 2020
Meticulous and forceful arguments underpin the sombre conclusion of the author - we really are in the last decade that will enable us to make the changes necessary to ensure there's a planet available for future generations. As described, this really is a social question rather than a science question. Porritt's call to arms resonates with the magnitude of the issue facing us.
November 24, 2020
An absolutely up-to-date to the minute book on climate change, covering the effects of coronavirus on the economy as well as broader and more long-term events of the efforts to stop climate change.
I found the analysis of the future of the economy and profit models of businesses as they adjust to climate change really interesting, from the perspective of someone with no education in Economics or Business at all - very easy to understand, and made some difficult concepts which I'd been questioning very clear.
I also found the focus on China's very helpful, and this was an approach I haven't seen before in any of the (many!) non-fiction books on climate change I've read recently.
The book also credits other writers for big ideas, many of which stood out to me on reading books such as THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING, THE UNINHABITABLE EARTH and DRAWDOWN. I was particularly pleased to see Drawdown credited with the hugely important emphasis needed on women's rights as a huge contributor to climate solutions.
Incredibly informative, valuable, and something that should be give out to all citizens.
The audiobook was great - I listened to it at 1.75x speed, as it was quite slow, but the speaker was clear and made difficult concepts easy to understand though pauses and careful enunciation.
I found the analysis of the future of the economy and profit models of businesses as they adjust to climate change really interesting, from the perspective of someone with no education in Economics or Business at all - very easy to understand, and made some difficult concepts which I'd been questioning very clear.
I also found the focus on China's very helpful, and this was an approach I haven't seen before in any of the (many!) non-fiction books on climate change I've read recently.
The book also credits other writers for big ideas, many of which stood out to me on reading books such as THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING, THE UNINHABITABLE EARTH and DRAWDOWN. I was particularly pleased to see Drawdown credited with the hugely important emphasis needed on women's rights as a huge contributor to climate solutions.
Incredibly informative, valuable, and something that should be give out to all citizens.
The audiobook was great - I listened to it at 1.75x speed, as it was quite slow, but the speaker was clear and made difficult concepts easy to understand though pauses and careful enunciation.
August 5, 2020
Hope in Hell covers a very broad range of climate related issues and gives a good clear introduction to all the major issues and concepts. The discussion of the depth of the problem itself feels like the dominant theme of the book so it's probably a good choice for anyone not entirely convinced that we all need to take action or that the crisis is truly so severe. The issues covered also extend to social and political issues and the rise of the far right and populism, since this is closely associated with science denial and this seems an important point to include.
There is discussion around reasons for hope and a lot of the potential solutions are discussed although perhaps not in the detail I was hoping for, I do feel though that there's a lot of further reading I can jump into from here and I definitely intend to do so.
Whilst the audiobook does make the material easier to consume, the narrator didn't feel as passionate about the content as the author clearly is and I found myself wanting to bookmark sections to revisit later so if you can fit in reading the ebook or print version easily then that might be better.
Overall I'd recommend it because even if you're familiar with some of the themes here, you'll probably still find enough of interest to make it worthwhile.
There is discussion around reasons for hope and a lot of the potential solutions are discussed although perhaps not in the detail I was hoping for, I do feel though that there's a lot of further reading I can jump into from here and I definitely intend to do so.
Whilst the audiobook does make the material easier to consume, the narrator didn't feel as passionate about the content as the author clearly is and I found myself wanting to bookmark sections to revisit later so if you can fit in reading the ebook or print version easily then that might be better.
Overall I'd recommend it because even if you're familiar with some of the themes here, you'll probably still find enough of interest to make it worthwhile.
November 5, 2020
Really informative and up to date (coronavirus is referred to) summary of Climate Change issues written in an easy to read style. I was particularly interested in the progress in renewables which China is making which I knew nothing of before. Did think that the book strayed into areas that it didn't need to (still relevant but not necessarily as part of this book) towards the end - discussing slavery, women's rights etc and the need for radical action including civil disobedience. Nevertheless a must read if you want to understand more about Climate Change, where we are at and how little time we have to take action that will make a difference.
August 31, 2021
Now this one is a tough one for me… Obviously climate change is an extremely important and scary topic which we need to be educating more people on as soon as possible, but I just don’t think this book was for me. I’ve never read anything like it before and I just found it really quite hard to read and take in. There is A LOT of information in this book (which rightfully a book like this should have and I am not knocking it in any way) but for me it was just very difficult to understand and felt as though I was reading someone’s dissertation. I won’t be giving this book a rating as my personal preference of writing style should not discourage you from reading this book as it is extremely important and filled with very vital information. I did definitely learn something from this book however and I will definitely be making more conscious efforts to make changes to help climate change and the environment.
March 1, 2021
Climate Change Is a Civilizational Issue
Sample these facts and news:
1. A third of all insects are endangered. Their mass is falling 2.5% a year.
2. Himalayan glaciers, reports Science Advances, are melting twice as fast as before 2000.
3. In March 2020, acclimatized to the Canadian air, climate scholar, Roomana Hukil’s mother dies due to air pollution in Delhi.
4. Oxfam reports that between 1990 and 2015, the richest 10% accounted for 52% of carbon emissions. The richest one percent, during the same time, accounted for 15%.
5. Over the past few decades, each day, the extra heat that our carbon dioxide emissions trap inside the atmosphere is equal to 400,000 Hiroshima-sized bombs.
Never seen these facts as ‘Breaking News’? There’s an explanation for that. According to Media Matters for America, the combined coverage of climate change issues in 2019 on all news channels in the USA was 238 minutes, which approximates to four hours. And we wonder why teenagers skipped schools to observe ‘Fridays for Future’ or why 212, a record, environmental activists were killed in 2019.
In his latest book, Hope in Hell: A Decade to Confront the Climate Emergency (Simon & Schuster, U.K., 2020), the U.K.-based green activist Jonathon Porritt writes that “experts have been warning of new diseases emerging from wild animals since 1960.” According to him, “the climate change shall risk human lives in danger more than the current [COVID-19] pandemic.”
He also writes that climate change is “a civilizational issue, rather than an environmental issue, going right to the heart of today’s growth-obsessed economy, challenging our very understanding of what we mean by progress.”
Still Porritt argues that we’re just-in-time. Hope, of course, can drive us out of adversity, but it’s the ‘shiny optimism,’ warns Porritt, that renders us actionless.
He writes, “Optimists think it will all be fine without our involvement; pessimists take the opposite position; both excuse themselves from acting.” Echoing the thoughts of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, according to whom, “Hope is something that you create, with your actions.”
Optimism and pessimism are couched or conveyed through language, which is key in determining how one acts, where, and by how much. Porritt cites Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World — and Why Things Are Better Than You Think as a case-in-point.
In Factfulness, Roslings (authors) write that the area of earth’s surface protected as national parks or reserves has increased to 14.7% in 2016 from next to nothing in 1940. This is true but isn’t the complete truth. He argues that Roslings cleverly ignore the “counterbalance that a huge number of these protected areas are being systematically encroached on by illegal settlers and developers.”
Misleading reports that cite example such as “40% of world is fueled by fossil fuels” do little to inform the people about the imminent danger to the environment. These cold-hard facts must have got you thinking: Have we lost the battle? Not yet.
Reasons to be hopeful
Porritt, in a series of chapters, enthuses the readers with hope for a better tomorrow. Some exciting news are summarized below:
1. Twenty-five percent of world’s electricity is renewables driven. It can come close to 100% by 2035 if capital is raised to invest in technology.
2. The Bank of America predicts that electric vehicles will account for 40% of all car sales in the USA by 2030.
3. Major corporates are going 100% renewable. For example, Microsoft and SAP have been using 100% renewable electricity since 2014.
4. Several cities in the North America are taking the five biggest oil companies to court, demanding that they should each pay 2% of the costs associated with protecting their communities from rising sea levels.
And informs us of several fronts where immediate action is required. According to Porritt’s assessment, we need to:
a. Cut emissions by 7.6% every year throughout this decade.
b. Declare climate emergency to raise awareness.
c. Reduce the number of vehicles produced every year by dis-incentivizing private ownership of cars.
d. Move to car-sharing schemes, community taxis and first-class public transport by prioritizing an urban infrastructure.
e. Promote walking and cycling.
f. Stop or reduce consumption of meat, as livestock industry is a massive net contributor to today’s climate emergency.
Action needs to be state-driven
In 2015, Under the Dome, a documentary on worsening air pollution in China by investigative journalist Chai Jing went viral. It was censored a few months after its release. The Chinese government looked way too concerned about the ‘image’ and not the problem at hand. Image problems are very crucial to the dear leader back home as well.
Porritt writes, Stephen Salter, Emeritus Professor of Engineering Design at the University of Edinburgh, told the UK’s Environment Audit Committee that he had already “put together plans for remotely operated vessels capable of injecting huge amounts of saltwater into cloud formations during the Arctic summer.” The experiment was aimed at reducing the amount of solar radiations reaching the earth’s surface by making the clouds ‘super-reflexive’. He needed 200 million pounds for the trial for over a two-year period.
Upon being rejected, Salter reminded the committee, “[In] 2017, 200 million pounds is roughly the price that Paris St-Germain paid for the Brazilian footballer Neymar earlier that year.”
Porritt isn’t playing with our sentiments, he’s just laying out what our priorities are. To conduct trials of experiments that can save the earth require capital, and more than that they need to be fueled by political will and commitment to preserve the environment. Setting up a committee to monitor and produce ungainly reports are not correct measures to combat climate change.
Actions to rectify climate change need to be state-driven. Governments across the world must stop waging a war at its own citizens and siding with profit-making enterprises. They must take notice that our earth needs their undivided attention and a cohesive plan of action lest it’s too late. An actionable book like Hope in Hell can serve as a roadmap for their combat plans.
This review was first published on Writerly Life: https://writerlylife.substack.com/p/i...
Subscribe to Writerly Life for more such insightful reviews and stories: https://writerlylife.substack.com/
Sample these facts and news:
1. A third of all insects are endangered. Their mass is falling 2.5% a year.
2. Himalayan glaciers, reports Science Advances, are melting twice as fast as before 2000.
3. In March 2020, acclimatized to the Canadian air, climate scholar, Roomana Hukil’s mother dies due to air pollution in Delhi.
4. Oxfam reports that between 1990 and 2015, the richest 10% accounted for 52% of carbon emissions. The richest one percent, during the same time, accounted for 15%.
5. Over the past few decades, each day, the extra heat that our carbon dioxide emissions trap inside the atmosphere is equal to 400,000 Hiroshima-sized bombs.
Never seen these facts as ‘Breaking News’? There’s an explanation for that. According to Media Matters for America, the combined coverage of climate change issues in 2019 on all news channels in the USA was 238 minutes, which approximates to four hours. And we wonder why teenagers skipped schools to observe ‘Fridays for Future’ or why 212, a record, environmental activists were killed in 2019.
In his latest book, Hope in Hell: A Decade to Confront the Climate Emergency (Simon & Schuster, U.K., 2020), the U.K.-based green activist Jonathon Porritt writes that “experts have been warning of new diseases emerging from wild animals since 1960.” According to him, “the climate change shall risk human lives in danger more than the current [COVID-19] pandemic.”
He also writes that climate change is “a civilizational issue, rather than an environmental issue, going right to the heart of today’s growth-obsessed economy, challenging our very understanding of what we mean by progress.”
Still Porritt argues that we’re just-in-time. Hope, of course, can drive us out of adversity, but it’s the ‘shiny optimism,’ warns Porritt, that renders us actionless.
He writes, “Optimists think it will all be fine without our involvement; pessimists take the opposite position; both excuse themselves from acting.” Echoing the thoughts of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, according to whom, “Hope is something that you create, with your actions.”
Optimism and pessimism are couched or conveyed through language, which is key in determining how one acts, where, and by how much. Porritt cites Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World — and Why Things Are Better Than You Think as a case-in-point.
In Factfulness, Roslings (authors) write that the area of earth’s surface protected as national parks or reserves has increased to 14.7% in 2016 from next to nothing in 1940. This is true but isn’t the complete truth. He argues that Roslings cleverly ignore the “counterbalance that a huge number of these protected areas are being systematically encroached on by illegal settlers and developers.”
Misleading reports that cite example such as “40% of world is fueled by fossil fuels” do little to inform the people about the imminent danger to the environment. These cold-hard facts must have got you thinking: Have we lost the battle? Not yet.
Reasons to be hopeful
Porritt, in a series of chapters, enthuses the readers with hope for a better tomorrow. Some exciting news are summarized below:
1. Twenty-five percent of world’s electricity is renewables driven. It can come close to 100% by 2035 if capital is raised to invest in technology.
2. The Bank of America predicts that electric vehicles will account for 40% of all car sales in the USA by 2030.
3. Major corporates are going 100% renewable. For example, Microsoft and SAP have been using 100% renewable electricity since 2014.
4. Several cities in the North America are taking the five biggest oil companies to court, demanding that they should each pay 2% of the costs associated with protecting their communities from rising sea levels.
And informs us of several fronts where immediate action is required. According to Porritt’s assessment, we need to:
a. Cut emissions by 7.6% every year throughout this decade.
b. Declare climate emergency to raise awareness.
c. Reduce the number of vehicles produced every year by dis-incentivizing private ownership of cars.
d. Move to car-sharing schemes, community taxis and first-class public transport by prioritizing an urban infrastructure.
e. Promote walking and cycling.
f. Stop or reduce consumption of meat, as livestock industry is a massive net contributor to today’s climate emergency.
Action needs to be state-driven
In 2015, Under the Dome, a documentary on worsening air pollution in China by investigative journalist Chai Jing went viral. It was censored a few months after its release. The Chinese government looked way too concerned about the ‘image’ and not the problem at hand. Image problems are very crucial to the dear leader back home as well.
Porritt writes, Stephen Salter, Emeritus Professor of Engineering Design at the University of Edinburgh, told the UK’s Environment Audit Committee that he had already “put together plans for remotely operated vessels capable of injecting huge amounts of saltwater into cloud formations during the Arctic summer.” The experiment was aimed at reducing the amount of solar radiations reaching the earth’s surface by making the clouds ‘super-reflexive’. He needed 200 million pounds for the trial for over a two-year period.
Upon being rejected, Salter reminded the committee, “[In] 2017, 200 million pounds is roughly the price that Paris St-Germain paid for the Brazilian footballer Neymar earlier that year.”
Porritt isn’t playing with our sentiments, he’s just laying out what our priorities are. To conduct trials of experiments that can save the earth require capital, and more than that they need to be fueled by political will and commitment to preserve the environment. Setting up a committee to monitor and produce ungainly reports are not correct measures to combat climate change.
Actions to rectify climate change need to be state-driven. Governments across the world must stop waging a war at its own citizens and siding with profit-making enterprises. They must take notice that our earth needs their undivided attention and a cohesive plan of action lest it’s too late. An actionable book like Hope in Hell can serve as a roadmap for their combat plans.
This review was first published on Writerly Life: https://writerlylife.substack.com/p/i...
Subscribe to Writerly Life for more such insightful reviews and stories: https://writerlylife.substack.com/
January 19, 2021
Another timely and necessary book on the subject. As with any book on the climate emergency it can't be described as an enjoyable read. Quite the opposite for the most part. This book will further exacerbate your rage, dejection, and grief at all the ways the earth has and is being destroyed. Though it offers a not so common pragmatic overview of how it is not quite too late to avoid utter disaster. This book covers a lot of ground and discusses the recent science with references to important recent reports and key figures and organisations you may not have heard of.
It is a book that everyone who cares about our environment and the climate emergency should add to their immediate reading list. It also serves well as an overarching book on the subject touching on some of the history up to the present situation and covering a lot of bases for anyone new to the subject. Excellent book.
It is a book that everyone who cares about our environment and the climate emergency should add to their immediate reading list. It also serves well as an overarching book on the subject touching on some of the history up to the present situation and covering a lot of bases for anyone new to the subject. Excellent book.
May 24, 2023
Reading his rundown of the current situation, I find it hard to be even as hopeful as Porritt. But this is an excellent, thorough analysis of the problems and possible solutions.
September 10, 2020
Most environmental books make for a bleak read - they tend to focus on the failure of previous governments to engage, and due to the ignorant deniers and the political lobbying they prophesize doom and gloom and the end of civilisation. Hope in Hell isn't immune to this, but it presents a far more balanced outlook, citing improvements in technology and options for climate engineering that could, alongside emission control, help reduce the effects of this climate crisis.
Sir Jonathon Porritt has been in the game for many years. He was a member of Greenpeace in the 70s, chaired multiple environmental organisations, and is a university chancellor, so he knows his stuff. This comes across clearly in this book. He covers what you'd expect - the inactivity of governments, failed opportunities, Green New Deal, etc. - but this book is broad. It covers historical civil disobedience, how other campaigns in the past, such as the Suffragettes and the anti-slavery movement, garnered public support and how we can learn from their experiences and their mistakes to get better traction on climate solutions.
This was my first audio book, and on the whole it was a pretty good experience, but I do feel the medium wasn't being used effectively. For example, the narrator, Simon Slater, slips into an awful American accent when quoting or reading Americans, I can't see why (copyright ownership aside) the original recording couldn't be slipped in instead. The same for Greta Thurnberg's speeches.
But a very important and very timely book, one that everyone, especially those in industry and government, should be reading.
Book supplied by Netgalley for an honest review.
Sir Jonathon Porritt has been in the game for many years. He was a member of Greenpeace in the 70s, chaired multiple environmental organisations, and is a university chancellor, so he knows his stuff. This comes across clearly in this book. He covers what you'd expect - the inactivity of governments, failed opportunities, Green New Deal, etc. - but this book is broad. It covers historical civil disobedience, how other campaigns in the past, such as the Suffragettes and the anti-slavery movement, garnered public support and how we can learn from their experiences and their mistakes to get better traction on climate solutions.
This was my first audio book, and on the whole it was a pretty good experience, but I do feel the medium wasn't being used effectively. For example, the narrator, Simon Slater, slips into an awful American accent when quoting or reading Americans, I can't see why (copyright ownership aside) the original recording couldn't be slipped in instead. The same for Greta Thurnberg's speeches.
But a very important and very timely book, one that everyone, especially those in industry and government, should be reading.
Book supplied by Netgalley for an honest review.
February 20, 2022
This wasn't very readable.
However, my big problem is I'm not sure what points the author was trying to make. There were a lot of quotes from studies, but no narrative to pull together the disparate problems. And no conclusion. No actual answers, just restating a problem we are all aware of.
Of course there is a lot of doom - I expect that from someone who has been in this fight for such a long time. But without a call to arms, or any kind of hope. The title says we have a decade, but the book actually seems to accept our fate.
However, my big problem is I'm not sure what points the author was trying to make. There were a lot of quotes from studies, but no narrative to pull together the disparate problems. And no conclusion. No actual answers, just restating a problem we are all aware of.
Of course there is a lot of doom - I expect that from someone who has been in this fight for such a long time. But without a call to arms, or any kind of hope. The title says we have a decade, but the book actually seems to accept our fate.
October 16, 2025
An absolutely up-to-date to the minute book on climate change, covering the effects of coronavirus on the economy as well as broader and more long-term events of the efforts to stop climate change.
I found the analysis of the future of the economy and profit models of businesses as they adjust to climate change really interesting, from the perspective of someone with no education in Economics or Business at all - very easy to understand, and made some difficult concepts which I'd been questioning very clear.
I also found the focus on China's very helpful, and this was an approach I haven't seen before in any of the (many!) non-fiction books on climate change I've read recently.
The book also credits other writers for big ideas, many of which stood out to me on reading books such as THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING, THE UNINHABITABLE EARTH and DRAWDOWN. I was particularly pleased to see Drawdown credited with the hugely important emphasis needed on women's rights as a huge contributor to climate solutions.
Incredibly informative, valuable, and something that should be give out to all citizens.
The audiobook was great - I listened to it at 1.75x speed, as it was quite slow, but the speaker was clear and made difficult concepts easy to understand though pauses and careful enunciation.
I found the analysis of the future of the economy and profit models of businesses as they adjust to climate change really interesting, from the perspective of someone with no education in Economics or Business at all - very easy to understand, and made some difficult concepts which I'd been questioning very clear.
I also found the focus on China's very helpful, and this was an approach I haven't seen before in any of the (many!) non-fiction books on climate change I've read recently.
The book also credits other writers for big ideas, many of which stood out to me on reading books such as THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING, THE UNINHABITABLE EARTH and DRAWDOWN. I was particularly pleased to see Drawdown credited with the hugely important emphasis needed on women's rights as a huge contributor to climate solutions.
Incredibly informative, valuable, and something that should be give out to all citizens.
The audiobook was great - I listened to it at 1.75x speed, as it was quite slow, but the speaker was clear and made difficult concepts easy to understand though pauses and careful enunciation.
May 16, 2023
endlessly irksome
p90 ...refrigerants with a much lower GWP...opportunity to redesign air con units to make them hugely more energy-efficient . Really?? how are they going to do that ?
great news, carbon capture, hooray ! hang on Mr. Porridge, shouldn't you mention energy required?
i really don't think he has understood the problem, eg flying, we should tax it more, (yes ,of course, that's the solution, so only rich people can fly, oh, hang on, how many air miles does an African peasant farmer clock up in a year? ) and those of us for whom flying is unavoidable should offset, like I do , he says
Apparently it is unavoidable for Mr Porridge Brain to fly to the other side of the earth twice a year
p90 ...refrigerants with a much lower GWP...opportunity to redesign air con units to make them hugely more energy-efficient . Really?? how are they going to do that ?
great news, carbon capture, hooray ! hang on Mr. Porridge, shouldn't you mention energy required?
i really don't think he has understood the problem, eg flying, we should tax it more, (yes ,of course, that's the solution, so only rich people can fly, oh, hang on, how many air miles does an African peasant farmer clock up in a year? ) and those of us for whom flying is unavoidable should offset, like I do , he says
Apparently it is unavoidable for Mr Porridge Brain to fly to the other side of the earth twice a year
August 16, 2021
Everyone should read this book.
I have always been interested in climate change and the impact this is having on our environment and lives but I realised there are so many things I don't know, so many things I never even considered! Reading this has been eye opening.
Porritt is incredibly knowledgeable and explains the issue in a clear and objective manner. The portrait that emerges is a scary one. Despite this, the message of the book is one of hope, but this doesn't mean we can rest assured everything will be fine. This is a message of hope that we can still make things better, but we must act NOW and there are no excuses anymore to just sit and watch.
Quoting Greta Thunberg: "The one thing we need more than hope is action. Once we start to act hope is everywhere."
I have always been interested in climate change and the impact this is having on our environment and lives but I realised there are so many things I don't know, so many things I never even considered! Reading this has been eye opening.
Porritt is incredibly knowledgeable and explains the issue in a clear and objective manner. The portrait that emerges is a scary one. Despite this, the message of the book is one of hope, but this doesn't mean we can rest assured everything will be fine. This is a message of hope that we can still make things better, but we must act NOW and there are no excuses anymore to just sit and watch.
Quoting Greta Thunberg: "The one thing we need more than hope is action. Once we start to act hope is everywhere."
June 17, 2021
This book does what it says on the box: gives hope. Not climate optimism or pessimism, rather an inspiring call to action. There were parts of the book where I was psyched up enough to round house kick an oil lobbyist in the chest in the name of climate justice, and other not so memorable parts of the book that just sprinkled big numbers around in attempts to convince the reader of some point. But overall a very compelling book that puts the urgency of the climate emergency into perspective. Four stars.
September 27, 2023
Powerful and comprehensive. Drawn to this book because Porritt is a sustainability advisor to Sime Darby and a former director of Wessex Water, both Malaysian-owned companies. This book goes beyond environmental issues, delving into the intersections of education, politics, religion, activism, and social mores. It offers a holistic view of the challenges we face and provides practical solutions for a more sustainable future. Definitely a must-read for those seeking a nuanced understanding of climate change and its broader implications!
May 23, 2021
Although not a technophobe, I must admit that I'm one of the "too late" bunch. Not because I underestimate humanity's ingenuity to come up with solutions, but because I'm all too familiar with humanity's inclination to leave solutions until the last minute. In the case of climate change this tardiness will prove to be fatal, and I must admit that the hope that tries to keep this book afloat fails to convince me. Sorry.
March 21, 2022
Another dimension and emotions
This book took the cover off of a part of climate change I was not aware of, another dimension of the issue. The author discusses a lot of areas but the ones on social justice, eco justice and the spirituality angles were most surprising. I also loved how everything gravitated around the concept of hope and what it means.
The book was not what I expected but it was a great read. Quite emotionally impactful as well.
This book took the cover off of a part of climate change I was not aware of, another dimension of the issue. The author discusses a lot of areas but the ones on social justice, eco justice and the spirituality angles were most surprising. I also loved how everything gravitated around the concept of hope and what it means.
The book was not what I expected but it was a great read. Quite emotionally impactful as well.
December 22, 2024
A brutal but honest truthful very well updated (even after a few years of release) going into every bit of detail as to what we as a collective group of all humanity can do to change the world for the better. A well written all rounded incredibly knowledgeable book to help even first time learners climate change and our vulnerabilities to what could be to come.
A great read and would recommend anyone to find the time to really sit down and take in everything Porritt has written.
A great read and would recommend anyone to find the time to really sit down and take in everything Porritt has written.
September 10, 2020
Excellent book which highlights the need for swift and decisive action on climate change. Porritt lays out clearly and passionately the grave consequences of climate change and seeks to highlight how there is still hope that irreversible climate change can be prevented. I would recommend this to everyone even people who think they understand the climate crisis - as there is always more to learn!
June 24, 2024
I've read a few fairly similarly themed books and there is no doubt Porritt knows his stuff, cares deeply and can write. But there is still something lacking, as if the subject matter was somehow less important than it undoubtedly is. But still praiseworthy.
November 21, 2020
I do not agree with all of the author's political views but this book did galvanise me into becoming a climate-emergency activist. I can't recommend it enough.
April 16, 2021
This is urgent, powerful, sensible and meticulously researched. Everyone should read it.
Read
August 12, 2022DNF at 42.9%
February 8, 2023
Four stars really but the fact so much is dated already, it was published just at the start of covid lockdown and briefly mentions them. An interesting read but…
December 15, 2023
Everyone should read this!
November 20, 2020
I was really looking forward to reading this book about climate change not because of the subject but the title. I am extremely interested and worried about our future and the future of other animals on this planet.
It’s a subject matter I long to find out more about and what I can do and the the whole of humanity needs to do to make the necessary changes needed.
I enjoyed the start of the book and some chapters more than others. Unfortunately I found it hard to follow and I didn’t always understand the science. I found the book very Theory based, read like an A level textbook.
It’s a subject matter I long to find out more about and what I can do and the the whole of humanity needs to do to make the necessary changes needed.
I enjoyed the start of the book and some chapters more than others. Unfortunately I found it hard to follow and I didn’t always understand the science. I found the book very Theory based, read like an A level textbook.
September 29, 2021
There was a lot of information in this one so it did take me a while to get through it all. Some parts I enjoyed whilst others I was losing concentration.
I love the fact there are refences if you want to investigate in further depth and I like the "voice" throughout the book. I found myself more interested in the geological side of things rather than the politics - as some of it I already knew.
Unless you're really interested in this, it's quite a hard and dry read. However, it definitely provided a lot of good facts and background which a lot of people may not be aware of.
Overall, it's something I think people should know, however it would be nice if there was a bitesize edition that was more accessible for people who aren't heavy readers.
*I received a complimentary copy of the book through the Tandem Collective and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
I love the fact there are refences if you want to investigate in further depth and I like the "voice" throughout the book. I found myself more interested in the geological side of things rather than the politics - as some of it I already knew.
Unless you're really interested in this, it's quite a hard and dry read. However, it definitely provided a lot of good facts and background which a lot of people may not be aware of.
Overall, it's something I think people should know, however it would be nice if there was a bitesize edition that was more accessible for people who aren't heavy readers.
*I received a complimentary copy of the book through the Tandem Collective and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
September 15, 2021
Found this a really interesting read and it covered a vast variety of topics related to the climate emergency. But obviously that meant that some sections had my interest more than others. Definitely recommend setting aside plenty of time to read and digest this one for although it’s not too ‘hefty’ or an over-abundance of fact-dumping it requires some time to analyse and form your own opinion. In some ways it’s frightening and in other ways full of hope. A great starting read about the climate emergency that is fairly accessible.
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