We’re constantly adding useful links about the climate and environmental crises to this page. This is a living document which will grow over time. Help us – send in your links. AND settle down to read from our Best Book Guide: scroll down to find our All-time Favourite ****** book which will inspire you with hope for the future. Possibly.
Start Here:
Did you know that a world-wide centre of research excellence on air pollution is (almost) on our doorstep? Guildford, to be precise.
The Global Centre for Clean Air Research | University of Surrey. They have free downloadable resources, guidelines and ideas about how to reduce air pollution around schools as well as access to many research projects.
Then we have our easy-to-read leaflets:
Climate Breakdown 2 Minute Briefing.
Our own briefing.
ACTION – Twelve Minutes To Help Save The World.
Our ideas to get started. You are not helpless.
Carbon Footprint, Diet
Climate change food calculator: What’s your diet’s carbon footprint?
BBC, August 2019
Carbon Footprint, Flying
How your flight emits as much CO2 as many people do in a year
Guardian, July 2019
Global Heating, Air Pollution
Mongolia: A Toxic Warning To The World
Rural lifestyles become unsustainable due to temperature rise so population moves to cities, resulting in massive concentrated fossil fuel usage. City air too toxic for children to leave their homes.
BBC March 2019
Plastic
Plastic Free Communities – Community Toolkit (PDF)
Surfers Against Sewage
‘Plastic recycling is a myth’: What really happens to your rubbish?
Learn about a new returnable packaging initiative trialled by major brands and why we should recycle plastic in the UK.
Guardian August 2019
Reports and ‘in depth stuff’
Targeting success (green-alliance.org.uk) : March 2021. The UK must halve its consumption to reach net zero by 2050. Hard hitting & readable, a ‘must-read’ is the section on ’10 hurdles in the life of a smartphone’. We ignore the circular economy at our peril.
Nothing like a good book
… to inspire:
No-one is too small to make a difference: Greta Thunberg. 2019. Excerpts from speeches she made. It’s a small, ‘easy-read’ book, useful to give to people who don’t yet ‘get it’. I gave a copy to our MP a few years ago.
Coming Back to Life: Joanna Macy & Molly Brown. 2018. ‘True wisdom for tough times’: thoughts, meditations and exercises to help move us to creative action.
Dare to be Great: Polly Higgins. 2020. This celebrated Earth Lawyer inspires us to live the brave, bold lives that perhaps we imagine for ourselves. A delightful easy-read and positive book.
…to learn about international politics
Any of Naomi Klein’s books. ‘No is not Enough’, This Changes Everything’ and ‘On Fire’, among others show how the doctrine of neo-liberalism developed and how capitalism needs to change if the world is to survive global warming.
Doughnut Economics: Kate Raworth. 2016. Imagine a model of world economics as a giant ‘hole in the middle’ doughnut. All is balanced around the needs of humanity, with a regenerative and distributive economy. The emphasis is on fairness, not profit. This is doughnut economics; find out how it works by reading this well-argued and authoritative book.
…to discover more about the natural world
The Ecology Book. 2019. Short, pithy and clear explanations of nearly 100 major ideas about how our planet works, from the earliest thinkers, scientists and explorers right up to now. Each idea has a double page with illustrations, facts and diagrams: eg ‘Dark skies are now blotted out – light pollution’.
…to stand up and act
This is not a Drill: an Extinction Rebellion handbook. 2019. Understand why this movement has risen to become a major factor in instigating change world-wide, and how to act. Alarming and inspiring, it’s a ‘must read’.
Flatpack Democracy: Power tools for reclaiming local politics: Peter Macfadyen. 2019. The story of how a non-political group of local residents took over Frome Town Council. Book 2 tells what happened next.
…to imagine better villages, towns and cities
The Transition Companion: making your community more resilient in uncertain times: Rob Hopkins. 2013. Practical advice and inspirational stories to guide communities of all sizes to make meaningful changes.
From ‘What is’ to ‘What if’ – Unleashing the Power of the Imagination to Create the Future we Want: Rob Hopkins. 2019 . Each chapter poses a ‘What if?’ and leads the reader into a world of possibilities.
… to reduce your carbon footprint & change your lifestyle
How Bad are Bananas?: Mike Berners-Lee. 2010. Did you know that a bowl of porridge uses up roughly the same amount of carbon as a mobile phone-call of 90 seconds? Have you any idea of the carbon impact of wiping your bottom? Find out by reading this rather wonderful, informative and funny book.
… to be generally gloomy and sadly realistic most of the time
The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells. 2019. This ‘epoch-defining book'(Guardian) clearly and authoritatively spells out the dangers our planet is facing and will face in the future. It is NOT a pleasant read though there are signs of hope in his final chapters.
… to suggest solutions
There is no Planet B: A handbook for the make-or-break years: Mike Berners-Lee. 2019. It’s a great read and very informative. Caroline Lucas wrote: ‘I absolutely love this book. Evidence-based, robust and full of practical guidance.’
… AND FINALLY, TO THE SOUND OF A TRUMPET FANFARE, OUR ****** CHOICE
Drawdown: the most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming. Ed Paul Hawken. 2017. Informative and beautifully produced, this book is a ‘must-read’. 70 international experts in various areas compiled a comprehensive database of possible solutions, then ranked them. Each solution shows the estimated carbon saving, the costs and the eventual savings. Not for nothing was it a New York times best-seller. And the most effective solution might well surprise and enhearten you!
Most books can be borrowed from your local library (they’re still open but you have to order online – no browsing) or from bookshops. Please try to avoid Amazon. My favourite independent bookshop is Serendip at Lyme Regis: serendiplyme.co.uk who will post to you. Many bookstores operate a click & collect service, post free.
And PLEASE send us your personal 6* favourites. Use the form below if you don’t want to email us via contact@dorking-climate-emergency.net
