Recommended Non-Fiction Books
By WeAreCAWN
Recommended Non-Fiction Books
By WeAreCAWN
Breathe: Seven Ways to Win a Greener World
Sadiq Khan
£16.99 £16.14Air pollution results in millions of premature deaths worldwide each year. This book explains how historical and ongoing human activities have resulted in air that damages our health, the different pollutants involved, and that we are still working to understand all the ways in which they affect our bodies. Tim Smedley is a journalist, not a scientist, so the wealth of information gained from his very extensive research is presented clearly and accessibly. And having done a great job of convincing you that air pollution is a very bad thing indeed, the book also includes a lot of case studies showing that positive change is possible too. Some of these are very close to home - there's a good chapter on public transport featuring the Milton Keynes bus service. It ends with a list of actions authorities and individuals can take to cut air pollution. Recommended by Jane Wood
Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World
Jason Hickel
£10.99 £10.44After reading this book, I have become obsessed with the idea of 'less is more' and whether it's possible for society (in developed, industrialised nations) to thrive in a post-growth economy. I have no doubt that the environment will benefit. Ever since studying Economics at A level, I along with everyone else have been told that GDP growth is good. More jobs, higher productivity, everyone better off. Both main political parties have a growing economy as one of their 5 main aims. But hasn't this growth led us to the social (massive inequality) and environmental (climate emergency) mess we find ourselves in today? This book urges us and policy-makers to consider changing direction and look for an economy based on prosperity for all, rather than pure economic growth. It offers practical ideas, not fluffy, idealistic concepts. It is easy to read and my copy is now covered in highlighted sections and I find I refer to it often. At the end of May 2023, there was an innovative Beyond Growth 2023 Conference in Brussels. The conference aimed to challenge conventional policy-making in the European Union and to redefine societal goals across the board, in order to move away from the harmful focus on sole economic growth – that is, the growth of GDP – as the basis of our development model. Delegates discussed the idea of a post-growth future-fit EU that combines social well-being and viable economic development with the respect of planetary boundaries. Recommended by Alexina Cassidy
Clearing the Air: SHORTLISTED FOR THE ROYAL SOCIETY SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE
Tim Smedley
£11.99 £11.39Air pollution results in millions of premature deaths worldwide each year. This book explains how historical and ongoing human activities have resulted in air that damages our health, the different pollutants involved, and that we are still working to understand all the ways in which they affect our bodies. Tim Smedley is a journalist, not a scientist, so the wealth of information gained from his very extensive research is presented clearly and accessibly. And having done a great job of convincing you that air pollution is a very bad thing indeed, the book also includes a lot of case studies showing that positive change is possible too. Some of these are very close to home - there's a good chapter on public transport featuring the Milton Keynes bus service. It ends with a list of actions authorities and individuals can take to cut air pollution. Recommended by Jane Wood
Ravenous: How to get ourselves and our planet into shape
Henry Dimbleby and Jemima Lewis
£10.99 £10.44In 2021, Henry Dimbleby published the much acclaimed ‘National Food Strategy’. This was one of the most carefully thought through and readable government documents that I have read and yet most people, including members of the government, have not read or acted upon it. In reply, in 2022 the Government Food Strategy was unveiled. It was not a strategy at all: just a mish-mash of one or two less political items. After all the work put in, Henry must have been very disappointed, but he has not let the matter rest. Ravenous contains a popular fight-back restating the key issues in our flawed food system. It is understandable by all. At the beginning, the science of System Dynamics and concepts such as feedback loops and the tragedy of the commons are explained. But Henry soon delves into our history and diet, population and consumption, state intervention, obesity and the cost to the NHS. How can we break the Junk Food Cycle? From there he deals with our farming systems, use of the land, the invisibility of nature and food’s effect on the climate. This is a very positive book, not full of doom and gloom, but brimming with ideas to effect the massive changes we cannot avoid. At the end is a list of the 15 points for government to consider and a table showing where progress has been made, but where huge gaps still remain. One disappointment is the clarity of the graphics, but these can be viewed in the original at www.nationalfoodstrategy.org This fascinating and detailed book is nevertheless a quick and easy read. I recommend it to anyone who thinks about what they eat! Recommended by Rupert Knowles
The Garden Jungle: or Gardening to Save the Planet
Dave Goulson
£10.99 £10.44Professor Goulson is a mine of information about the natural world and a great communicator. There’s a lot of science in this book, but it’s clearly conveyed and easy to absorb. The science sits alongside a lot of practical experience and bags of enthusiasm. There’s a great deal to learn here about what is actually living in your garden, the role each creature plays and what we can do (and not do) to help them thrive. There are helpful plant suggestions at the end, and every chapter starts with a recipe. This is a book which any aspiring, or experienced, wildlife gardener will enjoy. Recommended by Jane Wood
Movement: how to take back our streets and transform our lives
Marco te Brommelstroet and Thalia Verkade
£14.99 £14.24Once upon a time our streets were sociable spaces where people met to chat, and children safely played. But not now. Drivers, not pedestrians, rule our roads. How did we let that happen and what can we do to return our public spaces to be shared safe places? If what’s needed has never been done before then technical professionals probably cannot help. They are constrained from ‘thinking outside the box’ because they must play by the rules and the rules are governed by precedence and legislative demands. Though set in Holland this highly readable invitation to rethink things, to put people at the centre of urban design, has universal relevance. Recommended by Harry Mellor.
Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid: The Fraught and Fascinating Biology of Climate Change
Thor Hanson
£25.00 £23.75While humans wrestle with net zero targets and greenwashing, other species have had to adapt to the impacts of climate change, as Thor Hanson, an American biologist, reveals in his carefully researched book. His accounts of how squid have responded to warmer waters, and lizards to fierce storms, are poignant and sobering. Recommended by Alexina Cassidy
The Children of the Anthropocene: Stories from the Young People at the Heart of the Climate Crisis
Bella Lack
£9.99 £9.49The title of this book alone was a learning experience for me – anthropocene means relating to or denoting the current geological age; viewed as the period during which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment. Bella Lack’s stories of a changing climate are told through an array of different voices from a 14 year-old in Madagascar collecting water from baobab trees in a drought, a 13 year-old vegan in California suffering jibes from her classmates to a 20 year-old Nigerian linking the rise of the Boko Haram terrorist group to food insecurity. Recommended by Alexina Cassidy.
Diary of a Young Naturalist: WINNER OF THE 2020 WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITING
Dara McAnulty
£12.99 £12.34This addition to the CA-WN Book Shelf is a multi-award winner! Written as a diary, this is a wonderful portrayal of the beauty of the natural world. As an autistic teenager suffering from anxiety, McAnulty shows us a child’s eye view of our delicate and changing biosphere. Through the seasons from his home patch in Northern Ireland, he writes passionately about wildlife, activism and his loving family. Recommended by Jane Wood.
Green Living Made Easy: 101 Eco Tips, Hacks and Recipes to Save Time and Money
Nancy Birtwhistle
£14.99 £14.24Another gem from Nancy Birtwhistle. This practical book provides a guide to reducing your environmental impact while saving you time and money. Tips on everything from eco cleaning, upcycling and shopping and a selection of delicious recipes.
A Sting in the Tale: My Adventures with Bumblebees
Dave Goulson
£10.99 £10.44An autobiographical account of the author’s lifelong love and study of insects, which bears witness to the damage done to insect populations during his lifetime (Jane Wood). Dave Goulson is passionate about wildlife, and, in particular, about bumblebees. I recommend two of his books: A Sting in the Tale and Silent Earth. His writing is easily accessible to all, his humour and his passion both come across, and allow the reader a glimpse into a fascinating world. This link takes you to his profile at University of Sussex, and more academic work he has published. https://profiles.sussex.ac.uk/p126217-dave-goulson (Patsy Hollingum)
English Pastoral: An Inheritance - The Sunday Times bestseller from the author of The Shepherd's Life
James Rebanks
£10.99 £10.44Beautifully written and evocative description of the journey British farming has been on since the mid-20th century, and why we need to revisit some traditional practices. The author is both an Oxford-educated writer and grumpy farmer. (Jane Wood)
Curlew Moon
Mary Colwell
£10.99 £10.44One of many examples of books that show how the climate emergency coupled with the intransigence of the human race is promoting the rapid decrease of beloved creatures. (Richard Hollingum)
The Sustainable(ish) Living Guide: Everything you need to know to make small changes that make a big difference
Jen Gale
£12.99 £12.34Great! Recommended by Hannah Bedard.
Honourable Friends?: Parliament and the Fight for Change
Caroline (Y) Lucas
£12.99 £12.34Recommended by Jonathan Harris
2071: The World We'll Leave Our Grandchildren
Chris Rapley and Duncan MacMillan
£9.99 £9.49Bang up-to-date in 2015 but some of the predictions are now outdated - things are worse! (Mike Longman)
Six Steps Back to the Land: Why we need small mixed farms and millions more farmers
Colin Tudge
£19.99A view on how changes in farming practice can help lead us back to the right path. (Richard Hollingum)
The Great Re-Think: A 21st Century Renaissance
Colin Tudge
£15.00 £14.25Recommended by Jonathan Harris
Green and Prosperous Land: A Blueprint for Rescuing the British Countryside
Dieter Helm
£9.99 £9.49Recommended by Jonathan Harris
Tamed: Ten Species that Changed our World
Alice Roberts
£10.99 £10.44Domestication of Species (Claire Robertson-Marriott)
The Wild Handbook: Seasonal activities to help you reconnect with nature
Emily Thomas and James Weston Lewis
£12.99 £12.34Seasonal activities - good for children, teens and parents. (Claire Robertson-Marriott)
H is for Hawk: The Sunday Times bestseller and Costa and Samuel Johnson Prize Winner
Helen MacDonald
£10.99 £10.44Helen Macdonald is single, childless, unemployed and grieving for her dead father and she decides to rear and train a goshawk. The hawk (Mabel) lives in her living room and we follow her training and Helen’s journey out of grief. Lots of wonderful descriptions of nature. (Alexina Cassidy)
Wilding: The Return of Nature to a British Farm
Isabella Tree
£10.99 £10.44Account of how the author and her husband transformed the Knepp estate from a struggling intensive farm to glorious wildlife refuge (I also highly recommend the Knepp Wildland Podcast, made by the estate's ecologist Penny Green - Jane Wood).
Feral: Rewilding the Land, Sea and Human Life
George Monbiot
£10.99 £10.44This book helped open so many eyes and start so many discussions. (Richard Hollingum) It is dense so a dip in and out. (Claire Robertson-Marriott)
Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist
Kate Raworth
£11.99 £11.39Recommended by David Garlick
Our Final Warning: Six Degrees of Climate Emergency
Mark Lynas
£12.99 £12.34Each chapter represents a degree of warming. All based on fact with references. Really well written and a good read! (Danielle Bird)
There Is No Planet B: A Handbook for the Make or Break Years – Updated Edition
Mike (Lancaster University) Berners-Lee
£10.99 £10.44Summarises everything you need to know about the human-made challenges we are facing, both environmental and economic. (Jane Wood)
This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate
Naomi Klein
£14.99 £14.24Recommended by David Wragg
Silent Spring
Rachel Carson
£10.99 £10.44To show how awful humans can be and that we do not seem to learn. (Richard Hollingum)
From What Is to What If: Unleashing the Power of Imagination to Create the Future We Want
Rob Hopkins
£11.99 £11.39Recommended by David Garlick
The Power of Just Doing Stuff: How local action can change the world
Rob Hopkins
£11.99Recommended by David Garlick
The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot
Robert MacFarlane
£12.99 £12.34Lovely book about unexpected and forgotten places, with a slightly otherwordly quality and impeccably written (Alexina Cassidy)
Climate Change and British Wildlife
Professor Trevor Beebee
£40.00Number six in the British Wildlife Collection (Mike Longman)
The Ministry for the Future
Kim Stanley Robinson
£10.99 £10.44A dystopian start with a horrendous heatwave killing 20 million in India, but followed by utopian solutions that ultimately result in us arresting climate change, examples that stick in the memory are Sailing Clippers with the sails made of photovoltaic cells, and Half Earth strategy, where the world commits to give half of its land and sea over to nature. (Dave Telford)
How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need
Bill Gates
£29.99As a leading capitalist Bill Gates will not appeal to everyone but it’s actually a very good read with some v important facts that I had not seen before, e.g Making Stuff is the biggest contributor to climate change, in particular anything involving steel or concrete. (Dave Telford)
Clean & Green: 101 Hints and Tips for a More Eco-Friendly Home
Nancy Birtwhistle
£14.99 £14.24Recipes and uses for general household products (baking soda, washing soda, white vinegar) for cleaning without using harmful chemicals. It’s a very useful and worthwhile book. (Harlene Griffiths).
We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast
Jonathan Safran Foer
£10.99 £10.44Great read but fairly terrifying too! (Hannah Bedard)
Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures
Merlin Sheldrake
£12.99 £12.34Recommended by Chris Setchell
Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses
Robin Wall Kimmerer
£10.99 £10.44Recommended by Chris Setchell
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
Robin Wall Kimmerer
£10.99 £10.44Recommended by Chris Setchell
The Salt Path
Raynor Winn
£10.99 £10.44This is essentially a story about love and the healing power of nature. A couple in their 50s/60s, one terminally ill, embark on walking the 630 mile South West Coastal path. The descriptions of nature are incredible. Very uplifting book. (Alexina Cassidy)