Book review – Heat by George Monbiot

Jane Goode takes a look at the climate change campaigner’s new book

The brilliance of Monbiot’s case is that he addresses the laziness, stubbornness and narrow-mindedness that equips us with the flimsy excuses not to make changes in our lives Full of facts and passion - a rare combination – this book, though weighty, is not to be missed.

The environmental movement has always had a vision, but does it have a plan? Enter George Monbiot, scientist and environmental campaigner probably best known for his previous work Captive State. The brilliance of Monbiot’s case is that he addresses the laziness, stubbornness and narrow-mindedness that equips us with the flimsy excuses not to make changes in our lives. Whether it is how we travel to work or how we renovate our home, in this book he proves that the vital technology needed to reduce emissions by 90 per cent by the year 2030 is not only accessible, but would also cause the least amount of change in our daily lifestyles.

This is not to say that some radical thinking and sacrifice won’t be required. What Monbiot informs us is that we have choices – there are opportunities here.
He goes further; by exposing the ‘junk science’ movement as a fabrication of oil companies and big business who think fake grassroots organisations can be established, without detection, for everything from pro-smoking to anti-conservation.

Not that this is enough to make effective long lasting impact. Though many writers, scientists and activists have taken us to this point none have gone further to produce a complete vision of how, in the UK, we can successfully achieve this 90 per cent reduction goal. From transport to housing infrastructure, energy production to CO2 emissions, it is all in here, meticulously researched and painstakingly presented. In this way this is as much a manifesto for government and big business as it is for the individual.

I found a bit of perseverance is necessary as there are a plethora of footnotes that need following up to get a full grasp of what you are being told. For this reason this book is most definitely not for the apathetic but it has its reward in the hope it conveys. This hope combats the disillusioned message of doom perpetrated by other environmentalists over the past few years. Instead, he presents the challenges we face as an opportunity for this to be an era when people unite globally to come up with the most innovative solutions.

Full of facts and passion - a rare combination – this book, though weighty, is not to be missed.