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Review of ‘The Beginning Comes After the End: Notes on a World of Change’ by Rebecca Solnit
When Solnit speaks, the world should listen.
Her writing, spanning the years, has echoed with a deep personal voice, rooted in place, as well as optimistic activism. She charts and traces the changes that have transformed society and the world in the past, and reminds us that the power to change the world is within our reach and lies within us all.
This is not a ‘radical’ book- unless the power of ideologies and stories is radical in itself. Solnit has mastered the power of language long ago and the clarity and vision with which we have come to expect from her, resonates once again. Without doubt, this is a powerful vision which she lays out in ‘The Beginning Comes After the End’, one, which if adopted as a blueprint for the 21st century, would create a world and societies that would be worthy of the human race. This ‘blueprint’ would be, ‘A shift towards the idea that everything is connected, that the world is a network of inter-related systems, that the isolated individual is at best a fiction, and that the natural and social realms run more on collaboration and cooperation than competition.’
There are too many of us who are rooted in the last century- whose birth year begins with ‘19__’. We straddle both the past to which we are tethered and anchored, while the 21st century stretches out ahead of us- waiting for us to be the good ancestors for those who follow our footsteps along the path of our species. Solnit reminds us that, ‘We in the 2020s live in a world that would be unbelievable and maybe inconceivable to people sixty or seventy years earlier.’
As I read these words, I think of my father in his last 80s. Born in 1939, on the cusp of the Second World War- an event which defined the 20th century in so many ways- I think that his world and my world are incredibly different and that the changes since the mid-20th century are too numerous to mention. The changes which would have beyond his generation’s ken and yet, which we take for granted on a daily basis. Yet, Solnit does not ask us to romanticise the past or to wish to recreate a ‘lost world’, with all its attendant baggage. Indeed, she warns against this. She argues that choosing to allow ourselves to listen to the lessons from the past, can bring us out from beneath the shadows of the past into a new world. ‘But it’s the past that shows us the possibilities, how the world has changed, how power can appear in places and among peoples assumed to be powerless and irrelevant, how the most foundational things can be transformed’
‘We are such stuff as dreams are made on’
We all imagine and believe that the future will be different, but perhaps don’t realise that we could be the agents of these changes. As Madonna Thunder Hawk reminds us: “We’re the ancestors of tomorrow.” Solnit herself comments that incremental changes can collectively change the course of history and the future. ‘I’ve lived through a lot of the changes they helped launch, most of them happened so incrementally that they unfolded invisibly, but a thousand steps add up to a considerable distance.’ She urges us to accept what history has shown us- more clearly than anything else- that change is possible. That the ideas cemented into the fabric of our identity and society can be broken and disturbed. ‘Our world has changed more than almost anyone imagined, in ways both wonderful and terrible, often in ways no one anticipated, and the sheer profundity of change in the past guarantees that this change will continue.’
The only constant that is guaranteed is that change happens. ‘Change is a constant, but social change has sped up in our time, altering the very fundamentals of how we think about ourselves and the natural and social worlds, and also who defines what “we” means.’ She identifies the social nudges of change, which have helped us build towards integration and interconnected relationships, rather than a distancing and ‘othering’ ‘Changes build on changes; one shift makes another possible.’
We are not at the end of history, says Solnit- we are simply the navigators in the middle of the journey- the creators of a new story. A story which will shape what the future looks like as we move through the time of this century. A simple task may be for us to try and pierce the mists of time and to imagine what the world could be like by 2100. How would that be accomplished? What, or who, would be the catalysts for this new direction? How many false starts and stumbles would happen along the way? ‘This is a reminder that you do not have to picture the destination to reach it or at least draw closer to it, you just need to choose a direction and keep on walking…’
‘A new heaven and a new earth’
Solnit quotes the words of Antonio Gramsci, when she argues that the birthing of this new changed world is a slow process. ‘The old world is dying. The new one is slow in appearing. In this light and shadow, monsters arise.’ She contends that ideas and stories have power- a power feared by those who wish to cling to the wreckage of the old world, for fear that who they are will be lost. ‘Ideas have power, and while those who support them often dismiss that power, those who fear them recognize they can change the world.’ She also notes the wisdom of Thomas Berry, when she acknowledges that the lack of a certain future path appears to some as though the path does not exist at all. Lack of certainty is not lack of existence.
“We are in trouble because we do not have a good story. We are in between stories. The Old Story- the account of how the world came to be and we fit into it- is not functioning properly and we have not learned the New Story.”
For Solnit, the power of stories can create new ‘forests of possibility’ and it is in this ‘possibility’ where new worlds dare to breathe. What is wonderful is that this imagery continues, as Solnit exhorts us to root ourselves in the past to reach the future.
‘What if our best hope reaches for the future by sinking its roots deep in the past? What futures can we build on these other versions of the past, these other voices with other stories to tell? What beginnings come after such an end?’
A Brave New World
As I look at the sleeping face of my 8-years-old son, I imagine the world of 2100, a time where he will almost be the same age as my father is now. It is a world which I cannot imagine, but one which I know will be different from this one.
I cannot walk with him into that brave new world, but I can hold his hand for as long as possible, to be his guide, until he carries his own dreams of change. I am reminded of the popular motivational poster that once was displayed in his room- ‘Let him sleep, for when he wakes, he will move mountains.’
I know that he will move these mountains, not by scaling the heights in a dangerous, desperate rush, but by slowly moving one stone at a time.
‘The Beginning Comes After the End: Notes on a World of Change’ is the most personal and uplifting book about the power of ideas and about our ability to be transformed.
We are all dreamers.
“We are living through a revolt against the future. The future will prevail.”
–Anand Giridharadas
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Yorkshire to decide fracking proposal and not the Government
Secretary of State declines to call in Burniston fracking proposal
River Ure in Yorkshire Proposals for fracking near Scarborough will now not be ‘called in’ by the Government and instead the decision will remain with North Yorkshire Council.
The Europa Oil & Gas proposal suggested using a “proppant squeeze” method to extract gas through a 38m drilling rig. However, after the application was postponed almost a month ago for the plans to be considered by the Housing Secretary, the recent news is being processed by local campaigners, who are fearful that the focus on the decision maker is the wrong call. John Atkinson, one of the leading campaigners of Frack Free Scarborough said, ‘It doesn’t matter who makes the decision, fracking is so bad and so universally hated that if it’s ever passed, people will not stop fighting until it’s dead and buried.’
The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee said last week
“The secretary of state has carefully considered the policy on calling in planning applications, as set out in the Written Ministerial Statement dated 26 October 2012. The policy makes it clear that the power to call in a case will only be used very selectively.
“This policy also gives examples of the types of issues which may lead him to conclude, in his opinion, that the application should be called in. The secretary of state has decided not to call in this application.”
‘Patriotic duty’ to embrace fracking says Reform UK
The Deputy Leader of Reform UK, Richard Tice, told GB News last week that Britons have been “deeply misled over misinformation” about fracking. He claimed that shale gas would mean lower bills for consumers and agreed with Rees Mogg’s assertion that ‘Fracking is a perfectly safe process.’ He continued that it was our ‘patriotic duty’ to embrace fracking. “Let’s be patriotic and say, I want Lincolnshire gas for Lincolnshire jobs and Lincolnshire growth. I want Yorkshire gas, for Yorkshire jobs and Yorkshire growth. This is our patriotic duty to our children and our grandchildren.”
Reform’s Andrea Jenkyns has recently been courting American fossil fuel companies keen to bring fracking to Lincolnshire, which is bizarre considering the UK Government’s ban on fracking.
Tony Bosworth, climate campaigner at Friends of the Earth, disputed these claims from Richard Tice when he said: “The government still has a key role to play in the fate of this planning application. Labour has promised to ban fracking – and this highly controversial and deeply unpopular proposal involves a low-level form of fracking called proppant squeeze.
Ministers must ensure that proppant squeeze is included in its forthcoming ban, update national policy accordingly, and ensure communities like those in Burniston are not forced to accept damaging developments in their local area.
Fracking blights our countryside, won’t cut UK energy bills and is deeply unpopular with local communities. This application should be rejected.”
The irony is that on a regional level, Reform-led councils have indicated that they do not want fracking to return or begin. Only a few months ago, Lancashire County Council said that there were no plans for fracking to take place there. Perhaps national rhetoric from Reform UK would do well to listen to its own councils and regions.
Fracking won’t cut our bills say LSE
Reform’s claims on safety and lowering bills have also been called into question previously by the London School of Economics. Bob Ward, policy and communications director at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science, said: “The decision to lift the moratorium on fracking does not seem to be based on the evidence presented in the report by the British Geological Survey. The moratorium was introduced in November 2019 after an assessment by the Oil and Gas Authority concluded that earthquakes of magnitude 3.5 or higher triggered by fracking could not be ruled out. Such events could potentially damage nearby buildings. The new report by the British Geological Survey presents no conclusive evidence that such events can now be ruled out.
“As long as the UK consumes natural gas there are good environmental and economic reasons to use domestic supplies of shale gas in preference to importing liquefied natural gas from other countries. However, this only makes sense if the shale gas can be extracted safely. Today’s decision appears to be based on the assumption that a higher level of risk to households is now acceptable.
“In any case, the decision to lift the moratorium on UK fracking will make no difference to the wholesale market price of natural gas and will not ease the cost of energy crisis.”
Farmland contamination
As well as Reform’s arguments not matching LSE analysis, land contamination of farmland through fracking remains a real concern. For a political organisation so supportive of British farmland- it seems once again at odds with their rhetoric when fracking contaminates the land.
Fracking operations in Lancashire at Preese Hall and Preston New Road have raised serious concerns about radioactive waste, water contamination and seismic activity. There have been delays in returning former fracking sites to usable farmland, with the energy firm Cuadrilla asking for extensions, and in turn blaming the Environment Agency for the slow progress.
Reform- led councils don’t want fracking. Communities don’t want fracking. The UK Government doesn’t want fracking. Despite all this, leading Reform figures continue to create division over a topic which has already been settled. -
Human- caused climate change increases rain intensity in Western Europe
Humans are now ‘fighting a humanitarian crisis driven by a changing climate.’
Key findings from a recent World Weather Attribution study concludes that human-caused climate change has increased the intensity of the torrential rain that led to flooding across Western Europe.
Researchers identified a clear trend showing the wettest days are now around a third wetter than they were before the planet warmed by 1.3°C.
The study found that ‘An unusually high number of named storms have brought hurricane-force winds and dumped huge amounts of moisture on the region since mid-January, causing over 50 deaths, displacing hundreds of thousands in Morocco, Spain and Portugal and causing billions of Euros in damage.’
9 named storms in 2026 in recent weeks
The study focused on the displacement of people in Western Europe owing to the relentless storms, with hundreds of thousands displaced in Northern Africa.‘Since 16 January, nine named storms have battered the Mediterranean region, bringing torrential rain and high winds that forced the evacuation of more than 12,400 people in Spain, 3000 people in Portugal and 300,000 people in Morocco.”
As well as displacement in Morocco, the study found that ‘flooding caused 43 deaths, displaced 300,000 people and inundated 110,000 homes, prompting a €280 million recovery plan.’
A ‘dangerous blueprint’
Dr. Clair Barnes, Research Associate in Extreme Weather and Climate Change at the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London said: “While trends in extreme rainfall are quite mixed across the Iberian Peninsula and Northern Morocco, in some parts of the region we are seeing dramatic increases in extreme rainfall that are attributable to human-driven warming.’
She continued, ‘The strong observed increases in some regions should be a warning for us. We know that a warmer atmosphere carries more moisture, and so the more carbon we emit, the more dangerous the blueprint will be for winter storms like these.’
Every fraction of a degree matters
Dr. Friederike Otto, Professor of Climate Science at the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London said: ‘This is exactly what climate change looks like: weather patterns that used to be more manageable are now turning into more dangerous disasters.
‘Whether it is the 11% increase we’ve been able to directly attribute to human activities, such as our burning of fossil fuels, or the much higher trends we see on the ground over the decades, we’re confident that climate change makes these intense downpours more severe.’
She continued, ‘We have the tools and knowledge to stop this getting worse but we need the will to roll them out faster and change our societal systems for the better. Every additional fraction of a degree of warming is worth fighting for or the downpours will only get worse.’
A year’s worth of rain in just a few days
Spain experienced a shocking start to 2026 with rainfall exceeding levels from the last twenty years. This level of rainfall has now become so extreme that it is challenging records which would suggest that this level would be a once-in-a-century event. All too recently, these once-in-a-century events are becoming more regular, challenging our expectations that the present climate extremes may not match previous records suggesting that more warming is leading to more extreme, more intense rainfall, leading to increased flooding risks.
‘In Grazalema, southern Spain, more than an entire year of expected rain fell in just a matter of days. Similarly, parts of Morocco and Portugal saw one-day rainfall totals during Storm Leonardo that are so extreme they would be expected at most once in a century.’
Defences are being overwhelmed
This study of the recent flooding highlighted the need for investment in defences and early warning systems to better protect the public from risks. We have not seen the last of these intense floods and as the planet continues to warm, the risks intensify.
Maja Vahlberg, Technical Adviser, Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre said:
“The lives lost and the hundreds of thousands displaced across Morocco, Spain, and
Portugal are a tragic reminder that our defences are being overwhelmed. While early warning systems have improved, it is a major challenge to fully protect people when rain falls with this level of intensity.
“We must invest urgently in local capacity and ensure that urban planning accounts for a future where what is considered ‘extreme’ is shifting with each year that passes. We aren’t just fighting a change in weather, we are fighting a humanitarian crisis driven by a changing climate.”
2026 may only be beginning, but extreme weather continues to worsen, without an end in sight.
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‘Not Nimbyism’: Campaigners Fight 20-Turbine Wind Project in Yorkshire Dales
Will the Yorkshire Dales be ruined by renewables?
Barningham Moor Fred. Olsen Renewables have identified a site right on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales near to Richmond, where they hope to erect approximately 20 wind turbines on a peatland moor. This project would generate more than 100MW of renewable energy and would generate enough power for 81,000 homes and businesses, claim the developer.
The site would cover approximately 1,130 hectares and the initial design of the wind turbines appear to be around 200 metres high, or approximately 656 metres. The typical height of a wind turbine in the UK tends to be lower than this 200 metres, with an average of over 50- 150 metres. As a comparison, the Whitelee Wind Farm near Glasgow in Scotland, and the largest windfarm in the UK, measures between 110-140 metres and has approximately 215 turbines generating 539MW capacity.
Peat on the moor With two rounds of public consultation planned for later in 2026, this application from Fred. Olsen Renewables for Hope Moor windfarm will proceed through a Development Consent Order (DCO) rather than a standard planning application, with the decision whether to grant consent resting with the Energy Secretary, the Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP.
Miliband announced contracts for many renewable projects only this month- with 28 onshore wind projects planned, 12 offshore wind projects planned, as well as 157 solar projects planned, so campaigners fear that Hope Moor will be ‘green lit’ by the Energy Secretary as part of the renewables drive, and that although their views may be listened to, that this project may already be a done deal, as far as the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is concerned.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said:
‘These results show once again that clean British power is the right choice for our country, agreeing a price for new onshore wind and solar that is over 50% cheaper than the cost of building and operating new gas.
By backing solar and onshore wind at scale, we’re driving bills down for good and protecting families, businesses, and our country from the fossil fuel rollercoaster controlled by petrostates and dictators. This is how we take back control of our energy and deliver a new era of energy abundance and independence.’
‘Certainly not a case of nimbyism’
A local campaign group against the proposed windfarm was created around 5 months ago- Hope Moor Wind Farm Action Group (HMWFAG) to both raise awareness of the project in and beyond the local community and also to try and stop the development going ahead. Suzy and Tim Wilson, lead campaigners of the group, told me that their main concern was ‘the enormous scale of the development under NSIP procedures, where all the processes work in favour of the developer and Department of Energy and local authority and community voices are largely irrelevant.’
They continued their concerns saying, ‘We are privileged to live in a beautiful place on the North Yorkshire Moors which have been treasured and nurtured for generations and provide a wildlife haven which will be desecrated for future generations and possibly forever if the development goes ahead…This is certainly not a case of nimbyism but of deep sadness that such a stunning landscape could be ruined forever in an accelerated process which bulldozes through all previous planning and wildlife protections.
Vast swathes of this beautiful Island have already been ruined and we want to preserve the wild beauty of the moorland and not see it turned into an industrial energy park to the detriment of the millions of visitors who visit the North Yorkshire Moors, The Yorkshire Dales, Teesdale and the North Pennines each year to enjoy the amazing views and wildlife.’
Political or environmental protest?
A significant number of posts in the online campaign group do give the appearance of having more of a political objection to the proposed windfarm, rather than an environmental argument. This may be the case however, owing to a lack of detailed information from statutory consultees at this early stage in the process. Numerous posts from ‘Reform Against Net Zero’ and the website ‘The Daily Sceptic’- which is well known for pushing misinformation on vaccines, COVID and climate change- appear to be focusing more on anti-wind power in general, rather than objections to this particular proposal. When asked whether the Wilsons felt this diluted and weakened their argument, they said, ‘We do try to monitor the content and hold back anything misleading, but it is a forum for sharing.’
They added, ‘The Action Group is entirely non-political and 100% environmental and has no agenda other than to protect the beauty of the wildlife and moorlands for future generations by preventing this industrial development on a totally inappropriate site.’
They claimed that none of the members of the campaign group were anti-renewable energy per se, but just that they objected to the proposed 20 turbines near their village, on the moor. ‘We have members across the political spectrum and no member is anti-renewable energy.’
Early stage in process
Kelly Wyness, Senior Project Manager at Fred. Olsen Renewables, highlighted the early stage in the process, when he said:
“We’re at an early stage in developing our proposals for Hope Moor Wind Farm. From the outset, we’ve been aware of both the sensitivities of the site and its genuine potential to contribute to UK energy security.
As with our projects in Scotland, Hope Moor will deliver new renewable power, support local jobs and skills, and provide funding for moorland and environmental stewardship, cultural heritage and local communities.
As we move forward, we’re committed to shaping the project with the community. In the spring, we’ll share our early plans as part of a first stage of public consultation, giving people the chance to see the proposals, ask questions, and help influence how Hope Moor can deliver for the community and the country as a whole.”
Whitelee Windfarm, Scotland -
Review of ‘Frostlines’ by Neil Shea
Shea becomes the go-between to introduce us to a new world- or rather, an old world. A world full of culture, history, movement and memories, which is on the verge of being lost.
Shea wishes to ‘bear witness’ to life in the Arctic and to allow all us ‘southerners’ to experience the harsh beauty of life there. He acknowledges though that a new Arctic is emerging and its peoples are torn between adapting to the emerging new world and looking back to preserve and hold tight to the traditions of the past. From Ellesmere Island to the Northwest Territories to Alaska, Norway and Grøenland (Greenland), Shea takes the reader on a deeply personal journey, exploring the liminal spaces and thresholds which exist in the various Arctics. Through the eyes of those not living in the Arctic, there is only one Arctic, but for its peoples, the landscape is charged with different tribes, languages and histories. ‘Four million people living in the region. Some four-hundred thousand of them are Indigenous. Dozens of languages, dozens of tribes and nations and homelands, all of them scattered across just eight modern states.’
Shea’s trail begins by following the animals of these landscapes, animals which are an equal part of this world. He describes quasi-spiritual moments among narwhals, wolves and caribou hunts and begins to cast this relationship as a form of pilgrimage and in choosing to immerse yourself in this pilgrimage, the sense of belonging and identity grows.
The Great Vanishing
Shea moves us away from the ‘southern’ duality of predator and prey thinking about the relationship between animals and humans. ‘Here instead were fellow citizens, travelling through time, over the land, together.’
More importantly, he argues that living with animals becomes an indelible part of your identity and when the herds shrink and disappear, more is lost than just the wildlife. ‘If you are a caribou people and your caribou disappear, what do you become?’ The reasons for this loss do not appear to be clear cut. ‘No one knows that the caribou are disappearing. There’s no consensus on what’s behind this great vanishing. No disease has been pinpointed, no individual culprit gets the blame.’
The language used to describe the landscape of the Arctic may miss out on so much- words like ‘bleak’, ‘empty’, unforgiving’ or ‘arid’, fail to capture the richness of the northern worlds. The Arctic is more than just the visual experience that these earlier words convey and instead, like many landscapes, it contains a history, a presence, and emotional ties that help define who we are.
If we limit and contain our knowledge of any place to merely what can be seen, we miss out on the invisible bonds that create that sense of belonging between a people and a land.
‘The land isn’t barren, it’s busy with the memories of caribou.’
The collective sigh of climate change
That this relationship between place and people is changing is in no doubt. Shea draws on his own experiences of the Arctic when he notes, ‘The Arctic I saw in 2005 no longer exists. Innumerable changes have unfolded since I stood on the sea ice in Admiralty Inlet. Most of them have to do with heat, human-caused climate warming, and the fact that today the Arctic is warming three or four times more rapidly than any other region of the planet.’
What this new world means for the peoples of the Arctic, as different vegetation grows, as different species move in and out of this new world, and as passages for humans to move through and exploit, all remains to be seen. As Inuk activist and Nobel peace Prize nominee Sheila Watt- Cloutier notes, “What is happening today in the Arctic is the future of the rest of the world.” Ice is the ‘glue that binds this Arctic world together’ and even from a southern perspective, there is a deep sense of loss that comes, when what was viewed as never-changing becomes fragile and diminished. Shea asks the most relevant of all questions, when he reminds us that what happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic.
‘What can it mean, for all of us, if the north ceases to be cold?’
Walking the land
In reading, or experiencing this book, I am reminded of the proverb, “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man“.
The Arctic is a shifting river of changing time, memory and people. The impact of human society is felt sharply there, whether in the guise of geopolitical threats and posturing from nations wanting to exploit Arctic resources, or from the impacts of climate change.
This is not a text which is a eulogy for a lost world, or the looming mortality of tribal knowledge and customs, nor is it an angry, emotional rant about the effects of ‘Southern’ influence in a landscape to which we don’t belong. Shea sums it up best when he describes a ‘moral relationship’, ‘What indigenous communicates now to me, after my journeys through the north, is a sense of belonging that is not manufactured or purchased but earned. A commitment to moral relationships between humans and land and sea. A respect for the way cold holds everything together.’
He concludes by pushing humanity to the side and focuses on the landscape, the trails, the memories, the opposites which live beside each other in a world where the frost is softly melting. Shea argues that this Arctic world might not end in a catastrophic ‘bang’, but rather in a series of events that end the way of life there, like a door slowly closing.
‘The borders that mattered, I had thought, were not imaginary lines drawn between nation-states that might not survive another century. What mattered were shifting edges of ice and water, earth and stone, trees, light, darkness. Language. The movement of animals.’
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Review of ‘Despite It All. A Handbook for Climate Hopefuls.’ by Fred Pearce
‘With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.’ In ‘Despite It All’, Pearce offers us a more hopeful narrative to counter the daily deluge of climate crisis stories from around the world. Pollution of our seas, pollution of our atmosphere, extreme weather, droughts, biodiversity in crisis- it is all too easy to slip into a passive acceptance of the conditions of our world in 2026 and imagine that this is the only future. As Pearce acknowledges, ‘It is easy to be defeatist about the fate of the planet.’
Pearce is at pains not to underestimate the climate trajectory that we are on, but reminds us that stories which uplift with hope resonate more than stories that are filled only with darkness. In the midst of winter, we look for the light of nature. ‘Nothing in this book is an argument for complacency. My purpose is to shine a light on solutions and offer hope in dark times’
He focuses on 7 key areas as his takeaways- the power of nature to find a way; the importance of Indigenous wisdom and knowledge in a modern world; the benefits of technology; community driven projects and land ownership rather than private enterprise; eco-restoration solutions; the end of materialism; and that the population of the world will not rise for ever.
Wildlife means wildlife
‘Despite It All’ begins by focusing on the loss and threats facing nature and highlights that the human idea of ‘wildlife’ often has a visual of pristine environments, rather than dark forests or disused military junkyards, where species often thrive.
‘The scale of humanity’s impact on the natural world is staggering.’
Pearce makes the argument that we tend to believe what we repeatedly hear and if we hear negative story after negative story on biodiversity loss, then we stop looking for the ‘green shoot’ stories. ‘Why don’t we hear more about these amazing cases of nature fighting back and creating the new wild? It is on this argument that this book rests- that although global awareness and public information of the climate crisis is perhaps the highest it has ever been, that positive news stories about eco-regeneration often don’t make the headline news.
The role of technology
Pearce fully unpicks the thorny issue of the role of technology in playing a positive part in offering solutions to some of the climate issues. He bluntly addresses the dangers of viewing technology as some sort of geoengineering ‘silver bullet’, which would only allow for fossil fuel companies to continue with their focus on profits at any cost. He warns about ‘…the potential for obfuscation by corporate players anxious to preserve their profits is immense. For them, every day of delay is a victory.’ He instead makes the point that the technology to make renewables a reality has moved us far aware from continued reliance on dangerous fossil fuels and uses examples of off-shore windfarms, and the rise of solar technology as clear areas of technology being our friend.
We are far more cooperative than we often imagine.
‘Despite It All’ is deliberately a short book. The answers to how we can solve and mitigate the worst of the climate crisis are well known. The ‘technology’ to solve this global crisis is there, the support for climate action from the world’s citizens is there, the need for a change is there- the last domino to push over is political will. In reality, with global political cooperation to push back against the chokehold of the fossil fuel companies, this really would be the last obstacle to overcome.
Of course, all this rhetoric could pale into comparison tomorrow, when the floods come, when the crops fail, when more species become extinct, or when drought tightens its grip. But the climate progress we have made over the past 30 years needs to be emphasised and celebrated. Pearce concludes, ‘The worst could still happen, but it doesn’t have to…I have faith in humanity’s ingenuity and collective will.’ He reminds us that throughout history we have faced seemingly insurmountable mountains before, but that we have always been brave enough to take that first step.
‘But many things that appear unstoppable can be halted and reversed, if we have the will to try.’
‘Despite It All’ reminds us that we have the agency to bring a new world into being. Giving up when we hear the worst of the climate news from around the world and falling victim to a ‘doomist’ narrative, forgets the lessons to us from nature- that spring always follows winter and that the light always returns to the world.
“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way.
On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”
–Arundhati Roy
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Yorkshire Water Bills Rise Again as Customers Pay for Upgrades
The lack of outrage over water companies raising customer bills again, reflects the stranglehold they have on the nation.
The annual bill for Yorkshire Water customers is set to rise this April by over 5% for the average household bill. This would mark a rise on the average property from £602 to £636 per year.
The news passed last week with barely a whimper of protest from Yorkshire Water customers, as Yorkshire Water outlined their investment programme of replacing mains, reducing leaks and water treatment upgrades.
Their press release stated, ‘Average household water bills in Yorkshire are set to increase by 5.6% in April – around £2.80 per month – to help fund an £8.3bn investment programme, which will improve customer service and environmental outcomes across the region.’
They outlined that the regulator Ofwat had agreed to these increases for all water companies to raise bills yet again, in order to pay for upgrades after years of under investment from the water companies themselves- almost blaming Ofwat for the rises.
‘The increase, which was agreed by Ofwat in December 2024, sits just above inflation and will enable Yorkshire Water to continue delivering a wide range of infrastructure projects, totalling £1.1bn between April 2026 and April 2027, including:
–Progressing a £38m plan for reducing leakage across the region
-Replacing 353km of mains throughout Yorkshire, to reduce bursts and instances of water supply disruptions
-Exchanging a further 350,000 smart meters to help customers save water and reduce their bills.’
Matt Pinder, customer director at Yorkshire Water, said: “This is our largest ever investment package – designed to drive significant progress in areas we know are important to our customers. We’ve already delivered a huge number of infrastructure projects – over 200 in 2025 – and it’s important that we keep that momentum going over the next year, and beyond.
“The money we collect from customer bills, alongside shareholder investment and borrowing, will be spent on a wide variety of improvements across the region – from improvements to storm overflows to mains replacements and bringing in new water resources – alongside delivering a better service for our customers.”
He added: “Of course, we know that bill rises will be difficult for some of our customers. Over the five years, we’ll be providing £375m in financial support to 345,000 customers through a range of different schemes – I would encourage anyone who is struggling financially to contact us to discuss the options available to them.”
Why are customers paying to clean up the water industry?
Campaigners however decried the water industry’s claims that, ‘By 2030 £104 billion will be invested in the UK’s water networks.’ Fervent water campaigner, Feargal Sharkey challenged where the ‘investment’ was coming from, saying, ‘not a single bloody penny of any of it is coming from water company shareholders- it’s all coming directly out of bill payers pockets.’ He also highlighted the dangers of companies using the tactic of ‘big numbers’ to make their promises sound more convincing, while ignoring financial truths, when he pointed out that ‘£22 BILLION of that instantly evaporates in interest payments, commissions and other financial changes.’
Sharkey also listed the deficiencies within the water industry to make the point that they are operating with very little restrictions and that financial penalties do not act as a disincentive to clean up their act.
‘Water companies are currently £82.7 billion in debt, have paid themselves £85 billion in dividends, leak over a trillion of litres of water per year, dump sewage for almost 4 million hours per year, have been convicted of over 1,200 criminal acts since 1989 and an average of 35% of your bill goes on nothing but paying more interest and yet more dividends.
And not a single company has ever lost their operating licence.’
‘Bonuses’ continue
‘The Guardian’ recently reported that the water industry appeared to be circumventing the ban on bonus payments to bosses of the water companies by ‘labelling payments differently or paying bosses through linked companies.’
Frankly, at this stage, the water companies bosses and parent companies, must be laughing at the ineptitude of regulators and the government to hold them to account. The perception is that they are aware of the rising pressure for re-nationalisation of water and that they continue with business as usual, for as long as they are able to do so.
Come April, the public will all dutifully pay the rise in payments to the water industry, without real expectation of any improvements to the system. Sewage will still run rampant in our waterways, unchecked and unpunished. It is worth remembering that this rise in annual payments will happen at approximately the same time as the annual data on sewage pollution will be published. In Yorkshire in 2024, there were 450,398 sewage spills, with these spills lasting for 3.6 millions hours.
What is the number of sewage spills needed for the government to rein in this runaway industry?
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Woodburners Linked to Highest Air Pollution Exposure in Welsh Children, Study Finds
https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-image.php?image=46552&picture=wood-burning-stove
Woodburners identified as trebling the risk of indoor pollution exposure
A recent study in the Journal of Environmental Management identified woodburners as the highest source of exposure to air pollution in Welsh primary aged schoolchildren. The study measured exposure to air pollution in the participants’ homes, in their schools, and in their daily commute, using portable air quality monitors carried by the children.
Its findings suggested that the highest levels of exposure to children were to be found within home environments and that the sources of indoor combustion was a key contributor to higher levels of exposure. ‘Results showed that children’s highest and most variable PM2.5 exposure occurred within home environments, where indoor sources such as wood burning and smoking were major contributors.’
Comparing the two schools- one urban and one rural in Anglesey the study measured the homes which had woodburners and/or fireplace to identify potential sources of pollution. It highlighted that, ‘Approximately 53 % of students at School B reported having a wood burner and/or fireplace at home, compared to 21 % at School A. This suggests that indoor biomass combustion is likely a significant contributor to higher PM2.5 exposure.’
Distribution of household wood burners in Anglesey
Impact of domestic wood burning
The study continued to emphasise the high level of firewood and woodburners in Wales and the impact of this usage on PM2.5 levels.
‘In Wales, domestic wood burning significantly impacts PM2.5 levels, especially along the north coast and during winter (Welsh Government, 2024). A survey indicated that up to 75 % of households in rural Wales use firewood (Jennifer and James, 2013).’
Currently, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs is running a consultation until mid March calling for stricter emissions limits for new stoves; mandatory labelling for stoves and fuels and increased enforcement penalties. In the overview to this consultation, Defra state bluntly that ‘Air pollution is one of the largest environmental risks to human health. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) – tiny particles that can enter the lungs and bloodstream – is linked to conditions such as heart disease, asthma, and premature death. Vulnerable groups, including children, older people, and those with existing health conditions, are most affected.’ This statement continued, with an equally strong comment that, ‘Domestic burning of solid fuels such as wood and manufactured solid fuels is a major source of PM2.5 emissions.’
Charities, such as Asthma + Lung UK, criticised this consultation for falling ‘well short’ of what is needed to protect people from this exposure, when they argued that the consultation ignored ‘the pollution from existing stoves which is one of the UK’s biggest sources of air pollution.’
Jonathan Blades, Head of Policy at Asthma + Lung UK, said: ‘The public consultation on domestic wood burning is a welcome acknowledgment of the harm caused by domestic burning, but the policy measures proposed fall well short of what is needed to protect the public from dangerously high levels of emissions. Air pollution is first and foremost a health issue. It is linked to up to 43,000 premature deaths every year in the UK and domestic burning is the only source of harmful fine particulate matter known as PM2.5 that has risen since 2003.’
Blades continued, ‘If this government is serious about protecting public health, reducing the amount of PM2.5 we breathe must be a priority, and the government should be consulting on bold, ambitious and supportive measures to bring down levels from domestic burning.’
The Government consultation document itself says, ‘We all deserve to live in an environment where our everyday lives are not negatively affected by the quality of the air that we breathe. The burning of solid fuels, including the use of woodburning stoves in domestic settings, is growing in popularity and leading to more harmful emissions entering our air.’
‘It is a public health crisis’
Joseph Carter, Chair of Healthy Air Cymru and Head of Asthma + Lung UK Cymru told me that:
“Air pollution is the biggest environmental threat to public health, second only to smoking. At a cost £1bn per year to our NHS, air pollution is draining our resources, straining our health system and cutting short over 2000 lives a year in Wales. It is a public health crisis.
The idea of glowing embers in a wood burner in your home might sound appealing, but the reality is, it could be putting you, your family and community’s lung health at risk.”
He continued, “Although we are thankfully seeing an increased awareness in Wales of the health dangers posed by wood burning, many people are still unaware and we want that to change. Sadly we are not surprised by the results of the study. It highlights the air pollution dangers of not only domestic burning, but also smoking and vehicle idling. This study confirms the important role that the decision of adults has on the air that children breathe, whether it is their parents, teachers or adult neighbours driving vehicles and burning wood. It shows the importance of awareness and education, and we hope the Welsh Government considers this report when planning an awareness campaign.”
Whether air pollution studies like the recent one in Wales, or the current government consultation will then lead to bans or partial bans on woodburners, remains to be seen. The pressure does appear to be mounting and possible health warnings on products could signal that public awareness and consumer led choices might change the market forever. -
Woodburners Linked to Highest Air Pollution Exposure in Welsh Children, Study Finds
https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-image.php?image=46552&picture=wood-burning-stove
Woodburners identified as trebling the risk of indoor pollution exposure
A recent study in the Journal of Environmental Management identified woodburners as the highest source of exposure to air pollution in Welsh primary aged schoolchildren. The study measured exposure to air pollution in the participants’ homes, in their schools, and in their daily commute, using portable air quality monitors carried by the children.
Its findings suggested that the highest levels of exposure to children were to be found within home environments and that the sources of indoor combustion was a key contributor to higher levels of exposure. ‘Results showed that children’s highest and most variable PM2.5 exposure occurred within home environments, where indoor sources such as wood burning and smoking were major contributors.’
Comparing the two schools- one urban and one rural in Anglesey the study measured the homes which had woodburners and/or fireplace to identify potential sources of pollution. It highlighted that, ‘Approximately 53 % of students at School B reported having a wood burner and/or fireplace at home, compared to 21 % at School A. This suggests that indoor biomass combustion is likely a significant contributor to higher PM2.5 exposure.’
Distribution of household wood burners in Anglesey
Impact of domestic wood burning
The study continued to emphasise the high level of firewood and woodburners in Wales and the impact of this usage on PM2.5 levels.
‘In Wales, domestic wood burning significantly impacts PM2.5 levels, especially along the north coast and during winter (Welsh Government, 2024). A survey indicated that up to 75 % of households in rural Wales use firewood (Jennifer and James, 2013).’
Currently, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs is running a consultation until mid March calling for stricter emissions limits for new stoves; mandatory labelling for stoves and fuels and increased enforcement penalties. In the overview to this consultation, Defra state bluntly that ‘Air pollution is one of the largest environmental risks to human health. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) – tiny particles that can enter the lungs and bloodstream – is linked to conditions such as heart disease, asthma, and premature death. Vulnerable groups, including children, older people, and those with existing health conditions, are most affected.’ This statement continued, with an equally strong comment that, ‘Domestic burning of solid fuels such as wood and manufactured solid fuels is a major source of PM2.5 emissions.’
Charities, such as Asthma + Lung UK, criticised this consultation for falling ‘well short’ of what is needed to protect people from this exposure, when they argued that the consultation ignored ‘the pollution from existing stoves which is one of the UK’s biggest sources of air pollution.’
Jonathan Blades, Head of Policy at Asthma + Lung UK, said: ‘The public consultation on domestic wood burning is a welcome acknowledgment of the harm caused by domestic burning, but the policy measures proposed fall well short of what is needed to protect the public from dangerously high levels of emissions. Air pollution is first and foremost a health issue. It is linked to up to 43,000 premature deaths every year in the UK and domestic burning is the only source of harmful fine particulate matter known as PM2.5 that has risen since 2003.’
Blades continued, ‘If this government is serious about protecting public health, reducing the amount of PM2.5 we breathe must be a priority, and the government should be consulting on bold, ambitious and supportive measures to bring down levels from domestic burning.’
The Government consultation document itself says, ‘We all deserve to live in an environment where our everyday lives are not negatively affected by the quality of the air that we breathe. The burning of solid fuels, including the use of woodburning stoves in domestic settings, is growing in popularity and leading to more harmful emissions entering our air.’
‘It is a public health crisis’
Joseph Carter, Chair of Healthy Air Cymru and Head of Asthma + Lung UK Cymru told me that:
“Air pollution is the biggest environmental threat to public health, second only to smoking. At a cost £1bn per year to our NHS, air pollution is draining our resources, straining our health system and cutting short over 2000 lives a year in Wales. It is a public health crisis.
The idea of glowing embers in a wood burner in your home might sound appealing, but the reality is, it could be putting you, your family and community’s lung health at risk.”
He continued, “Although we are thankfully seeing an increased awareness in Wales of the health dangers posed by wood burning, many people are still unaware and we want that to change. Sadly we are not surprised by the results of the study. It highlights the air pollution dangers of not only domestic burning, but also smoking and vehicle idling. This study confirms the important role that the decision of adults has on the air that children breathe, whether it is their parents, teachers or adult neighbours driving vehicles and burning wood. It shows the importance of awareness and education, and we hope the Welsh Government considers this report when planning an awareness campaign.”
Whether air pollution studies like the recent one in Wales, or the current government consultation will then lead to bans or partial bans on woodburners, remains to be seen. The pressure does appear to be mounting and possible health warnings on products could signal that public awareness and consumer led choices might change the market forever. -
Review of ‘Climate Collapse?: Calls to Action from Around the World’, edited by Arkbound Foundation
Voices from around the world speak out on climate solutions that they have experienced, to highlight that the ‘waiting for Superman’ approach is not appropriate when managing climate collapse and that local communities have the power themselves to act in a powerful manner to deliver climate action.
‘Climate Collapse?’ is, at times, blunt, critical and unforgiving, perhaps matching the topic under discussion. From, the ecological resistance of women peasants in South Korea; to women’s contributions to combating climate disorder in Haiti; to Brazil’s Landless Workers Movement; to a story of abundance amidst collapse in Sudan; to the conflict between Western conservation and ecocide in Kenya, these global voices speak out about climate injustices and offer clear avenues of hope.
All-pervasive climate breakdown is here, now.
Prof Bill McGuire, from the UK, opens the collection of voices, with his typical style, highlighting that avoiding facing facts is perilous.
‘Whether we accept it or not, our climate is already broken to such a degree that it will have a colossal impact upon every aspect of our lives, the lives of our children and their children, and the lives of those to come, not just for years, but for millennia.’
He points out the fact often forgotten, that in some ways, we are too late, that some impacts are already locked in. ‘The bottom line is that climate catastrophe is already locked- in. Things are going to be bad, and our children and many generations thereafter will inevitably face tough times. Deciding just how tough, however, is still within our gift– to some extent at least.’ He uses the Biblical proverb from Hosea when he forces us to face the fact that this climate breakdown that we are experiencing now is down to human actions. ‘We have sown the wind and now, finally, we are beginning to reap the whirlwind.’
Brian Tokar then begins the argument of how can we find hope and optimism within the world which Maguire describes. Toaker notes, ‘Images of climate-driven disasters have come to dominate our awareness on nearly a weekly basis.’ He asks the question, ‘How can hopes and dreams for a better world be sustained amidst this overt authoritarianism, disruption and chaos?’ This book’s focus imagines the world of tomorrow and how that can be built into being, as well as highlighting climate action today which moves us in this direction. A complete revolution in our thinking is required to understand the fragile equilibrium of our planet and how we are threatening our own home. “Let us make no mistake: the climate crisis is also a crisis of culture, and thus of the imagination.”— Amitav Ghosh
Cultures in conflict
The white saviour syndrome of the Global North, aiming to intervene in the Global South is addressed fully in the collection of voices. This cultural perspective is often seen as one which remains tainted by narratives of colonialism and arrogance. Matthew Azouley makes the argument that an equal playing field must exist between cultures to foster the building of global solutions. ‘Nevertheless, I have learnt enough to know that Indigenous and Global South perspectives on ecological collapse—including the climate crisis— are fundamental to a global understanding of our predicament.’ Western approaches to conservation and ecology still dominate over Indigenous knowledge, whether this is Kenya or Haiti. Powerful ideas about gender roles exist in many communities creating more divides over allowed ‘roles’.
Sharma Aurelien offers a detailed exploration of this very issue of the intersection between feminism and colonialism when she analyses women’s actions in response to climate change in Haiti. She argues that, ‘Haitian women farmers are therefore more exposed to climate effects due to their belonging to three marginalized groups: they are rural people, they are women, and they are nationals of a low- income country.’ However, these women and this community are not ‘left behind’- instead voices keep fighting to advance rights and freedoms. ‘In Haiti’s fragile sociopolitical context, women’s organizations and leaders keep advocating and acting for women’s and girls’ rights.’
Hyojeong Kim makes a similar argument about female rights in South Korea when they ask, ‘How can feminism in general respond to the climate crisis and its gendered dimensions? The emergence of a new ecofeminist women’s movement is urgently required along with a transnational solidarity beyond the nation state so as to cope with the climate crisis.’
Rising from the Ashes
Gail Bradbrook, the co-founder of Extinction Rebellion, begins to conclude the collection of these global voices by embracing the global community and the ideas about protection and regeneration. We need to acknowledge and accept that some parts of our world will never be the same again and that many things may be lost as climate breakdown continues. However, giving everything up is not an option, as this is our collective planet and our collective home.
‘For this book, people from across the world have been asked what they think, with a concern for hearing beyond the usual “whitestream” voices and in care for humanity hearing from itself in our richness and diversity. Let’s take time to be fed by words, thoughts, experiences, ideas from many orientations and cultures. Let’s take time to breathe, to feel, to think together. Then to keep walking together, perhaps with a bit more wisdom in the direction we choose.’
Bradbrook encourages us to re-find our shared humanity as our new compass direction for what remains of the 21st century.
‘We will mostly now witness the breaking down, the drowning, the burning; with our energies increasingly fixed on the challenges of survival. Nevertheless, how we approach and rise to those challenges might also contain possibilities for becoming more humane and more alive together, for a new paradigm to emerge – phoenix- like from ashes – if we focus on building cultures of repair, resistance and regeneration together.’
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Climate Thoughts with Brian 