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A Climate of Truth: Why We Need It and How To Get It
We have most of the technology we need to combat the climate crisis - and most people want to see more action. But after three decades of climate COPs, we are accelerating into a polycrisis of climate, food security, biodiversity, pollution, inequality, and more. What, exactly, has been holding us back? Mike Berners-Lee looks at the challenge from new angles. He stands further back to gain perspective; he digs deeper under the surface to see the root causes; he joins up every element of the challenge; and he learns lessons from our failures of the past. He spells out why, if humanity is to thrive in the future, the most critical step is to raise standards of honesty in our politics, our media, and our businesses. Anyone asking 'what can each of us do right now to help?' will find inspiration in this practical and important book.
386 pages, Paperback
Published April 10, 2025
21 people are currently reading
404 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 25, 2025
Sustainability faces some push back at the moment. This book looks at some of the issues that have led to that, including politics, the media and disinformation.
October 8, 2025
Everybody should read this book. A harsh reality check on the society we live in with thoughts on how we can challenge and support the system to be more truthful.
June 3, 2025
I strongly recommend the book and I think that this passage is a good summary of its essence - a manifesto of sorts:
“We all need a believable theory of change into which our actions fit. It needs to be radically more believable than today’s central narrative of ‘net zero’ stuck on top of business as usual, media as usual and politics as usual.
So here is a best-case scenario that all of us can push towards. And the closer we can get to it, the better things will be, for us all:
Starting right now, we create a culture that insists on far higher standards of honesty than humans have ever had in their governance. It starts with a galvanising concept in one country - perhaps the UK. It taps into a vein of energy. People see the benefits. So it grows. Other countries see what can be done. The standard of politicians goes up radically because the new culture improves the standards of even the worst politicians, media and businesses, and at elections, the best ones are voted in. High-quality leadership in some countries moderates the behaviours of the world’s worst leaders and in time brings Anthropocene-fit leadership to the world.
New, thoughtful conversations become possible. The quality of decision-making improves, first in some nations and then internationally. The movement is so constructive that only sociopaths and psychopaths don’t like it, and it is strong enough to keep them at bay. Humanity finds a way of getting itself out of the grip of psychopaths and into the hands of people who care about others more than their own careers.
Parallel shifts take place in the media and in business, and these three domains now reinforce each other in raising their games - spurred on and held to account by an increasingly informed and engaged public. Lives start to get better as a result. The evolution of human decision-making takes off, and for the first time we begin tackling the Polycrisis in a way that is fit for the challenge.”
“We all need a believable theory of change into which our actions fit. It needs to be radically more believable than today’s central narrative of ‘net zero’ stuck on top of business as usual, media as usual and politics as usual.
So here is a best-case scenario that all of us can push towards. And the closer we can get to it, the better things will be, for us all:
Starting right now, we create a culture that insists on far higher standards of honesty than humans have ever had in their governance. It starts with a galvanising concept in one country - perhaps the UK. It taps into a vein of energy. People see the benefits. So it grows. Other countries see what can be done. The standard of politicians goes up radically because the new culture improves the standards of even the worst politicians, media and businesses, and at elections, the best ones are voted in. High-quality leadership in some countries moderates the behaviours of the world’s worst leaders and in time brings Anthropocene-fit leadership to the world.
New, thoughtful conversations become possible. The quality of decision-making improves, first in some nations and then internationally. The movement is so constructive that only sociopaths and psychopaths don’t like it, and it is strong enough to keep them at bay. Humanity finds a way of getting itself out of the grip of psychopaths and into the hands of people who care about others more than their own careers.
Parallel shifts take place in the media and in business, and these three domains now reinforce each other in raising their games - spurred on and held to account by an increasingly informed and engaged public. Lives start to get better as a result. The evolution of human decision-making takes off, and for the first time we begin tackling the Polycrisis in a way that is fit for the challenge.”
March 26, 2025
Mike Berners-Lee’s fresh new book challenges us all that we deserve more on climate communication, that we should expect more and finally, that we have the agency to demand more on climate communication. He calls for a new high standard of honesty and truth to reset the moral balance and reminds us that the standard we walk past is the standard we accept. When we choose to support media which lies and distorts. When we choose not to hold politicians to account for their self-serving behaviours and when we support businesses for our own convenience when we are aware of their links to fossil fuel companies.
This text A Climate of Truth follows Berners-Lee’s other famous books, There Is No Planet B and How Bad Are Bananas?, therefore we expect the same rigorous standards and evidence and in this, we are not disappointed. Berners-Lee cautions us that, ‘If humanity is to thrive in the decades ahead, the most critical step is to raise standards of honesty in our politics, our media and our businesses.’
He calls for an interruption to the failed system which has led us to this point and describes an emerging polycrisis of interconnected factors, which requires a new system of political cooperation and functionality to manage and adapt to these new threats. ‘This book is about the fact that humanity is accelerating into a deadly Polycrisis… yet in spite of this, our response continues to be hopelessly inadequate.’
He argues that the challenge facing us requires us to face the habit that has brought us here and then to break this habit, so that socio-economic trends do not continue to rise unabated. He argues, ‘The climate and ecological emergencies we face must transcend party politics and in the end will require a huge evolution of how political systems function and how all parties conduct themselves.’
Growth begets growth
Berners-Lee outlines the seven ‘outer layers’ of the polycrisis- ranging from components such as climate, energy, population, food, biodiversity, pollution and disease. He carefully unpacks each of these in turn and asks the question as to why we aren’t solving some of the technologically solvable problems. He does not present technology to be the silver bullet, but instead warns us about the dangers of ‘techno-optimism, that ‘tech-centricity assumes and hopes that our climate problems are only skin-deep and that our fundamental approach to business, technology, politics and society can remain in place.’
Instead he urges that there should be an interruption to the current systems. ‘You have to interrupt the carbon curve at the global system level.’ He notes that global emissions are still rising even after 28 COPS and that demand-reduction could be a critical pathway. He observes that even the strong pledges and commitments on plastic reduction have not made a dent in this rapacious business model. What we have been doing, has not worked.
‘The world now uses around 500 million tonnes of plastic per year, of which just 6% is from recycled materials and the rest is virgin, made almost entirely from fossil fuels.
Berners-Lee makes no excuse that multiple levers have to be pulled on simultaneously to achieve the necessary dramatic actions that we need, but that the most important lever is to create a culture of truth. ‘Demand reduction is the most critical and under-discussed component of the drive to leave fossil fuels in the ground. The fossil fuel companies hate the idea of using less energy, and they work hard to protect us from understanding the clear-cut need to do so.’
We must consume less and be more.
A Climate of Truth strongly advocates for a circular economy, rather than a consumer driven, capitalist based model. ‘We have developed societies based on consumerism rather than citizenship; we think more in terms of what we can have than in terms of what we can contribute.’ Berners-Lee stresses that we should remember that it is industry which have created these narratives in order to develop and preserve their own financial survival. ‘The fossil fuel industry makes more money the more coal, oil and gas we burn.’
In truth, there are few surprises in this book for an audience who are well versed in the duplicity of the fossil-fuel industry and its shills. Shill who constantly deter and delay the necessary climate action that will keep the level of suffering to a minimum by 2100.
‘In a survey of 380 climate scientist lead authors of IPCC reports since 2018, only 6% think the climate will stay below 1.5℃ compared with 42% who think we will go beyond 3℃.’ To note the countless extreme weather events which are observed in a 1.2℃ world, it is almost impossible to imagine what a possible 3℃ world might look like.
The choice is radical change or untold suffering and death.
The book then investigates the middle layers of the polycrisis before moving onto the core of the issue. Although a lot of ground is covered by Berners-Lee, the book is wrapped around the central pillar that we have to learn from what hasn’t worked and that a deference to the capitalist ideologies and acceptance of untruthful words and behaviours is a choice that we can choose to break. We choose to believe in and accept untruthful politicians. We choose to support dishonest, environmental harm causing companies. We choose to accept corporate dishonesty and media monopolies as the norm. But it doesn't have to be this way, urges Berners-Lee.
We are urged as individuals, communities and countries to insist on a better narrative- a narrative of Truth. To demand this narrative of Truth.
And this is where our voice can be strong.
‘To start making headway on all these issues and more, a climate of truth across politics, media and business is what we most need. And the wonderful news is that we can get it if we really want it. We just have to not put up with anything less.’
Berners-Lee closes his text with a powerful call to realistic hope. He reminds us that sometimes we can be in the middle of a movement and not see it for what it is- a social tipping point, a collective moment of truth.
Social tipping points can happen fast. We might be on the cusp of one right now. We might not need an unimaginably traumatic event to shake us into action.
We can each be a meaningful part of the change, and that is enough.
This text A Climate of Truth follows Berners-Lee’s other famous books, There Is No Planet B and How Bad Are Bananas?, therefore we expect the same rigorous standards and evidence and in this, we are not disappointed. Berners-Lee cautions us that, ‘If humanity is to thrive in the decades ahead, the most critical step is to raise standards of honesty in our politics, our media and our businesses.’
He calls for an interruption to the failed system which has led us to this point and describes an emerging polycrisis of interconnected factors, which requires a new system of political cooperation and functionality to manage and adapt to these new threats. ‘This book is about the fact that humanity is accelerating into a deadly Polycrisis… yet in spite of this, our response continues to be hopelessly inadequate.’
He argues that the challenge facing us requires us to face the habit that has brought us here and then to break this habit, so that socio-economic trends do not continue to rise unabated. He argues, ‘The climate and ecological emergencies we face must transcend party politics and in the end will require a huge evolution of how political systems function and how all parties conduct themselves.’
Growth begets growth
Berners-Lee outlines the seven ‘outer layers’ of the polycrisis- ranging from components such as climate, energy, population, food, biodiversity, pollution and disease. He carefully unpacks each of these in turn and asks the question as to why we aren’t solving some of the technologically solvable problems. He does not present technology to be the silver bullet, but instead warns us about the dangers of ‘techno-optimism, that ‘tech-centricity assumes and hopes that our climate problems are only skin-deep and that our fundamental approach to business, technology, politics and society can remain in place.’
Instead he urges that there should be an interruption to the current systems. ‘You have to interrupt the carbon curve at the global system level.’ He notes that global emissions are still rising even after 28 COPS and that demand-reduction could be a critical pathway. He observes that even the strong pledges and commitments on plastic reduction have not made a dent in this rapacious business model. What we have been doing, has not worked.
‘The world now uses around 500 million tonnes of plastic per year, of which just 6% is from recycled materials and the rest is virgin, made almost entirely from fossil fuels.
Berners-Lee makes no excuse that multiple levers have to be pulled on simultaneously to achieve the necessary dramatic actions that we need, but that the most important lever is to create a culture of truth. ‘Demand reduction is the most critical and under-discussed component of the drive to leave fossil fuels in the ground. The fossil fuel companies hate the idea of using less energy, and they work hard to protect us from understanding the clear-cut need to do so.’
We must consume less and be more.
A Climate of Truth strongly advocates for a circular economy, rather than a consumer driven, capitalist based model. ‘We have developed societies based on consumerism rather than citizenship; we think more in terms of what we can have than in terms of what we can contribute.’ Berners-Lee stresses that we should remember that it is industry which have created these narratives in order to develop and preserve their own financial survival. ‘The fossil fuel industry makes more money the more coal, oil and gas we burn.’
In truth, there are few surprises in this book for an audience who are well versed in the duplicity of the fossil-fuel industry and its shills. Shill who constantly deter and delay the necessary climate action that will keep the level of suffering to a minimum by 2100.
‘In a survey of 380 climate scientist lead authors of IPCC reports since 2018, only 6% think the climate will stay below 1.5℃ compared with 42% who think we will go beyond 3℃.’ To note the countless extreme weather events which are observed in a 1.2℃ world, it is almost impossible to imagine what a possible 3℃ world might look like.
The choice is radical change or untold suffering and death.
The book then investigates the middle layers of the polycrisis before moving onto the core of the issue. Although a lot of ground is covered by Berners-Lee, the book is wrapped around the central pillar that we have to learn from what hasn’t worked and that a deference to the capitalist ideologies and acceptance of untruthful words and behaviours is a choice that we can choose to break. We choose to believe in and accept untruthful politicians. We choose to support dishonest, environmental harm causing companies. We choose to accept corporate dishonesty and media monopolies as the norm. But it doesn't have to be this way, urges Berners-Lee.
We are urged as individuals, communities and countries to insist on a better narrative- a narrative of Truth. To demand this narrative of Truth.
And this is where our voice can be strong.
‘To start making headway on all these issues and more, a climate of truth across politics, media and business is what we most need. And the wonderful news is that we can get it if we really want it. We just have to not put up with anything less.’
Berners-Lee closes his text with a powerful call to realistic hope. He reminds us that sometimes we can be in the middle of a movement and not see it for what it is- a social tipping point, a collective moment of truth.
Social tipping points can happen fast. We might be on the cusp of one right now. We might not need an unimaginably traumatic event to shake us into action.
We can each be a meaningful part of the change, and that is enough.
July 23, 2025
As a Baptist Church Pastor it was fascinating and encouraging to hear a secular person speaking so passionately about truth. I would quickly be told I was being 'preachy' if I was the author of this book. But something really hit the mark for me with this book - How can be Christians consider ourselves passionate about the truth, if we turn a blind eye to the truth about what's happening to our world?
Notes I made:
'We need to perform a reset on ourselves now, in order to survive. The alternative is that the planet imposes a reset on us, against our will. Leading to huge population loss, a crash of civilisation, an unthinkable level of collective suffering, and untold destruction to the other life forms that share our earth. Those really are the only two options. We either control the reset ourselves - to everyone's benefit, or we allow the reset to be imposed upon us.'
'The poly crisis ... is in three concentric layers. Outer layer - presenting systems like climate, energy, population, food, biodiviersity, pollution, disease etc. Middle layer - politics, media, education, technology, law, our relationship to economics and growth, business and inequality. At the core - how we think and the values we hold.'
'The world now uses around 500 million tons of plastic per year, of which just 6% is from recycled materials, and the rest is virgin, made almost entirely from fossil fuels. About half of the 10 billion tons or so ever produced has been created in just the last fifteen years. And production has roughly quadrupled over thirty years. Almost a third goes into packaging. Construction and vehicles together make up nearly another third of all uses, and the rest is spread across every kind of product you can think of. About 20% of annual plastic production contributes to the stock of plastic that is stored up in the economy and in society, in everything from the plastic in buildings and cars, to boxes of children's toys gathering dust in attics. It is now thought to stand at over 400 kgs for every human on the planet. The remaining 80% - or about 400 million tons - that we produce every year gets discarded in waste. Of this, about half - or a best estimate of 49% - goes to landfill where it stays forever. Nearly a fifth (19%) gets incinerated, capturing most of the pollutants if we're lucky, and generating some energy, but whilst emitting CO2 into the atmosphere. Roughly another 10th ends up in open air dump sites, which are ugly, but contained - just about. We talk a lot about plastic recycling, but after many years of trying, still only a pitiful 9% goes down this pathway. About 7% is burned in the open air with horrible toxins going up into the atmosphere, along with carbon emissions, and none of the energy being captured. About 4% ends up as scattered rubbish across the world's land area. Over 1% ends up in rivers and lakes, and about half a percent, in oceans. On top of all of this, about .8% is dispersed as microplastics, which get into every corner of the eco system - our soils, the plants, animals and fish that we eat, our drinking water, and even the air that we breathe. Once in our bodies, it gets everywhere - into penises, placentas, sperm, breast milk and the brains of unborn babies. We now know that the health impacts are serious. The phalates - which are used to make flexible food packing, and BPAs - which are used to make disposable water bottles rigid - turn out to be disrupting our hormones, especially estrogen and testosterone. And this turns out to be dramatically cutting our fertility and triggering cancer. So while some forms of pollution are on the mend, plastic is emphatically not. At around 5% per year, the growth in plastic production is higher than fossil fuel growth has ever been, and equates to roughly doubling the problem every 15 years. The plastics industry is lobbying hard for that growth to continue. Plastic is even more permanent than CO2. As far as we can tell, future generations will be forever dealing with this rampant mess.'
'There is no point in saving a world that is no fun to be on'
Notes I made:
'We need to perform a reset on ourselves now, in order to survive. The alternative is that the planet imposes a reset on us, against our will. Leading to huge population loss, a crash of civilisation, an unthinkable level of collective suffering, and untold destruction to the other life forms that share our earth. Those really are the only two options. We either control the reset ourselves - to everyone's benefit, or we allow the reset to be imposed upon us.'
'The poly crisis ... is in three concentric layers. Outer layer - presenting systems like climate, energy, population, food, biodiviersity, pollution, disease etc. Middle layer - politics, media, education, technology, law, our relationship to economics and growth, business and inequality. At the core - how we think and the values we hold.'
'The world now uses around 500 million tons of plastic per year, of which just 6% is from recycled materials, and the rest is virgin, made almost entirely from fossil fuels. About half of the 10 billion tons or so ever produced has been created in just the last fifteen years. And production has roughly quadrupled over thirty years. Almost a third goes into packaging. Construction and vehicles together make up nearly another third of all uses, and the rest is spread across every kind of product you can think of. About 20% of annual plastic production contributes to the stock of plastic that is stored up in the economy and in society, in everything from the plastic in buildings and cars, to boxes of children's toys gathering dust in attics. It is now thought to stand at over 400 kgs for every human on the planet. The remaining 80% - or about 400 million tons - that we produce every year gets discarded in waste. Of this, about half - or a best estimate of 49% - goes to landfill where it stays forever. Nearly a fifth (19%) gets incinerated, capturing most of the pollutants if we're lucky, and generating some energy, but whilst emitting CO2 into the atmosphere. Roughly another 10th ends up in open air dump sites, which are ugly, but contained - just about. We talk a lot about plastic recycling, but after many years of trying, still only a pitiful 9% goes down this pathway. About 7% is burned in the open air with horrible toxins going up into the atmosphere, along with carbon emissions, and none of the energy being captured. About 4% ends up as scattered rubbish across the world's land area. Over 1% ends up in rivers and lakes, and about half a percent, in oceans. On top of all of this, about .8% is dispersed as microplastics, which get into every corner of the eco system - our soils, the plants, animals and fish that we eat, our drinking water, and even the air that we breathe. Once in our bodies, it gets everywhere - into penises, placentas, sperm, breast milk and the brains of unborn babies. We now know that the health impacts are serious. The phalates - which are used to make flexible food packing, and BPAs - which are used to make disposable water bottles rigid - turn out to be disrupting our hormones, especially estrogen and testosterone. And this turns out to be dramatically cutting our fertility and triggering cancer. So while some forms of pollution are on the mend, plastic is emphatically not. At around 5% per year, the growth in plastic production is higher than fossil fuel growth has ever been, and equates to roughly doubling the problem every 15 years. The plastics industry is lobbying hard for that growth to continue. Plastic is even more permanent than CO2. As far as we can tell, future generations will be forever dealing with this rampant mess.'
'There is no point in saving a world that is no fun to be on'
August 25, 2025
The book might prove life-changing.
It isn't perfect but it is diligent, grounded in the author's broad understanding of the world's problems, and true to his call for honestly and integrity.
I recommend books to individuals occasionally, but I will be recommending A Climate of Truth to all. I think my instinct to call this required reading is because the need for truth, integrity, and joined-up-thinking should be made clear to everyone - whether you get worked up by climate change, poverty, pollution, inequality, politics, public health, biodiversity loss, or anything else.
The book has 'Climate' in it's title, and I half wish it didn't - only because when we see a book on Climate we think we already know what it's about, we think we know what we need to know about it already, and most importantly we think we know how we're going to feel while we're reading it. And so we don't bother.
This book will teach you something new, it might change your mind on some things, and it won't leave you depressed. It will leave you wanting to make the things you care about better. It'll also give you some tools and frameworks for doing so - and point you towards more.
Read this book, get a little riled up, then start doing something about it.
It isn't perfect but it is diligent, grounded in the author's broad understanding of the world's problems, and true to his call for honestly and integrity.
I recommend books to individuals occasionally, but I will be recommending A Climate of Truth to all. I think my instinct to call this required reading is because the need for truth, integrity, and joined-up-thinking should be made clear to everyone - whether you get worked up by climate change, poverty, pollution, inequality, politics, public health, biodiversity loss, or anything else.
The book has 'Climate' in it's title, and I half wish it didn't - only because when we see a book on Climate we think we already know what it's about, we think we know what we need to know about it already, and most importantly we think we know how we're going to feel while we're reading it. And so we don't bother.
This book will teach you something new, it might change your mind on some things, and it won't leave you depressed. It will leave you wanting to make the things you care about better. It'll also give you some tools and frameworks for doing so - and point you towards more.
Read this book, get a little riled up, then start doing something about it.
September 30, 2025
It’s crazy to read the third instalment of mike’s work and see him get ever increasingly more radical and incensed, while still straight talking.
At times I fee this strays ever so slightly into optimistic thinking and overly simplified solutions but will the fixes for unravelling a puzzle like climate change even be fully comprehensible? Probably there will always be some simplifying as we try to make sense and I think the solutions offered here are definitely powerful and heading in the right direction.
On the whole this does an amazing job of taking a frank and honest look at the reality of our political, social, and economic trajectory (the polycrisis) which does give you that feeling of opening your eyes again and gaining some understanding of the messy whole. Like I say I didn’t totally buy the solution or particularly how truth and honesty is brought about but I think it does a decent job.
Left me feeling inspired, bemused and somewhat bizarrely more at peace with who I am, what’s happening, and what I can do.
At times I fee this strays ever so slightly into optimistic thinking and overly simplified solutions but will the fixes for unravelling a puzzle like climate change even be fully comprehensible? Probably there will always be some simplifying as we try to make sense and I think the solutions offered here are definitely powerful and heading in the right direction.
On the whole this does an amazing job of taking a frank and honest look at the reality of our political, social, and economic trajectory (the polycrisis) which does give you that feeling of opening your eyes again and gaining some understanding of the messy whole. Like I say I didn’t totally buy the solution or particularly how truth and honesty is brought about but I think it does a decent job.
Left me feeling inspired, bemused and somewhat bizarrely more at peace with who I am, what’s happening, and what I can do.
April 12, 2025
We have the tools to fight climate change, but progress is stalled. This book explores why, arguing that a lack of honesty in politics, media, and business is the biggest obstacle to a sustainable future.
This is an intelligent and thorough analysis of the global challenges we currently face. At the same time, the book feels incredibly naive. Wealthy, powerful people won’t voluntarily give up their drive to acquire more wealth and power. Change won’t happen until the cost of not changing is higher than the cost of changing. That’s human nature. Profit-driven solutions are the only way out. We can’t rely on people doing better, because they won’t.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
This is an intelligent and thorough analysis of the global challenges we currently face. At the same time, the book feels incredibly naive. Wealthy, powerful people won’t voluntarily give up their drive to acquire more wealth and power. Change won’t happen until the cost of not changing is higher than the cost of changing. That’s human nature. Profit-driven solutions are the only way out. We can’t rely on people doing better, because they won’t.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
May 25, 2025
Paints a good picture of what needs to be done. We're a bit fucked tho cos no one is gonna do it 😭
May 16, 2025
Refreshing, on such a bleak topic. Schooled me on clear thinking and on the kind of communication this moment requires. Great dissection of the "tech can solve it" narrative + how growing wealth inequality ties in.
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