Given Half a Chance: Ten Ways to Save the World

by Edward Davey

Given Half a Chance is both a snapshot of our world and a call to arms, setting out the most pressing environmental challenges that we face while making a passionate case for why we need to meet them. From fields of solar panels in Nevada to the flourishing agricultural landscapes of Ethiopia; from the traditional water harvesters of northern Rajasthan to Britain’s inspiring waste campaigners; from the savannas of Northern Kenya teeming with elephants to the clear skies above Scandinavian cities, amazing things are happening right now across the world. People are acting with hope and courage, against all the odds, to make things better. The challenge before us is to go to scale and to replicate these successful approaches elsewhere, this book draws on firsthand experience and interviews with many of the world’s leading experts to show how.

Genres: Environment, Nonfiction, Research, Climate Change

288 pages, Paperback

Published November 5, 2019

Reviews

[virgoreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this if you're interested in knowing what environmental challenges we're facing right now, what caused them and what we can do to reverse them. Accessible language, easy to follow and packed with very interesting facts.

[Saskia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very pleasant read in the midst of much doom and gloom regarding the environment. Davey illustrates his point with a beautiful array of case examples, showing that many of the needed changes to protect our environment are possible and realistic. Having met him at a public talk regarding the book, I could feel his kind, friendly and hopeful character shining through the pages, and appreciated the insight into his personal experiences working in a number of environmental organizations, as well as his genuine drive to leave a habitable planet for his child. The many interviews with leaders in the field also humanize the experts working relentlessly to save our environment, and make their work and mission more accessible. Overall a lovely book and receives 4 stars from me, as despite giving a lovely and hopeful overview of issues and solutions, it did not represent any fundamentally new approaches.

[Mark Bowsher · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most vital book of the year. Edward Davey’s book so superbly celebrates the work of people around the globe making real progress in tackling climate change. This book is more than just good news - it is inspirational. Get it, read it and start changing the world.

[Rosa Fürstenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hopeful, charming and I learned a lot without being overwhelmed