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Earthshot: How to Save Our Planet
The Earthshot concept is Urgency + Optimism = Action. We have ten years to turn the tide on the environmental crisis, but we need the world's best solutions and one shared goal - to save our planet.It's not too late, but we need collective action now. The Earthshots are unifying, ambitious goals for our planet which, if achieved by 2030, will improve life for all of us, for the rest of life on Earth, and for generations to come.They are · Protect and Restore Nature· Clean our Air· Revive our Oceans· Build a Waste-Free World· Fix our HOW TO SAVE OUR PLANET is the first definitive book about how these goals can tackle the environmental crisis, from rainforests to coral reefs, via wilderness, cities and in our own homes. It is a critical contribution to the most important story of the decade.
353 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 30, 2021
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864 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
October 11, 2021
This was a tremendous book. One of those books that everyone needs to read. I’m not going to summarise what it’s about, the book description above encapsulates everything you need to know. What I am going to say is that this book has had quite an impact upon me. I thought that I was across environmental issues and fully aware of how to go about reducing my carbon footprint. Turns out what I knew was not even the tip of the iceberg on both accounts. And that’s why this book is so incredible. It’s so comprehensive, an actual global look at all the environmental crises we are facing, what needs to change, what has already changed, and what we can do within our own backyard to contribute.
I particularly enjoyed the contributors’ essays that preface each chapter, but the entire book was so easy to read, no mean feat given how scientific it got in many parts. I loved how once I’d finished reading, I was armed with some actual plans that can be immediately implemented into my life and household with very little effort, just a change of thinking and doing on all our parts. I have already been changing my consumption and waste for the last few years, but this book has pointed out the ways in which I can do better. For me, I need to really concentrate on my fashion purchases with a view to buying pieces that have more longevity and making a conscious move away from fast fashion. I had been actively doing this in recent years but for the last few months I’ve been working for a store that very much falls into the fast fashion category and a requirement for working there was wearing the latest fashions of their clothes, so I’ve ended up buying quite a bit over the last few months that I wouldn’t normally have done. I’ve just gotten a new job so this will be easier to change than it might have been had I still been working for that store. I also need to do better on buying consumables that are not packaged in plastic. I love the idea of rewilding your backyard and this already falls into plans that my eldest son and I have been making for planting more trees. We have a lot of native bees in our backyard that happily buzz around a huge overgrown hedge that lines our pool. The hedge really needs a trim, but we’ve decided to only trim where the path is, for access into the pool, leaving the rest to grow wild and be a home for the bees. It has pretty flowers on it too and if you trim the hedge right down, as has been done in the past, you’re just chopping off all the flowers.
This book has made me really excited about the things that we can action. It’s also made me hyper aware of the challenges ahead and how critical this next ten years is for earth and humanity. It is so crucial that we hold our politicians accountable for their policy decisions and use our votes wisely. It is absolutely insane that Australia builds anymore coal fired power stations, yet presently, the National Party are pushing for a new one in Queensland. Australia doesn’t get much of a mention in this book in terms of positive action already occurring, except for some farming innovation, but we were mentioned in the list of countries that will be partially uninhabitable within a decade if change is not made. And that is a crisis that seems to be completely ignored by our current Federal Government. Reading about all the different countries and the actions they are taking and the laws they are changing honestly made me ashamed of our own government. There is so much that needs to be done to do better, to make more of a positive impact, to permanently effect change. If you are interested in finding out more, Earthshot is essential reading and will hopefully inspire you, as it has done with me, to think more globally about climate change.
“The take-home message of this book, and of The Earthshot Prize, is that optimistic, determined people make a difference. That ideas, actions and inspiration can be transformative. We cannot all be technical innovators. But we can all play our part in changing the world: through how we live our lives, how we communicate, and perhaps more importantly how we join and collaborate with other to shape our shared communities. Repairing our world will take more that fifty prize winners over a decade; it needs millions of Earthshots from millions of people.
It can feel overwhelming to change everything at once, but if we all asked ourselves what we could do year on year over the next decade, then suddenly it becomes more achievable.
One person will rarely change the world alone. But one person can light the spark that changes a lot, or can carry a torch lit by others. So be and inspirer and an enthusiastic follower. It’s of course true that many of our biggest problems need governments and the business community to make the biggest changes. Saving the world cannot be achieved by individual actions alone. But each of our actions – and our collective attitudes – ultimately determines what is normal or acceptable in a society. We can make the political weather that will ultimately decide the real weather.” – Earthshot: How to Save Our Planet.
Thanks to the publisher for the review copy.
I particularly enjoyed the contributors’ essays that preface each chapter, but the entire book was so easy to read, no mean feat given how scientific it got in many parts. I loved how once I’d finished reading, I was armed with some actual plans that can be immediately implemented into my life and household with very little effort, just a change of thinking and doing on all our parts. I have already been changing my consumption and waste for the last few years, but this book has pointed out the ways in which I can do better. For me, I need to really concentrate on my fashion purchases with a view to buying pieces that have more longevity and making a conscious move away from fast fashion. I had been actively doing this in recent years but for the last few months I’ve been working for a store that very much falls into the fast fashion category and a requirement for working there was wearing the latest fashions of their clothes, so I’ve ended up buying quite a bit over the last few months that I wouldn’t normally have done. I’ve just gotten a new job so this will be easier to change than it might have been had I still been working for that store. I also need to do better on buying consumables that are not packaged in plastic. I love the idea of rewilding your backyard and this already falls into plans that my eldest son and I have been making for planting more trees. We have a lot of native bees in our backyard that happily buzz around a huge overgrown hedge that lines our pool. The hedge really needs a trim, but we’ve decided to only trim where the path is, for access into the pool, leaving the rest to grow wild and be a home for the bees. It has pretty flowers on it too and if you trim the hedge right down, as has been done in the past, you’re just chopping off all the flowers.
This book has made me really excited about the things that we can action. It’s also made me hyper aware of the challenges ahead and how critical this next ten years is for earth and humanity. It is so crucial that we hold our politicians accountable for their policy decisions and use our votes wisely. It is absolutely insane that Australia builds anymore coal fired power stations, yet presently, the National Party are pushing for a new one in Queensland. Australia doesn’t get much of a mention in this book in terms of positive action already occurring, except for some farming innovation, but we were mentioned in the list of countries that will be partially uninhabitable within a decade if change is not made. And that is a crisis that seems to be completely ignored by our current Federal Government. Reading about all the different countries and the actions they are taking and the laws they are changing honestly made me ashamed of our own government. There is so much that needs to be done to do better, to make more of a positive impact, to permanently effect change. If you are interested in finding out more, Earthshot is essential reading and will hopefully inspire you, as it has done with me, to think more globally about climate change.
“The take-home message of this book, and of The Earthshot Prize, is that optimistic, determined people make a difference. That ideas, actions and inspiration can be transformative. We cannot all be technical innovators. But we can all play our part in changing the world: through how we live our lives, how we communicate, and perhaps more importantly how we join and collaborate with other to shape our shared communities. Repairing our world will take more that fifty prize winners over a decade; it needs millions of Earthshots from millions of people.
It can feel overwhelming to change everything at once, but if we all asked ourselves what we could do year on year over the next decade, then suddenly it becomes more achievable.
One person will rarely change the world alone. But one person can light the spark that changes a lot, or can carry a torch lit by others. So be and inspirer and an enthusiastic follower. It’s of course true that many of our biggest problems need governments and the business community to make the biggest changes. Saving the world cannot be achieved by individual actions alone. But each of our actions – and our collective attitudes – ultimately determines what is normal or acceptable in a society. We can make the political weather that will ultimately decide the real weather.” – Earthshot: How to Save Our Planet.
Thanks to the publisher for the review copy.
January 2, 2022
Earthshot provides a really useful array of ideas for tackling the climate crisis and I loved reading about new, current scientific breakthroughs (Let's get cows eating seaweed!) Definitely gives you a lot to think through, but it's very accessible.
Initially I was skeptical about the optimistic spin of this book, which I felt could be pacifying, and it's focus towards the end on individual action, which could be erroneously laying the blame on the masses rather than the few. I do think this book could have touched more on what the state could do to hold businesses more accountable, however, I was largely won over. Earthshot is well written to inspire action and not despondency.
Recommend for anyone looking to get an up to date overview on our biggest climate challenges and what different countries are currently trying to do, or anyone looking for ideas of projects they could get started on.
Initially I was skeptical about the optimistic spin of this book, which I felt could be pacifying, and it's focus towards the end on individual action, which could be erroneously laying the blame on the masses rather than the few. I do think this book could have touched more on what the state could do to hold businesses more accountable, however, I was largely won over. Earthshot is well written to inspire action and not despondency.
Recommend for anyone looking to get an up to date overview on our biggest climate challenges and what different countries are currently trying to do, or anyone looking for ideas of projects they could get started on.
January 3, 2022
A potentially powerful book fatally undermined by two disappointing failures. Firstly, the complete lack of any references to source material makes this sadly unscientific: it's, at best, a long-form piece of journalism, and at worst runs the risk of being disregarded as a piece of well-meaning propaganda. Statistics and data are cited with no thought to source - no footnotes, no links, no sources or bibliography section: it's a massive fail that any self-respecting editor should have spotted at first draft stage.
Secondly, the book falls into the disappointing trap of occasional (unintentional, no doubt) poor-blaming. The section near the end that tells us (rightly, and hopefully) that improving the lives of billions of the world's poorest won't necessarily increase energy use starts well...but then explains this by way of claiming that the world's poorest, without access to electricity, instead burn firewood. This kind of argument is based in fact but is beyond dangerous: it shifts blame (in Western readers' minds) from "us" to "them": if only we continue to send money to help the poor Africans, we can also feel good that we're stopping them from burning wood for fuel. Hooray! LET'S BE CLEAR: responsibility for the world's crisis in energy usage and resultant emissions and climate change lies squarely with Westerners - particularly Americans - whose carbon and water footprints are absolutely off the scale. We have to fix our consumption in the rich world before we start lecturing Africans about burning wood.
It's a shame because the book as a whole obviously understands this and puts 99% of its focus on that message: the fact it commits communications hari-kari by making these classic mistakes just shows that, again, it needed a damn good editor. It obviously did not have one.
Secondly, the book falls into the disappointing trap of occasional (unintentional, no doubt) poor-blaming. The section near the end that tells us (rightly, and hopefully) that improving the lives of billions of the world's poorest won't necessarily increase energy use starts well...but then explains this by way of claiming that the world's poorest, without access to electricity, instead burn firewood. This kind of argument is based in fact but is beyond dangerous: it shifts blame (in Western readers' minds) from "us" to "them": if only we continue to send money to help the poor Africans, we can also feel good that we're stopping them from burning wood for fuel. Hooray! LET'S BE CLEAR: responsibility for the world's crisis in energy usage and resultant emissions and climate change lies squarely with Westerners - particularly Americans - whose carbon and water footprints are absolutely off the scale. We have to fix our consumption in the rich world before we start lecturing Africans about burning wood.
It's a shame because the book as a whole obviously understands this and puts 99% of its focus on that message: the fact it commits communications hari-kari by making these classic mistakes just shows that, again, it needed a damn good editor. It obviously did not have one.
December 27, 2021
This is a fascinating and deeply inspiring book. I expected it to be very depressing as we face so many environmental challenges that it can be quite overwhelming but although those challenges are made abundantly clear the subtitle is key - How to save our planet. This is a book telling of people who have made changes, who have addressed problems and made a clear impact. It talks about new approaches that can be taken that will have a great effect. The message is very clear, we have a lot to do and we have little time in which to do it but there is hope. We can make a difference if we work together.
January 29, 2023
This book should be mandatory to read! What a rich book! packed full of inspiration, innovative ideas, and case studies which I partially used for my assignments. It has a great variety of examples of what we can do as well as in our community and suggest good ideas that really get you thinking. Best environmental book I've read by far. These books of hope, inspiration and ideas are what will help bring change.
The Earthshot project I believe is the best project I've seen and the most vital one in history. So strategically organised. As I started reading this book, I knew I had to instantly follow online what they are doing. I'm so surprised most don't know about this! Schools and communities should all be taking part in the project worldwide... But then I guess that can be something I can work on :)
We all have a part to play and this book gives you a great helping hand to achieve that. I can defiantly see this project being known and talked about everywhere. I think this book/project can bring back and boost that fire for fighting for our planet. So glad this book was gifted to me...
The Earthshot project I believe is the best project I've seen and the most vital one in history. So strategically organised. As I started reading this book, I knew I had to instantly follow online what they are doing. I'm so surprised most don't know about this! Schools and communities should all be taking part in the project worldwide... But then I guess that can be something I can work on :)
We all have a part to play and this book gives you a great helping hand to achieve that. I can defiantly see this project being known and talked about everywhere. I think this book/project can bring back and boost that fire for fighting for our planet. So glad this book was gifted to me...
February 20, 2022
This is a very positive, optimistic book full of ideas that are planned and others that have already been put into action to slow Global Warming. However, there are two large elephants in the corner which are alluded to. 1: Will we get the time to put these plans into action before the predicted effects of climate change kick in.
2: The aim at the moment is to keep the Global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees centigrade above pre industrial times yet at this moment the temperature is only approximately 1.2 degrees centigrade above pre industrial levels and the polar regions are already melting as are the Himalayan glaciers.
However, if you would rather read a story of one person who decided not to wait for all the world governments to agree but instead founded The Centre For Climate Repair at Cambridge University in England and somehow persuaded 22 countries, including USA, China, India and the EU to back him to the tune of $22billion per year to invent large scale solutions to Global Warming that will really work, then you will be interested in the name Sir David King who is mentioned on page 93 of the Earthshot book but be sure to search for an interview with him at
The Do One Better! Podcast
I'm sorry that Goodreads will not allow me to give you a link but search and you will find and be inspired.
2: The aim at the moment is to keep the Global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees centigrade above pre industrial times yet at this moment the temperature is only approximately 1.2 degrees centigrade above pre industrial levels and the polar regions are already melting as are the Himalayan glaciers.
However, if you would rather read a story of one person who decided not to wait for all the world governments to agree but instead founded The Centre For Climate Repair at Cambridge University in England and somehow persuaded 22 countries, including USA, China, India and the EU to back him to the tune of $22billion per year to invent large scale solutions to Global Warming that will really work, then you will be interested in the name Sir David King who is mentioned on page 93 of the Earthshot book but be sure to search for an interview with him at
The Do One Better! Podcast
I'm sorry that Goodreads will not allow me to give you a link but search and you will find and be inspired.
December 26, 2023
There are simply so many cool projects and organizations working in different ways to conquer the climate crisis, I won't be satisfied with my daily life if I'm not working for one of them.
Why do we dump so much sewage in the ocean when all that nitrogen could replace up to half of the world's chemical fertilizers, the majority of which is already running into rivers and oceans?
Why do we design things to last 500 years if they will be used for 10 minutes? (i.e. plastic cups)
There are more trees in the world today than 50 years ago
Concrete could absorb carbon dioxide like a tree if we used magnesium carbonate instead of limestone.
1/5 of the world's soot comes from brick kilns.
Plastic eating bacteria!
Methane lasts only a decade in the atmosphere (compared to centuries for carbon dioxide) but has a warming effect 84x greater than carbon dioxide.
Feed cows seaweed!
Loses a star for being not the best quality of writing. So many missed opportunities to build a better narrative.
March 29, 2022
The message on how to save the planet (nature, climate, ourselves and the other wild animals) can't be repeated often enough: consume less, stop using fossil fuels and breeding domesticated animals, give land back to nature and leave it alone.
Earthshot is a project by 'middle of the road' organizations (WWF, Greenpeace) and people (royalty, billionaires) and not 'radicals'. We have to wait over one hundred pages but then the message is pretty clear: meat is bad, breeding animals is bad. "A plant-based diet helps nature by saving wild areas and reducing water absorption from rivers, while reducing your carbon footprint and reducing nitrogen pollution from rivers and oceans, while being healthy too."
We have already come a long way since Cowspiracy and the Inconvenient truth. The message that fossil fuels have to go is more and more mentioned in the same sentence with the need to change to a plant-based diet. Progress indeed.
Earthshot is a project by 'middle of the road' organizations (WWF, Greenpeace) and people (royalty, billionaires) and not 'radicals'. We have to wait over one hundred pages but then the message is pretty clear: meat is bad, breeding animals is bad. "A plant-based diet helps nature by saving wild areas and reducing water absorption from rivers, while reducing your carbon footprint and reducing nitrogen pollution from rivers and oceans, while being healthy too."
We have already come a long way since Cowspiracy and the Inconvenient truth. The message that fossil fuels have to go is more and more mentioned in the same sentence with the need to change to a plant-based diet. Progress indeed.
March 27, 2022
A really interesting read covering the challenges and opportunities we have to live more sustainably within the next 10 years.
August 8, 2024
Inspirerend, positief boek dat je toch hard met de neus op de beangstigende feiten druk. Tof dat het ook concreet wordt.
December 31, 2022
So much is going on to help the planet, I feel inspired!
April 12, 2022
Absolutely terrific. So invigorating to read an optimistic take on what we (on so many different levels) have done and can do to fix Earth.
November 21, 2021
The Earth is at a tipping point. Either we continue our habits, pumping more and more CO2 into the atmosphere, allowing more plastic into our oceans, giving over more land to beef farming - and therefore irreparably damaging the planet, or we can take greater action to protect our most important resource. Experts say we have ten years to pull things back.
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“Earthshots” are five unifying, ambitious goals for our planet which, if achieved by 2030, will improve life for us all. They are centred on restoring nature, cleaning our air, reviving our oceans, building a waste-free world and fixing our climate.
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To incentivise action toward these goals, the UK’s Prince William and the Royal Foundation have launched an @earthshotprize to help discover and scale the best solutions to repair our planet.
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“Earthshot - How To Save Our Planet” is the companion book to the prize. It outlines each of the five goals, and explains why addressing each is imperative. It’s a useful primer on the the challenges faced by our oceans, atmosphere and land. What’s impressive is the optimistic tone of the book. It’s make it clear there are solutions, and we can turn the corner on climate change. For each of the “Earthshots” it gives real world examples of where change has been demonstrated to be possible. It doesn’t sugarcoat the scale of the challenges, but shows how change can be achieved.
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In the latter part of the book, it outlines practical things we can do as individuals and as part of our communities to change our behaviour in positive ways.
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We can’t afford to do nothing. We need to change the way we live and interact with the planet. “Earthshot” shows it’s achievable, and helps point us in the right i reaction. “Earthshot” is a physically handsome book too, beautifully bound and produced.
.
“Earthshots” are five unifying, ambitious goals for our planet which, if achieved by 2030, will improve life for us all. They are centred on restoring nature, cleaning our air, reviving our oceans, building a waste-free world and fixing our climate.
.
To incentivise action toward these goals, the UK’s Prince William and the Royal Foundation have launched an @earthshotprize to help discover and scale the best solutions to repair our planet.
.
“Earthshot - How To Save Our Planet” is the companion book to the prize. It outlines each of the five goals, and explains why addressing each is imperative. It’s a useful primer on the the challenges faced by our oceans, atmosphere and land. What’s impressive is the optimistic tone of the book. It’s make it clear there are solutions, and we can turn the corner on climate change. For each of the “Earthshots” it gives real world examples of where change has been demonstrated to be possible. It doesn’t sugarcoat the scale of the challenges, but shows how change can be achieved.
.
In the latter part of the book, it outlines practical things we can do as individuals and as part of our communities to change our behaviour in positive ways.
.
We can’t afford to do nothing. We need to change the way we live and interact with the planet. “Earthshot” shows it’s achievable, and helps point us in the right i reaction. “Earthshot” is a physically handsome book too, beautifully bound and produced.
January 31, 2024
The book is an excellent guide to global environmental issues for beginners, but so weak and useless for people with a basic knowledge of the subject. The lack of citations and poor statistics made this book rather unscientific.
The inspirational part is great. My expectations of depression in this book were shattered while reading it. The author gives us a sigh of faith and good expectations for the future, despite the terrible reality. But in some cases, it sounds quite naive. The root cause of the environmental crisis has been completely ignored. Consumerism, neoliberal capitalism, wars as the cause of this form of government, globalization, and other "gifts" of modernity.
We simply need to change the global order to achieve equality at different levels of society. You can shower twice a week instead of three, or you can sort all your waste, but this cannot be achieved by people who live in, for example, poor regions. They just need to pollute the environment because it's part of their survival. Another example. Terrorists blew up the dam and caused serious environmental problems. Or just start a war that pollutes vast areas and affects biodiversity. I believe that this is a logical way to solve the Earth's crisis, starting with these obstacles mentioned above.These big problems of our society simply compensate for your individual small efforts, or even not enough to compensate.
The inspirational part is great. My expectations of depression in this book were shattered while reading it. The author gives us a sigh of faith and good expectations for the future, despite the terrible reality. But in some cases, it sounds quite naive. The root cause of the environmental crisis has been completely ignored. Consumerism, neoliberal capitalism, wars as the cause of this form of government, globalization, and other "gifts" of modernity.
We simply need to change the global order to achieve equality at different levels of society. You can shower twice a week instead of three, or you can sort all your waste, but this cannot be achieved by people who live in, for example, poor regions. They just need to pollute the environment because it's part of their survival. Another example. Terrorists blew up the dam and caused serious environmental problems. Or just start a war that pollutes vast areas and affects biodiversity. I believe that this is a logical way to solve the Earth's crisis, starting with these obstacles mentioned above.These big problems of our society simply compensate for your individual small efforts, or even not enough to compensate.
June 8, 2022
I thought it was interesting, I learnt some new ideas and it was good to read about multiple things people were actually doing rather than doom and gloom which can be very heavy for me. It read quite smoothly and quickly. Am I still pessimistic about the world and the people? Absolutely. But all I can do is keep trying.
February 3, 2022
Very thought provoking
August 4, 2022
This book of hope will inspire you to think big and act sustainably.
August 4, 2024
Overly optimistic. Would have appreciated sources & references.
February 8, 2022
The Earthshot Prize project was conceived by Prince William whilst in Namibia in 2018 when he witnessed how community projects were having such an impact on conservancy and environmental protection. Earthshot takes its name from President Kennedy’s famous Moonshot speech in 1961 when he declared ‘We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard . . . ‘
The prize will be awarded under five categories, Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-free World and Fix Our Climate, yearly winners of each category will be awarded £1 million, a total of £50 million over the ten-year project.
The book ranges from depressing to inspirational but each problem has a solution, it makes clear that while governments and big business can make things happen it is the individual that can influence them. It gives many examples of where local people and small entrepreneurs have had a huge impact on a small scale, most of which though, could make a huge difference if developed and expanded.
The book is realistic that solutions will take time and that different parts of the world will change at a different pace but it is just as clear that we are living in a decade which is critical to the future survival and sustainability of life.
The book is written to support the Earthshot Prize initiative, it is an easy read, sometimes repeating itself, but it does leave you thinking ‘what can I do to make a difference?
The prize will be awarded under five categories, Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-free World and Fix Our Climate, yearly winners of each category will be awarded £1 million, a total of £50 million over the ten-year project.
The book ranges from depressing to inspirational but each problem has a solution, it makes clear that while governments and big business can make things happen it is the individual that can influence them. It gives many examples of where local people and small entrepreneurs have had a huge impact on a small scale, most of which though, could make a huge difference if developed and expanded.
The book is realistic that solutions will take time and that different parts of the world will change at a different pace but it is just as clear that we are living in a decade which is critical to the future survival and sustainability of life.
The book is written to support the Earthshot Prize initiative, it is an easy read, sometimes repeating itself, but it does leave you thinking ‘what can I do to make a difference?
April 26, 2023
Overall this was a brilliant, highly important book, and I believe everyone should read it (or, as I did, listen to the audio version). The natural world that we rely on, that we are supposed to love, is under threat from us and this offers a great summary of the ominous issues we are facing as well as some basic actions we might take as individuals and as organisations.
I've given this book 4 stars rather than 5 because, although the book rightly rejects pessimism and urges action, I do feel it has overestimated the positive impact global governments (especially the Tories in the UK) are willing to have on nature. Yes there are some farmers and businesses and leaders wanting change, but given the fact that a) in 2023 we are still in the same sort of situation, b) taking into account the many crises we are facing and how much we have already messed the planet up, and c)given the fact that the BBC stopped the last vital episode of Wild Isles being broadcast to the nation live in fear of upsetting the government, it's pretty hard to do as the book says and be optimistic.
Saying that, I did love the unique ideas in ths book (like cows eating seaweed and an invention for cleaning up loose tyre particles), and this book was inspiring when it comes to what we can do as individuals. I try my best to help the environment already but I'm going to redouble my efforts following reading this, which I guess is a win!
I've given this book 4 stars rather than 5 because, although the book rightly rejects pessimism and urges action, I do feel it has overestimated the positive impact global governments (especially the Tories in the UK) are willing to have on nature. Yes there are some farmers and businesses and leaders wanting change, but given the fact that a) in 2023 we are still in the same sort of situation, b) taking into account the many crises we are facing and how much we have already messed the planet up, and c)given the fact that the BBC stopped the last vital episode of Wild Isles being broadcast to the nation live in fear of upsetting the government, it's pretty hard to do as the book says and be optimistic.
Saying that, I did love the unique ideas in ths book (like cows eating seaweed and an invention for cleaning up loose tyre particles), and this book was inspiring when it comes to what we can do as individuals. I try my best to help the environment already but I'm going to redouble my efforts following reading this, which I guess is a win!
April 3, 2023
This book accompanies the Earthshot prizes recently announced by HRH Prince William. These are prizes in 5 separate categories over the next ten years to help the environment. The 5 categories are really the structure of the book. These are Nature, Oceans, Air, Climate and Waste. Under each of the headings, the book explores the damage that has been done to this planet, but more importantly also looks at what progress has been made in each of theses areas. Indeed, the general tone of this book is optimistic, with many examples of how our environment could be improved. There are some fascinating facts highlighted by this book. To take just a couple of examples - a third of all food produced by the planet is wasted: only 4% by weight of the mammals living on the planet are wild animals, the other 96% is made up by us humans and our domesticated animals. In the final section the book lays out some steps we can take in each of the 5 categories to contribute towards the environmental health of the planet. It seems the two main things we can do is buy an electric car and go vegan. I recently bought a hybrid, so I suppose that's a start!
July 17, 2025
I liked that the book had an actual chapter at the end with concrete steps you can take, based on the insights discussed in the other chapters. Hope turned into action.
I think this book is more of a beginners guide, and not so much for people who already have some knowledge on the topic. The information was quite basic. I'm not going to criticize it for that.
What I am going to criticize it for, is that it did not convey the comlexity of the situation, as every ecological problem is also a social, political, geographical and financial one.
The "poor-blaming" also left a bad aftertaste. Lets focus on the western countries first, we got us into this shit in the first place.
I listened to the audiobook, but I read multiple reviews saying this book lacked source material. Always a red flag in these types of books.
I think this book is more of a beginners guide, and not so much for people who already have some knowledge on the topic. The information was quite basic. I'm not going to criticize it for that.
What I am going to criticize it for, is that it did not convey the comlexity of the situation, as every ecological problem is also a social, political, geographical and financial one.
The "poor-blaming" also left a bad aftertaste. Lets focus on the western countries first, we got us into this shit in the first place.
I listened to the audiobook, but I read multiple reviews saying this book lacked source material. Always a red flag in these types of books.
January 17, 2022
“Tomorrow’s world could be more diverse, more stable, more wild, if we start making the right choices today.” - Sir David Attenborough
🌍
Earthshot is the companion book to the tv series of the same name. It’s a defiantly and “stubbornly optimistic” vision for the future, launched by Prince William and inspired by JFK’s Moonshot, with a range of partners and experts from Sir David Attenborough to Christiana Figueres, the initiative is to award five inspirational winners support and £1 million for game changing global sustainable solutions to what have been identified as the five greatest challenges:
- Protect and Restore Nature
- Clean Our Air
- Revive Our Oceans
- Build a Waste-Free World
- Fix Our Climate
I don’t deem myself qualified enough to refer to myself as an ‘activist’ but reading so much on the climate crisis, making personal choices such as going vegan and donating to organisations like WWF is incredibly important to me and at times, learning about what is happening to our planet can be mentally exhausting… yet this book is a radiant beacon of hope, an astounding, refreshing and motivating collection of the extraordinary technology that is already in motion, and the superlatively creative ideas that are being generated around the globe, are a great cause to feel like we can in fact learn from our mistakes, turn the Anthropocene around and make this a better world for all life on Earth, this is the defining decade in the history of our planet and the future is in our hands
“Our planet is our spacecraft, and we are all members of its crew, each carrying our own unique role and responsibility. If we unite our strengths and share our information, we can defeat our global challenges. Just imagine the future we could have if we choose to do so - a world with clean, safe air, where every child can see stars.” - Naoko Yamazaki
🌍
Earthshot is the companion book to the tv series of the same name. It’s a defiantly and “stubbornly optimistic” vision for the future, launched by Prince William and inspired by JFK’s Moonshot, with a range of partners and experts from Sir David Attenborough to Christiana Figueres, the initiative is to award five inspirational winners support and £1 million for game changing global sustainable solutions to what have been identified as the five greatest challenges:
- Protect and Restore Nature
- Clean Our Air
- Revive Our Oceans
- Build a Waste-Free World
- Fix Our Climate
I don’t deem myself qualified enough to refer to myself as an ‘activist’ but reading so much on the climate crisis, making personal choices such as going vegan and donating to organisations like WWF is incredibly important to me and at times, learning about what is happening to our planet can be mentally exhausting… yet this book is a radiant beacon of hope, an astounding, refreshing and motivating collection of the extraordinary technology that is already in motion, and the superlatively creative ideas that are being generated around the globe, are a great cause to feel like we can in fact learn from our mistakes, turn the Anthropocene around and make this a better world for all life on Earth, this is the defining decade in the history of our planet and the future is in our hands
“Our planet is our spacecraft, and we are all members of its crew, each carrying our own unique role and responsibility. If we unite our strengths and share our information, we can defeat our global challenges. Just imagine the future we could have if we choose to do so - a world with clean, safe air, where every child can see stars.” - Naoko Yamazaki
May 8, 2022
A great book with a huge backing by HRH Prince William and the Royal Foundation.
HRH PW sets the tone of the book from the beginning introducing, The Earthshots. The five great challenges that the world needs to target over the next decade to determine the future of the planet beyond 2030.
- Protect and Restore Nature
- Clean Our Air
- Revive Our Oceans
- Build a Waste-Free World
- Fix Our Climate
I must admit the entirety of Part 1 is quite relentless and depressing. There is little breathing room for what I would imagine the fair weather environmentalist could take, before nihilistically tossing the book and bracing themselves to make the most of the good years they think they have left before succumbing to a believed ‘inevitable’ demise.
However as the book progresses into Part 2 there are glimmers of hope that quickly evolve into such optimism that it is impossible to think we cannot turn this problem around.
The notes on Costa Rica’s Re-Forestation and the simplicity of allowing coral reefs to re-grow uninterrupted show us not just what we need to do collectively, but that sometimes it just means us stepping back and letting nature resume its course.
To end the review, one short quote that spoke directly to me:
“It is easy to see humans as a problem, even to see ourselves as a burden on the planet. Please avoid that. Of course, we should all cut our damaging footprints, but also embrace our potential and that of others to do good. We can have a good footprint, too.”
A huge recommendation to all readers to read this book and pass it along.
HRH PW sets the tone of the book from the beginning introducing, The Earthshots. The five great challenges that the world needs to target over the next decade to determine the future of the planet beyond 2030.
- Protect and Restore Nature
- Clean Our Air
- Revive Our Oceans
- Build a Waste-Free World
- Fix Our Climate
I must admit the entirety of Part 1 is quite relentless and depressing. There is little breathing room for what I would imagine the fair weather environmentalist could take, before nihilistically tossing the book and bracing themselves to make the most of the good years they think they have left before succumbing to a believed ‘inevitable’ demise.
However as the book progresses into Part 2 there are glimmers of hope that quickly evolve into such optimism that it is impossible to think we cannot turn this problem around.
The notes on Costa Rica’s Re-Forestation and the simplicity of allowing coral reefs to re-grow uninterrupted show us not just what we need to do collectively, but that sometimes it just means us stepping back and letting nature resume its course.
To end the review, one short quote that spoke directly to me:
“It is easy to see humans as a problem, even to see ourselves as a burden on the planet. Please avoid that. Of course, we should all cut our damaging footprints, but also embrace our potential and that of others to do good. We can have a good footprint, too.”
A huge recommendation to all readers to read this book and pass it along.
January 8, 2022
This is an excellent book with a very optimistic outlook despite the subject matter. Extremely well written and readable. However, I felt that if you are interested and motivated to change, then the lists at the end of the book simply don't go far enough. If you have solar panels, drive an electric car and have minimised your use of single use plastic, what should we be doing next? I'm not saying there was nothing in it for me, it re-inforced my thinking and introduced me to new developments - I love the idea from the tire collective, for example. Earthshot will definitely be an interesting project to follow.
January 23, 2022
A very interesting, yet harrowing read. This book provides some intriguing insights into the world as we know it, along with some good suggestions on how we (individually, and as a whole) can help to reduce our impact on the planet. Several facts noted in the book have now stuck with me, and I am more conscious of the need to be green.
My only grievance (hence the 4/5 rating ) is that there isn't a bibliography/reference section included to direct the reader to the sources of information used, for further reading. However, the book was put together and released in the latter part of 2021, so I can understand as to why this was not included.
My only grievance (hence the 4/5 rating ) is that there isn't a bibliography/reference section included to direct the reader to the sources of information used, for further reading. However, the book was put together and released in the latter part of 2021, so I can understand as to why this was not included.
January 25, 2022
I think the ideas that this book tries to get across are brilliant. I love the concentration on individual stories and the optimism the writers have for our ability to repair a damaging planet.
The thing that bothered me slightly was that there were quite a few editing mistakes. It feels a bit hastily put together, and there are no sources listed at the back which is a shame.
The simple language means this book has got the power to change the world simply by making all of the ecological problems of the world understandable and accessible. I highly recommend this book as a first dive into climate change on our planet.
The thing that bothered me slightly was that there were quite a few editing mistakes. It feels a bit hastily put together, and there are no sources listed at the back which is a shame.
The simple language means this book has got the power to change the world simply by making all of the ecological problems of the world understandable and accessible. I highly recommend this book as a first dive into climate change on our planet.
January 26, 2024
I so wanted to love this book and be inspired by it but I was not. It took me months to read. I already knew quite a bit of what it had to say already. It looks good but fails. I had thought that perhaps this was a book for the ardent environmentalist or climate change activist, but to be honest, they would know all of this content already. It also felt like it was continually repeating itself. I am sure they could have said all they needed in a much shorter space and saved on paper, ink and the energy printing it. Not what I was expecting and not sure it is going to inspire anyone to better efforts that has not already joined that cause.
February 27, 2024
Daunting… but full of Optimism!
Whilst it is clear the future of our planet across the 5 ‘Earthshots’ (Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-free World, and Fix Our Climate) is in the hands of Big Business and Government, there is much we can do as individuals.
This book does not shy away from the stark reality our planet is facing, yet is full of examples where individuals, communities and governments have made changes for the better, and continue to do so. There are solutions for us all, and this book is full of them, with examples being set all over the world. A book worth returning to in future, hopefully to say - we did it!
Whilst it is clear the future of our planet across the 5 ‘Earthshots’ (Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-free World, and Fix Our Climate) is in the hands of Big Business and Government, there is much we can do as individuals.
This book does not shy away from the stark reality our planet is facing, yet is full of examples where individuals, communities and governments have made changes for the better, and continue to do so. There are solutions for us all, and this book is full of them, with examples being set all over the world. A book worth returning to in future, hopefully to say - we did it!
May 6, 2025
This book is really great. It tells its readers all the basics they need to know about how our planet is changing because of our treatment. All the information is presented clearly using many examples and also they emphasised not only the negatives and problems but also many things we as humanity already managed to change. For me this was really important and I also think this is the best way to inform the public about all the actions we need to take to stop the destruction of our home. I feel much more optimistic after reading it.
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