Book Review: What Nature Does for Britain

'What Nature Does for Britain' is Tony Juniper's follow up to 'What Has Nature Ever Done for Us?' (see my review here) and is based on how us Brits benefit from nature's free services.   Juniper was once Executive Director of Friends of the Earth (England, Wales, and Northern Ireland) and is still an environmentalist, campaigner, writer, and sustainability advisor, so has just a little bit of experience and knowledge in this field.

Published in 2015, it goes through the number of environmental services, such as clean water, food supply, and flood protection, that we take for granted and pay nothing for.  Juniper also shows us that we're not only damaging the systems that actually protect us, thinking we're reducing costs and allowing the continuation of economic progress but that this actually doesn't make economic sense.  The damage we do now will not only cost us in the future, but is actually costing us right now.  Take for instance the subsidies we are giving farmers to be more 'productive' which has actually led to damaging the soil and the high use of fertilisers, causing runoffs into our local water systems, that then cost us to clean before we can use it in our homes.  By supporting nature and the natural systems we already have in place in Britain, such as flood plains, beavers, peat bogs, etc, we are in fact supporting ourselves.  However, 'What Nature Does for Britain' doesn't just cover what services we're getting already but also talks about how the restoration of additional ecosystems could really benefit us in the long term.

Each chapter starts with three facts about the intended subject and ends with Juniper writing down the manifesto he would like to see the British Government take on board.  These nine chapters cover everything from the animals who help pollinate and protect our food, to reducing floods, capturing carbon, obtaining sustainable energy, and treating mental illnesses.  It shows how, by working with nature in all these fields, we could save quite a bit of money in a more indirect, but resilient, manner.  One that works for everyone.

There were two things I found most interesting in this book.  First was the examples of businesses actively choosing to work with nature to protect their future and prosper financially, such as Thatchers who are encouraging the bees that are needed to pollinate their apple trees.  The second was the idea of integrating payments together.  So instead of paying for farmer's subsidies, water bills, and flood protection separately despite the fact they are all interlinked, we could pay to a system which would work with farmers to reduce the runoffs and clean up costs, and with both farmers and water boards to protect and develop ecosystems that greatly help with the reduction in flooding.  Instead of just paying subsidies etc, we would be making payments for 'ecosystems services'.

Possibly the saddest thing about this book is that it shows just how little has actually been done in the five years since it was published.  In fact you could almost argue that we're going backwards in some of the areas.  To make this work would require us to make new policies, laws, and redirect how our finances are being spent, and I have to admit I don't have a lot of hope for those we have in our Government at the moment (they gain too much by the status quo and seem to think they know best).  However, I can also see that there are those that have the knowledge to take us forward, that is is possible as many of the examples from companies making money from their activities have shown, that it won't halt progress, and that it will benefit us greatly in the long run.  So there is a little hope there, and perhaps now, with us coming through Covid-19 and Brexit, is the perfect time to make those changes.

Definitely give it a read.

Book Review: What Has Nature Ever Done for Us?

'What Has Nature Ever Done for Us?' is one of the many books that I had sitting in my mini library not being read, despite the fact that I really wanted to, partly because I didn't really have the time and partly because I had so many books to read.  But, I'm glad I decided to finally pull it out of the box all my books now sit in and give it a read.  

The author, Tony Juniper, is a British campaigner and environmentalist who advises on sustainability and was the Executive Director of Friends of the Earth.  However, if you think that the Friends of the Earth connection means that this book is going to be wishy washy, slightly hippy, and full of emotion instead of facts you'd be very wrong.  Instead, it is very to the point and full of researched data, coupled with information that Juniper has collected in his role as a sustainability adviser to many companies and governments.  All this whilst still being a very easy read.

The book itself looks at the services that nature has been and still is providing for us completely free of charge and which we completely take for granted.  In fact, these services are so taken for granted most of us don't even realise they are happening.  If put into actual financial terms it has been calculated that these services are worth twice the global GDP.  These services include bees pollinating our food, the recycling of nutrients and carbon capture in our soils, oxygen production in forests, birds protecting crops from 'pest' species, corals and mangroves protecting coastlines from storms, and the, as yet, untapped genetic codebook in the natural world which still have potential pharmaceutical uses.

However, the loss of these services would not just be a financial one with us having to actually pay to do the services ourselves, but there are also additional negative knock on effects which are far more important then the loss of finances.  Take, for example, the Indian vultures whose populations have been decimated by the use of the painkiller diclofenac in livestock which the vultures fed on.  The concentration that had accumulated in the vultures bodies has led to kidney failure in the birds and the loss of these birds meant that the free service they provided of removing carcasses from the landscape was gone.  The financial cost for this service to be done by humans is large and practically unattainable for many people in the area.  But the main knock on effect wasn't the finances but the rise in rabies related deaths in the human population.  With no vultures around to be the led consumers of the carcasses stray dogs began eating the meat and their population dramatically increased, along with the number of dogs carrying rabies and the number of dog bites in humans.  

Perhaps the most interesting part of this book was the way it looked at how our financial systems are run and the idea that pervades through them that nature and economy are separate issues and, of course, that we shouldn't allow one (nature) to affect the growth of the other (finances).  But, as Juniper points out, this is a false economy.  So many of our industries rely on these free services (fishing being the most obvious one) and destroying nature would have a serious negative impact on the global economy.  And yet, most of our economic advisers and ministers seem to be incapable of moving away from the old school idea we have of economy to include this crucial component.  Some companies are starting to realise the important steps they need to take, including M&S and Unilever, but we really need our Governments to take the next step too.  These services aren't limitless as we live in a closed system and losing them would be devastating.  

This is a great book and I would definitely recommend reading it (especially if you're a financial adviser).  The phrase 'but we just can't afford it' just isn't accurate now that we know just how much we rely on nature to keep us safe, healthy, and alive.  The fact is we can't afford to not put nature first.  I will end with Juniper's ending sentences (and my favourite in the book) which is 'The alternative is to carry on as we are now.  After all, what had nature ever done for us?'

Book Review: Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet

Six Degrees is a non-fiction book about climate change.  The author, Mark Lynas, looks at the scientific journals published on climate change and summarises them here with each chapter being an increase in a degree.

Topics covered in this book are how positive feedback will accelerate climate change, carbon cycle feedback, destruction of the corals and rain forests, desertification, and the specific effects of methane is having on the warming of our planet.  Perhaps the most eye opening part of this book is how a rise in five or six degrees could lead to the tropics and subtropics being completely uninhabitable with shortages in water and food, and a mass migration of billions of people to the north and south of the planets with devastating outcomes.

This book was first published in 2007 and I first read this the next year, and have read it again since.  The information described in Six Degrees is still pretty accurate to the updated information being provided by the scientific community today and, there's no point beating around the bush here, it is quite stark.  It is also worrying to realise that we have already had a temperature rise of 1 degrees (making that chapter even more pertinent to read).

Perhaps the thing that is most amazing about this book is the fact that we have known about the effects these temperature rises will have on our planet for over 10 years now and yet we have carried on as normal with our head in the sands.  It seems odd to me that we haven't made the changes we need to make to swerve away from these scenarios and are now heading into a 3 degree rises.  

This book is a definite read for everyone, if only to prepare yourself for the world we are heading to, and a good way of giving yourself an incentive to make the changes we need to prevent us from reaching the worst that climate change will bring.  For me climate change is really about the world we leave for other species that share this planet with us, but if you are all about the humans this is a very good look at just how much it is going to effect us.  It is also important to be realistic about how humans behave in highly stressful situations, and it's no always with humanity and understanding.  We really need to fight climate change now and Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet is a good incentive to do so.

Book Review: The Soil Will Save Us

The Soil Will Save Us is a book that looks at the very overlooked microbials that can and should be found in our soil.  These not only help all plants (including those we eat) to obtain all the nutrients they need, but also sequester carbon into the soil storing it away for generations.  Unfortunately the methods of agriculture we have used over the last thousand years has meant that we have actually been destroying the health of our souls, reducing the health of the plants we grow but also releasing vast amounts of carbon into the atmosphere.

The author, journalist Kristin Ohlson, talks to farmers, ranchers, scientists, landscapers, and environmentalist who are working to improve the health of our soils both in the labs and on the ground.  Using methods previously used in farming before the industrialisation of agriculture and mimicking species interactions found in the wild there is evidence that their work is bringing the soil back to its previous health.

Research has shown that this healthy soil has not only improved the health of our food, reduced the cost to farmers and ranchers as the natural processes take over, reduced drought and erosion, and made improvements to air and water pollution, but also storing away large amounts of carbon helping with the fight against climate change.  This last point is especially important as this fact means we can remove the carbon we have already sent into the atmosphere.

Whilst this book is now about four years old and American centric it is still relevant today and provides information that could be used all over the world.  Despite the amount of science in this book, Ohlson has done a very good job in making this an easy and very understandable read.  This is a fascinating read and comes up with a viable solution usually overlooked when talks on tackling climate change occur.  Based on the imformation this book provides it does seems that the soil could really save us.  It is definitely worth a read.

Book Review: Green Made Easy

This is one of those books I've read a couple of times and actually have on my Kindle.  Not necessarily because it's giving me information I haven't been able to get elsewhere, but because it provides encouragement to keep moving along the path I have taken.

The first thing I should probably mention is that this is a very American based book in the specific information it provides (which may also be slightly out of date).  But the general advice on being more green is still valid wherever you may live, it's just that you may need to do a bit more research yourself on the more local information.

The author Chris Prelitz has been an advocate for green and sustainable living for more than 25 years and is living with his wife in a home he designed and built.  Which is probably why he is able to give such specific antidotes about the things that he's tried and tested in this book.

The books covers all areas of living, from very personal aspects of everyday life such as clothing and toiletries, to more general, home areas such as the bedroom and recycling.  It also has a broader part which goes into detail regarding what you can do at work and when travelling.

All in all it's pretty thorough in covering all aspects of a Western lifestyle and would be great for both those starting out and those who are already carrying out green behaviours but want to take it a step further.  The one down side I would say to this book is the fact that it is written as if you are actually able to make those changes, such as you own your home, have a garden, and get to have a say in how your office is run.  All in all though, I would say this is a good reference book and I'm glad I have it to full back to when I need it.

Book Review: Inglorious

I should probably point out that I’m a little bit behind with this book as it came out in 2015, but as the issues it covers are still relevant today it seemed still a worthwhile book to read.  And it was.

The author, Mark Avery, used to work for the RSPB and was involved in the talks between NGOs and the shooting community (predominantly grouse shooting) on the issue of raptor persecution, which failed to have any results.  Now that he’s retired from the RSPB he is less effected by the need for diplomacy and is able to give a more blunt look at the effects of grouse shooting on our countryside.  Whilst this book is mainly about the persecution of hen harriers, especially on grouse shooting estates, it does look at the other impacts this one activity with all its upkeep has one the local environment.  

To be blunt, I have been against hunting my whole life and feel that it seems a very unpleasant way of having 'fun'.  As I’ve gotten older I’ve also become aware of the negative impact this sport is having on the surrounding environment, and the knock on effect this is having on our society as well.  I like to have a well formed argument in my head about the decisions I make and the opinions I have and this seemed like a good place to start when it comes to my ideas about grouse shooting.

The book itself feels more like reading a blog then a usual book, but this makes it very easy to read despite all the facts that come out of it.  It starts with details about hen harriers, OES through a very quick introduction to grouse shooting, and then goes over the various battles between those in conservation and those in shooting community. It ends with a hopeful idea of how all this would end with a future, fake interview with an ex- gamekeeper.  Most interesting for me was to find about the various studies that had occurred on this subject, especially the two Langholm Moor studies on the effects of hen harriers on grouse population size as well as the effect of diversionary feeding of the hen harriers, and the report by the League Against Cruel Sports based on an analysis by Sheffield Hallam University and Cormack Economics on the real financial benefits of grouse shooting.

This book hasn’t changed my mind on grouse shooting as a past time, obviously, but it has definitely helped me solidify my opinions on the activity and why I dislike it.  It has also helped to widen the holes in the arguments provided by the grouse shooting estates as to why this should be allowed to continue.

Firstly their argument that it has conservation value, especially for some wader species.  However, this looks a bit bland when you compare it to the illegal raptor removal, the legal other predator removal (including large numbers of foxes and stoats), the legal culling of hares as an additional tick carries, and the destruction and burning of habitats to produces ones most suitable for red grouse.  The pros most definitely do not out way the cons, and other work can be done to help sustain the numbers of waders we already have without needing to go to these extremes.


The second argument is that they bring needed finances to the areas in which they are located.  This is undoubtedly true, however so does tourism and the chance to see hen harriers and golden eagles would definitely be a draw to many people willing to put money into their journey.  As the analysis by Sheffield Hallam University and Cormack Economics showed it appears that the grouse shooting estates have overstated the actual size of this financial gain (possibly by as much as four times the actual figure).  When this is taken along with the fact that our taxes help pay for a good proportion of the upkeep through subsidies, the cost of the clean up after increased flooding (for which there is a connection with the destruction of peat bogs on grouse shooting estates), and the additional cost that will come from climate change (not helped here by the destruction of, again, peat bogs releasing large amounts of carbon normally stored here) the benefits are pretty small.


At the end of the day it is difficult to see grouse shooting as anything more then just an activity enjoyed by the very (rich) few and which has lead to the reduction or even loss of an number of species, the destruction of vital habitats with some negative impacts on the surrounding communities, and the loss of some amazing landscapes to the general public as a whole.  It may be enjoyable for those who get to do it, but Mark Avery can see no real benefit to it and neither can I.  Definitely a book worth reading.

Book Review: Green Clean

Green Clean: eco-friendly cleaning for the home

I've mentioned this book in the past in my blog about using Vinegar as a cleaning agent, but felt that it deserved its own post. I've had this book for years now and have used it to make many of my own cleaning products in an attempt to simplify and clean up the products I use to clean my home.

The book itself is broken up up into why you would want to go green with your cleaning, ingredients & recipes, and the specific information about cleaning specific areas on the house (it even has a section about beauty products).  Obviously the section I use the most is the recipe section where the recipe of my preferred and most effective bathroom and kitchen cleaners can be found.  Then I dabble in the other sections if something specific comes up I need to deal with.
While this book pretty much covers every area of cleaning you could possibly want, the thing I like the most is the fact that you can use a small number of ingredients to make a variety of cleaning products and that the recipes are easy to follow. 

I've never had any issues with the recipes being less effective than conventional cleaners and I love the fact that not only can I choose why they smell like but also that I don't have to wear gloves to protect my hands from the ingredients (though if you are sensitive to essential oils you'll still need them).
It's now got to the point that I can make up my general cleaner and bathroom cleaner without needing to refer to Green Clean, but I'm still be keeping this book for my less regular cleaning needs.

If you prefer watching recipe ideas rather than reading them you might want to check out Clean My Space's Do-It-Yourself Cleaning Ideas playlist on YouTube.