For ten days in April, Extinction Rebellion used peaceful civil disobedience to produce more headlines on climate change in a week than had been seen in the prior decade. With global authorities such as Sir David Attenborough and sixteen-year-old Greta Thunberg stepping up to rally their cries – it was a storm of awareness that has left boundless empowerment in its wake.

But today, the tents have been packed up and people are figuring out how to turn into action the inspiration they soaked up. Their first step should be to pick up a copy of Edward Davey’s ‘Given Half a Chance: Ten Ways to Save the World’.

Inspired by the author’s own concerns over the world that he would leave behind for his young son, Davey uses his vast experience in global environmental issues, coupled with dozens of hours interviewing experts from a multitude of different relevant disciplines, to lay out an actionable plan for those excited by what the Extinction Rebellion started.

Synopsis:

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, fast: this book draws on firsthand experience and interviews with many of the world’s leading experts to show how.

“From climate change to deforestation and air pollution, my goal with this book was to take the battle cries and transpose them into actual, tangible, actionable steps we can collectively take to reverse the world’s worrying current trends,” explains the author. “And it’s truly global in focus, with case studies from over twenty countries. We’ve reached our planet’s ecological limits, so now it’s time to start respecting them.”

Davey continues: “Our levels of awareness and understanding have never been higher, and the Extinction Rebellion and its fearless voices – as well as Greta and Sir David – are responsible for a huge part of that achievement. But things won’t change unless we do something with the excitement that is boiling over. It’s a book for anyone, particularly those who haven’t yet taken action because they’re either unaware of the small steps they can take, or because they believe they won’t have an impact. It’s up to all of us, and the book is my attempt at setting out the ten most pressing and compelling paths we face to a hopeful future.”

Reviews have been extremely positive, with the book selling almost 1000 copies in the first week. For example, Lord Nicholas Stern, one of the UK’s most respected voices on the climate, comments: “This delightful book is strongly practical and action-oriented, while also deeply human and moral in setting out the values which should guide our response to the climate and environmental challenges we face. Getting people to read this important book will be a valuable step along the very attractive road to sustainable and inclusive development”.

‘Given Half a Chance: Ten Ways to Save the World’ was released on 18^th April, 2019: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Given-Half-Chance-Ways-World/dp/1783526599