What About China? Answers to this and other awkward questions about climate change

Edited by Katherine Pate, Published by Sawdays (2008), £6.99

Being a bit of an ‘eco-mummy' (as I was described recently by another parent), I have often been questioned on my use of cloth nappies, organic produce (food, products and clothing) and recycling of all sorts of items. Admittedly, my post-baby brain has reduced some of my debating power to ‘I just want there to be a planet left for my children to enjoy,' as opposed to a more structured argument, littered with statistics and witty commentary. Also, although I am an avid reader, sometimes I just want to sink into a (not so eco-friendly, but it does get shared!) bath with a small paperback that doesn't require too much of my concentration. This book was one of those books, which, once started, I just rattled through, and one which inspired me to read further and quote passages to members of my (ever-forgiving) family.

If I had to choose one book for my friends to read about climate change it would be this one. The title alone grabbed my attention as this is one of the comments that many people are making nowadays in response to demands for Western countries to reduce their carbon footprint whilst the news continues to report on China building new coal-filled power stations.

The book is written by a series of authors and journalists who each cover a particular specialism: for example, Steven Webb from Waste Watch covers recycling, Robin Maynard from the Soil Association covers the organic argument and Matthew Slack from the Centre for Alternative Technology discusses renewable energy options.

Each section then breaks down into a series of question and answer elements, such as ‘Why recycle?' I loved some of the answers so much that I was sticking little orange post-it notes beside the ones I liked, to the extent that my copy of the book has a halo of orange around it now. For a ‘greenie' like me who is trying to encourage more people to become more sustainable, this book has become a little travelling guru; I just need to memorise some of the more pithy answers!

Flying only contributes three per cent of the UK's carbon emissions, so what's the problem? Surely it would be banned if it were that bad?

For an answer to that you need only look at cigarette smoking! It takes time for politics to catch up with the science, especially if there are people who don't want them to.

Possibly a controversial answer to the flying question, but surely some food for thought?

The writers have aimed for a wide readership for this book, and this is a book which I would recommend to both teenagers and adults (especially those who, like me, sometimes like a book which can be dipped into on occasion). However, this book is a starting point for those relatively new to the idea of sustainable living, and does not offer much in the way of developing ideas but I hope that it will inspire further reading and debate.

Rebecca Pridham

Further reading:The Big Earth Book, by James Bruges

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