Not the End of the World, Hannah Ritchie
Not the End of the World, Hannah Ritchie
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Not the End of the World
How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet

Author: Hannah Ritchie

Narrator: Hannah Ritchie

Unabridged: 9 hr 26 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/09/2024


Synopsis

This "truly essential" audiobook will transform how you see our biggest environmental problems (Margaret Atwood)—and explains how we can solve them. It’s become common to tell kids that they’re going to die from climate change. We are constantly bombarded by doomsday headlines that tell us the soil won’t be able to support crops, fish will vanish from our oceans, and that we should reconsider having children.

But in this bold, radically hopeful audiobook, data scientist Hannah Ritchie argues that if we zoom out, a very different picture emerges. In fact, the data shows we’ve made so much progress on these problems that we could be on track to achieve true sustainability for the first time in human history. Did you know that carbon emissions per capita are actually down, deforestation peaked back in the 1980s, the air we breathe now is vastly improved from centuries ago, and more people died from natural disasters a hundred years ago?

Packed with the latest research and practical guidance, this audiobook will make you rethink almost everything you’ve been told about the environment. Not the End of the World will give you the tools to understand our current crisis and make lifestyle changes that actually have an impact. Hannah cuts through the noise by outlining what works, what doesn’t, and what we urgently need to focus on so we can leave a sustainable planet for future generations.      

These problems are big. But they are solvable. We are not doomed. We can build a better future for everyone. Let’s turn that opportunity into reality.

Reviews

Goodreads review by bencreeth on January 31, 2024

There are some interesting insights here, and data driven journalism can be used to highlight how many environmental metrics have turned a corner in recent years, BUT this book is oversimplified at best and dangerous at worst. It starts by paraphrasing Factfulness, a book which rested entirely on the......more

Goodreads review by Louise on December 03, 2023

We are bombarded by doomsday headlines that tell us the soil won't be able to support crops, fish will vanish from our oceans, that we should reconsider having children. But in this bold, radically hopeful book, data scientist Hannah Ritchie argues that if we zoom out, a very different picture emerg......more

Goodreads review by Katie on March 16, 2024

(Audiobook)Cannot recommend this book highly enough for anxious environmentalists. Did exactly what I needed it to - want to listen again already but make notes this time. Accessible, data rich and considered in the way it approached environmental issues from diverse perspectives (political, economi......more

Goodreads review by Kate on January 18, 2024

How do you alert people to the seriousness of the environmental challenges we face, while not making them feel despairing or helpless? When you want people to take action, is it better to inspire them or scare them? This is the dilemma that Not the End of the World addresses. It does not shy away fro......more

Goodreads review by Austin on June 27, 2024

The fact that the top reviews are negative/ pessimistic is why this book has to exist in the shape it does. Not every fear was dismissed, but I leave feeling encourage and energized towards the fight towards a sustainable planet. This was an excellent pulse check on the realities we face– dispelling......more


Quotes

“Ecopragmatism at its best shines throughout this book... The surprising message in the data is that human civilization is far along toward solving planetary problems. Hannah Ritchie shows how building on the successful trends can finish the job.”—Stewart Brand, founder of Whole Earth Catalog and author of Whole Earth Discipline

“Such a clear-eyed view of the state we're in, giving a sharp picture of the challenges ahead, and an inspiring vision of the problems we've already solved. Everyone who reads it will learn a lot – I did.”—Tim Harford, author of How to Make the World Add Up

“A refreshingly upbeat guide to achieving sustainability. Ritchie attacks cynicism, doomerism and apathy with a barrage of data revealing the extent of our progress and illuminating the best paths ahead.”—Gaia Vince, author of Nomad Century

“Data is a superpower. Let Hannah Ritchie show you the world as it really is. Then go out and change it for the better.”—Mark Lynas, author of Six Degrees

“An unmissable myth-busting book to save our planet— read it.”—Tim Spector, author of Food For Life

"An inspiring data-mine which gives us not only real guidance, but the most necessary ingredient of all: hope . . . truly essential"—Margaret Atwood, TED2023

"I find it hard to express how much I love this book. Hannah Ritchie brilliantly picks up where Hans Rosling left off. Her book shines with practicality and positivity. It will banish your feelings of doom, help you focus on what’s really important, and make you want to be a part of the most effective solutions to our greatest challenges. Let's get this book into the hands of as many policy makers, politicians and fellow citizens as possible."—Rutger Bregman, author of Humankind