Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Review: Adventures in the Anthropocene by Gaia Vince

We're entering a new geological age: the anthropocene. This is the era where humankind's effects on the planet are making themselves known. In this absorbing book, Gaia Vince travels the world to find out how people are living and coping with these changes.

Each chapter focuses on a different biome (including the atmosphere, rivers, oceans, savannahs, rocks, and cities), and this format provides a logical and progressive order to this challenging field of research. The language is clear and accessible without dumbing down the complexities. 

Vince talks to the people on the ground who are employing innovative solutions to environmental problems. These solutions can be controversial and she isn't afraid of showing some criticism or skepticism where necessary. However, with many of the techniques yielding results and even exceeding expectations, Vince also has the happier task of describing the success stories too.

The problems are big and their impact is vast, but the ingenuity of people is astounding, and gives me hope that we can make the most of this new age.


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Review written by Ann Brook (Library and Information Assistant)