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Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation
A radically new understanding of and practical approach to climate change by noted environmentalist Paul Hawken, creator of the New York Times bestseller Drawdown
The dangers of climate change and a warming world have been in the public eye for fifty years. For three decades, scientists and the United Nations have urged us to address future existential threats, an effort that culminated in the 2015 Paris Agreement. Although 188 countries made commitments to prevent global warming from exceeding 2 degrees centigrade, as of 2021, 182 failed, and the G7 countries did not even come close. The result so far: 98 percent of the world is disengaged from the greatest danger civilization has ever faced. Instead, extreme weather is increasing, climate migration is disrupting borders and politics in the EU and US, while fossil fuel energy companies dig in their heals to prevent the advent of renewable energy. Journalistic lingo that says we should combat climate change, but by using war metaphors, climate became a story of one more conflict, a framing that has left out humanity.
In Regeneration Paul Hawken has flipped the narrative, bringing people back into the conversation by demonstrating that addressing current human needs rather than future threats is the only path to solving the climate crisis. Regeneration is the first book to define, delineate, and set standards for regeneration, offering a comprehensive explanation of its meaning and application Why regeneration? Because every single economic sector in the world extracts life from the planet and by doing so harms it. The way to reverse a heating planet and human indifference is to reverse planetary degeneration.
Using regeneration as a foundation for understanding and action includes everyone and shows how people the world over can benefit by creating rather than reacting. Regeneration contains an extraordinary array of initiatives that include but go well beyond solar, electric vehicles, and tree planting to include such solutions as marine protected areas, bioregions, azolla fern, food localization, regenerative agriculture, forest farms, and the #1 solution for the world: electrifying everything.
Paul Hawken and the non-profit Regeneration are launching a series of initiatives to accompany the book that will include a streaming video series, curriculum, podcasts, teaching videos, and climate action software. Regeneration is the inspiring and needed guide to inform the burgeoning climate movement.
The dangers of climate change and a warming world have been in the public eye for fifty years. For three decades, scientists and the United Nations have urged us to address future existential threats, an effort that culminated in the 2015 Paris Agreement. Although 188 countries made commitments to prevent global warming from exceeding 2 degrees centigrade, as of 2021, 182 failed, and the G7 countries did not even come close. The result so far: 98 percent of the world is disengaged from the greatest danger civilization has ever faced. Instead, extreme weather is increasing, climate migration is disrupting borders and politics in the EU and US, while fossil fuel energy companies dig in their heals to prevent the advent of renewable energy. Journalistic lingo that says we should combat climate change, but by using war metaphors, climate became a story of one more conflict, a framing that has left out humanity.
In Regeneration Paul Hawken has flipped the narrative, bringing people back into the conversation by demonstrating that addressing current human needs rather than future threats is the only path to solving the climate crisis. Regeneration is the first book to define, delineate, and set standards for regeneration, offering a comprehensive explanation of its meaning and application Why regeneration? Because every single economic sector in the world extracts life from the planet and by doing so harms it. The way to reverse a heating planet and human indifference is to reverse planetary degeneration.
Using regeneration as a foundation for understanding and action includes everyone and shows how people the world over can benefit by creating rather than reacting. Regeneration contains an extraordinary array of initiatives that include but go well beyond solar, electric vehicles, and tree planting to include such solutions as marine protected areas, bioregions, azolla fern, food localization, regenerative agriculture, forest farms, and the #1 solution for the world: electrifying everything.
Paul Hawken and the non-profit Regeneration are launching a series of initiatives to accompany the book that will include a streaming video series, curriculum, podcasts, teaching videos, and climate action software. Regeneration is the inspiring and needed guide to inform the burgeoning climate movement.
256 pages, Paperback
Published September 21, 2021
About the author
Paul Hawken
58 books281 followersPaul Gerard Hawken is an American environmentalist, entrepreneur, author, economist, and activist.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
September 30, 2021
This is a really big book. I don't mean big in the sense of important, but physically enormous for what it is - it's roughly the size of a children's annual, though a lot thicker. Interestingly, the format appears to be a Paul Hawken speciality - he did it with his previous title, Drawdown, though that was far less glossy.
Paul Hawken's aim is to put forward a solution to climate change driven from humans rather than from the science. The tag line on the back of the book reads 'The climate crisis is not at science problem. It is a human problem.' And that itself is a problem.
It's not that climate change isn't a human problem, but rather that it's both a human problem and a science problem - requiring human and science-based solutions. But the approach taken in this book is anything but scientific. It's a bit like saying the Covid-19 pandemic is a human problem, not a science problem. The pandemic is indeed a human problem, but if we'd tried to fix it by ignoring key scientific interventions, such as vaccination, it would have been far more devastating.
This book is really an odd way to try get an environmental message across. It's a chunky, glossy, resource-intensive book, which suggests, sadly, that it's more about posturing than value, something that is echoed in the contents. It's not that Hawken doesn't make a good shot at the key requirements to deal with climate change - reducing, protecting and sequestering - but that the approach taken throughout is designed to appeal to the trendy, middle class metropolitan elite. (So, for example, 'equity' is given as the first essential for fixing climate change, rather than reducing, protecting and sequestering.) We get page after page of emotive essays and warm, wooly appeals to nature, but Hawken rarely dips a toe into the comprehensive package of scientific solutions we need. Where science does come in - for example in energy generation - what we get is very selective.
So, for example, you might think that nuclear power does not exist in reading this book - yet it's an essential to balancing a green energy supply. Wind, solar and storage are brilliant - but not enough to keep things going in low wind, low sunlight periods like the one we're in at the time I write this. As Gaia originator James Lovelock made clear, the green movement has to get over its knee-jerk reaction to nuclear. Even looking at other sources of generation, for part of this book I could not decide whether to laugh or cry. Hawken heaps praise on Germany. Germany. He tells us '[Germany] has made the transition [to more solar] without any disruption to consumer and industrial power.' What he doesn't point out is that thanks to abandoning nuclear, Germany is now using far more coal generation than it should - the worst source for climate change - a lot more than any equivalent European nation. Germany's approach is a disaster, not an exemplar.
Similarly, the coverage of electric vehicles is one that sits well with the chattering middle classes, but gives no consideration to the real world of economics. Hawken claims 'carmakers can offer an EV at a price comparable to or lower than an internal combustion vehicle as early as 2023.' That's pie in the sky. I would love to be able to afford an electric car. I'd buy one today. But right now, to get an equivalent EV to basic petrol car in the £7,000 to £12,000 range will cost at least £25,000 and more likely £30,000. Can prices really fall that much so quickly?
One last example of the chattering class bubble for which this book is written. The biggest contribution a one-off activity makes to our carbon production is taking a flight. Yet though the book has page after page on vaguely interesting (but pretty) ecological matters with limited impact on climate change, there is just one line where Hawken specifically mentions cutting back on flying. For the target market of this book, exotic holidays, letting your kids go travelling, and most of all flying off all over the world to conferences (the academic's favourite pastime) mean that air travel gets pushed under the carpet.
Although not the same kind of thing, I was also appalled by the section on the 'Healthcare industry'. Hawken draws a line between the lovely public and global health professionals and the nasty big Pharma. The front line workers 'have been and continue to be the tireless heroes and sheroes [seriously??] in virtually all countries, espousing and teaching about nutrition, preventative care, prenatal care and vaccines.' So remind me where those vaccines came from? What Hawken refers to as the 'allopathic medical system that, abetted by big Pharma, focuses on symptoms instead of causes.' Instead, apparently we should abandon those nasty drugs and resort to probiotic yoghurt. As someone kept alive by said drugs, I'd beg to differ. Of course the pharmaceutical industry, especially in the US, has real problems, but as soon as you see that 'allopathic' word, you know the kind of medical twilight zone we're heading into.
I can't remember when I've last read a book that made me so angry. This was an opportunity to make a real difference. The climate crisis is real and has to be addressed. But this Sunday supplement, glossy appeal to touchy-feely, knit-your-own-medicines, anti-scientific viewpoints is not the answer.
Paul Hawken's aim is to put forward a solution to climate change driven from humans rather than from the science. The tag line on the back of the book reads 'The climate crisis is not at science problem. It is a human problem.' And that itself is a problem.
It's not that climate change isn't a human problem, but rather that it's both a human problem and a science problem - requiring human and science-based solutions. But the approach taken in this book is anything but scientific. It's a bit like saying the Covid-19 pandemic is a human problem, not a science problem. The pandemic is indeed a human problem, but if we'd tried to fix it by ignoring key scientific interventions, such as vaccination, it would have been far more devastating.
This book is really an odd way to try get an environmental message across. It's a chunky, glossy, resource-intensive book, which suggests, sadly, that it's more about posturing than value, something that is echoed in the contents. It's not that Hawken doesn't make a good shot at the key requirements to deal with climate change - reducing, protecting and sequestering - but that the approach taken throughout is designed to appeal to the trendy, middle class metropolitan elite. (So, for example, 'equity' is given as the first essential for fixing climate change, rather than reducing, protecting and sequestering.) We get page after page of emotive essays and warm, wooly appeals to nature, but Hawken rarely dips a toe into the comprehensive package of scientific solutions we need. Where science does come in - for example in energy generation - what we get is very selective.
So, for example, you might think that nuclear power does not exist in reading this book - yet it's an essential to balancing a green energy supply. Wind, solar and storage are brilliant - but not enough to keep things going in low wind, low sunlight periods like the one we're in at the time I write this. As Gaia originator James Lovelock made clear, the green movement has to get over its knee-jerk reaction to nuclear. Even looking at other sources of generation, for part of this book I could not decide whether to laugh or cry. Hawken heaps praise on Germany. Germany. He tells us '[Germany] has made the transition [to more solar] without any disruption to consumer and industrial power.' What he doesn't point out is that thanks to abandoning nuclear, Germany is now using far more coal generation than it should - the worst source for climate change - a lot more than any equivalent European nation. Germany's approach is a disaster, not an exemplar.
Similarly, the coverage of electric vehicles is one that sits well with the chattering middle classes, but gives no consideration to the real world of economics. Hawken claims 'carmakers can offer an EV at a price comparable to or lower than an internal combustion vehicle as early as 2023.' That's pie in the sky. I would love to be able to afford an electric car. I'd buy one today. But right now, to get an equivalent EV to basic petrol car in the £7,000 to £12,000 range will cost at least £25,000 and more likely £30,000. Can prices really fall that much so quickly?
One last example of the chattering class bubble for which this book is written. The biggest contribution a one-off activity makes to our carbon production is taking a flight. Yet though the book has page after page on vaguely interesting (but pretty) ecological matters with limited impact on climate change, there is just one line where Hawken specifically mentions cutting back on flying. For the target market of this book, exotic holidays, letting your kids go travelling, and most of all flying off all over the world to conferences (the academic's favourite pastime) mean that air travel gets pushed under the carpet.
Although not the same kind of thing, I was also appalled by the section on the 'Healthcare industry'. Hawken draws a line between the lovely public and global health professionals and the nasty big Pharma. The front line workers 'have been and continue to be the tireless heroes and sheroes [seriously??] in virtually all countries, espousing and teaching about nutrition, preventative care, prenatal care and vaccines.' So remind me where those vaccines came from? What Hawken refers to as the 'allopathic medical system that, abetted by big Pharma, focuses on symptoms instead of causes.' Instead, apparently we should abandon those nasty drugs and resort to probiotic yoghurt. As someone kept alive by said drugs, I'd beg to differ. Of course the pharmaceutical industry, especially in the US, has real problems, but as soon as you see that 'allopathic' word, you know the kind of medical twilight zone we're heading into.
I can't remember when I've last read a book that made me so angry. This was an opportunity to make a real difference. The climate crisis is real and has to be addressed. But this Sunday supplement, glossy appeal to touchy-feely, knit-your-own-medicines, anti-scientific viewpoints is not the answer.
October 15, 2021
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the current, and justified, atmosphere of doom in climate discussions: fear, anxiety, anger, denial – we’re pretty much surrounded by it, especially in the run up to COP26. And there is no shortage of books on the subject either, from densely-written tomes, full of terrifying facts and guilt-trips of how we got here, to lighter to-do lists about reducing single-use plastics or recycling that barely skim the surface of what society needs to do.
However, I’ve not read anything quite like Regeneration before, with its clear ambition to tackle the crisis head-on, holistically and in a way that’s both inspirational and accessible. On the surface, its glossy-looking pages, peppered with beautiful pictures, suggest a lot of punches would be pulled, but that’s not the case: Hawken himself states early on that it is human activity that has caused the global degeneration we now must fix. Yet by focussing on how to regenerate ecosystems, communities, and industries, using life itself as the way out of the disaster, rather than getting bogged down in the destructive processes that got us here, the book hits the optimistic and motivating, yet practical and realistic, tone needed to find our way out of the maze.
I really appreciated how the book’s different sections make it accessible too, being divided into interconnected aspects to address, such as wilding, people and food, with each section then filled with individual articles addressing the significant topics. The inclusion of other well-chosen voices add weight too: Jane Goodall’s foreword, excerpts from Richard Powers’ The Overstory and Isabella Tree’s Wilding.
If you’re looking for all the facts and figures or relentless doom and gloom about how bad things will get, then this isn’t the book for you. However, if it’s inspiration to create or restore the fire within needed to fight for our planet and its people, and insight into the spectrum of solutions we must embrace, then Regeneration is a great place to start.
Many thanks to both the author and publisher for the very appreciated gifted copy of the book.
However, I’ve not read anything quite like Regeneration before, with its clear ambition to tackle the crisis head-on, holistically and in a way that’s both inspirational and accessible. On the surface, its glossy-looking pages, peppered with beautiful pictures, suggest a lot of punches would be pulled, but that’s not the case: Hawken himself states early on that it is human activity that has caused the global degeneration we now must fix. Yet by focussing on how to regenerate ecosystems, communities, and industries, using life itself as the way out of the disaster, rather than getting bogged down in the destructive processes that got us here, the book hits the optimistic and motivating, yet practical and realistic, tone needed to find our way out of the maze.
I really appreciated how the book’s different sections make it accessible too, being divided into interconnected aspects to address, such as wilding, people and food, with each section then filled with individual articles addressing the significant topics. The inclusion of other well-chosen voices add weight too: Jane Goodall’s foreword, excerpts from Richard Powers’ The Overstory and Isabella Tree’s Wilding.
If you’re looking for all the facts and figures or relentless doom and gloom about how bad things will get, then this isn’t the book for you. However, if it’s inspiration to create or restore the fire within needed to fight for our planet and its people, and insight into the spectrum of solutions we must embrace, then Regeneration is a great place to start.
Many thanks to both the author and publisher for the very appreciated gifted copy of the book.
October 28, 2021
I loved reading this book, and would recommend it to anyone looking for options to consider for how to find their place in the efforts to thwart climate change. The book is broad and informative, with many engaging examples of integrated climate change solutions being worked on. It's less of a blueprint to ending climate change than an outline with many high-level examples of specific solutions in-progress.
The book dedicates little space to the challenges those solutions face in coming to fruition (let alone how to tackle these), and, in so doing, loses credibility towards its premise of ending climate change in one generation by painting an overly optimistic picture of the state of climate science implementation. Still, a super inspiring and enjoyable read with lots to consider and to reinvigorate your hope in humanity.
The book dedicates little space to the challenges those solutions face in coming to fruition (let alone how to tackle these), and, in so doing, loses credibility towards its premise of ending climate change in one generation by painting an overly optimistic picture of the state of climate science implementation. Still, a super inspiring and enjoyable read with lots to consider and to reinvigorate your hope in humanity.
March 1, 2022
I wanted to update my review with a link to the regeneration project website. Even if you don't want to read the whole book, their site has a lot of useful resources.
https://regeneration.org/home
This informative and thought-provoking book has inspired me to take significant action to reduce my own carbon footprint and work for positive outcomes in my community and the larger world. If the climate crisis is a topic you wish to understand better, especially in regards to the many viable solutions, I recommend this book as a place to start.
https://regeneration.org/home
This informative and thought-provoking book has inspired me to take significant action to reduce my own carbon footprint and work for positive outcomes in my community and the larger world. If the climate crisis is a topic you wish to understand better, especially in regards to the many viable solutions, I recommend this book as a place to start.
May 22, 2022
This was good, very good perhaps -- big ticket recommendations for reducing carbon emissions -- but it seemed like a reformatted/reworded version of the author's earlier (and better) book Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming.
October 13, 2021
This is such a cool book! Highly informative, hopeful and approachable, it provides several solutions not only for dealing with climate change, but for healing and regenerating the planet, the relationship we have with it, and the relationship we have with one another.
For those familiar with Project Drawdown, this is a similar book. However, it leaves the hard numbers and rankings out, and focuses on ways to inspire and motivate us instead.
And we need it.
We are all aware of climate change and global warming, but often feel hopeless and powerless. Moreover, several mainstream debates on the subject are divisive, elitist, judgmental and do not take a holistic approach into consideration.
Instead, this book is inclusive and empowering. It focuses on what each of us can do, in our own way, and within our own contexts. It focuses on building communities so we can achieve our goal by collaborating with one another, instead of fighting over which approach is best.
And perhaps the best part (which was the main problem I had with Bill Gates’ How to Avoid a Climate Disaster) is that Regeneration provides a humble and respectful approach.
Instead of trying to tweak the planet, as if nature had to be fixed or conquered (which created our problem the first place), Hawken states that “the ultimate power to change the world does not reside in technologies. It relies on reverence, respect, and compassion” and that “we are being homeschooled by the planet.”
Powerful words indeed!
For those familiar with Project Drawdown, this is a similar book. However, it leaves the hard numbers and rankings out, and focuses on ways to inspire and motivate us instead.
And we need it.
We are all aware of climate change and global warming, but often feel hopeless and powerless. Moreover, several mainstream debates on the subject are divisive, elitist, judgmental and do not take a holistic approach into consideration.
Instead, this book is inclusive and empowering. It focuses on what each of us can do, in our own way, and within our own contexts. It focuses on building communities so we can achieve our goal by collaborating with one another, instead of fighting over which approach is best.
And perhaps the best part (which was the main problem I had with Bill Gates’ How to Avoid a Climate Disaster) is that Regeneration provides a humble and respectful approach.
Instead of trying to tweak the planet, as if nature had to be fixed or conquered (which created our problem the first place), Hawken states that “the ultimate power to change the world does not reside in technologies. It relies on reverence, respect, and compassion” and that “we are being homeschooled by the planet.”
Powerful words indeed!
December 4, 2021
A must read for everyone on the planet
What Paul Hawken does in this book is to show how everything is connected when it comes to climate change and what can be done in all areas and how that connects to everything. I can also see what it is I can do and how I can live that serves the regeneration of life on the planet.
What Paul Hawken does in this book is to show how everything is connected when it comes to climate change and what can be done in all areas and how that connects to everything. I can also see what it is I can do and how I can live that serves the regeneration of life on the planet.
September 13, 2023
A more urgent, more biophilic, more socially responsible, more politically aware upgrade to Drawdown (by the same author/group). As with Drawdown, this book engenders HOPE for a less hot, dry and dead future.
Definitely worth reading.
4/5 ⭐️
Definitely worth reading.
4/5 ⭐️
November 21, 2021
This excellent book drove home the point that we are nature and nature has the answer for problems for humans related to climate change. Nature can heal itself as long as we allow it to do what it does, make life more livable for everyone and everything. He provides multiple examples of how when we work with nature, all do better - the ecosystem For instance, he explains how indigenous people helped the forests, animals, plants and rivers thrive by how they lived cooperatively with nature and how it is possible for us to do that now. Examples of how are included. Although it is possible, he makes it clear that we need to get started right away. It also should be understood, living a regenerative life will enable everyone and everything to thrive, not just survive. I strongly encourage people to read and also review is excellent complementary website: https://regeneration.org
April 8, 2022
Regeneration is almost an encyclopedia of specific strategies to reduce global warming by reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide and methane. Each article includes specific numbers on how much carbon can be sequestered and how many emissions can be avoided by adopting the strategy discussed in that article. This study has motivated me to learn more about how I can act to reduce global warming and the harm it causes through personal actions like planting trees, legislative actions like the Green New Deal, and economic/technological actions like opting in to renewable energy sources on my electric bill.
October 13, 2021
What I love about this book, aside from its breadth of information, is that it puts a focus on social and environmental justice as part of the concept of Regeneration. Not only do these solutions make the world habitable for humans, but they simultaneously offer a chance for us to right pasts wrongs and create a more fair, equitable world.
October 22, 2021
If you care about the planet then read this book.
Just read this. It's brilliant and a proactive way to tackle climate change. From understanding all of the sometimes complex issues to how you can help tackle them.
Just read this. It's brilliant and a proactive way to tackle climate change. From understanding all of the sometimes complex issues to how you can help tackle them.
December 31, 2022
Regeneration: ending the climate crisis in one generation is in many ways a sequel to Paul Hawken’s earlier Drawdown: the most comprehensive plan to end global warming. Both are formatted as high school yearbook-sized coffee table books. In Regeneration, the chapters are essentially stand-alone essays that could be read (or skimmed when it’s already part of your knowledge base) or passed over for your particular areas of interest. As in Drawdown, there is beautiful photography throughout. Regeneration also includes some interesting stories and narrative essays by other authors.
I did find this a slog to read. In fact, I forced myself to complete the book. Humbly, I’ve read many books on these themes, so much of it was redundant for me. So four rather than five stars. Others may find all of the book fascinating, as I did when reading Drawdown. Finally, I thought then, a book that’s about solutions, rather than just the problems of climate change!
While Drawdown was more scientific, technological, and quantitative (e.g. “Offshore wind could avoid X gigatons of carbon emissions over the next 20 years.”), Regeneration is more sociological and ecological. In effect, Regeneration is more deliberate in emphasizing humanity, equity, and ecological principles as central to the sustainability solutions it offers.
I disagree with at least one other reviewer that this book’s de-emphasis of scientific evidence makes it any less valid than other works (like Drawdown). I don’t find that problematic. Of course, Hawken pays attention to the science, even if he doesn’t lay out extensive research and numbers in this book. (Drawdown, I think, swings to the other extreme.)
I also think it’s more important to ask ourselves what it is that we want, rather than just what we’re trying to avoid — such as a snowballing climate catastrophe.
I believe that if we were to also have a conversation about what we want, most of us would second Hawken’s underlying values: humanity, ecological principles, appreciation of, and respect for nature’s beauty and biodiversity, social equity, gender, ethnic, and racial equality. Hawken begins with these values and pulls together the viable and ambitious solutions that engender and uplift these values as our end goals. Huzzah! For this I totally applaud Hawken’s book and his work in general. In this way, Hawken bridges the divide between environmentalists and humanitarians. There doesn’t have to be a conflict here.
Reviews that criticize the warm, fuzzy nature of certain solutions or the short shrift paid to other solutions, may have some valid points about how we accomplish this. But let’s please not just avoid the future we dread. Let’s be sure to address our goals first. If we’re in general agreement there, we can then quibble about the path(s) to get there.
I did find this a slog to read. In fact, I forced myself to complete the book. Humbly, I’ve read many books on these themes, so much of it was redundant for me. So four rather than five stars. Others may find all of the book fascinating, as I did when reading Drawdown. Finally, I thought then, a book that’s about solutions, rather than just the problems of climate change!
While Drawdown was more scientific, technological, and quantitative (e.g. “Offshore wind could avoid X gigatons of carbon emissions over the next 20 years.”), Regeneration is more sociological and ecological. In effect, Regeneration is more deliberate in emphasizing humanity, equity, and ecological principles as central to the sustainability solutions it offers.
I disagree with at least one other reviewer that this book’s de-emphasis of scientific evidence makes it any less valid than other works (like Drawdown). I don’t find that problematic. Of course, Hawken pays attention to the science, even if he doesn’t lay out extensive research and numbers in this book. (Drawdown, I think, swings to the other extreme.)
I also think it’s more important to ask ourselves what it is that we want, rather than just what we’re trying to avoid — such as a snowballing climate catastrophe.
I believe that if we were to also have a conversation about what we want, most of us would second Hawken’s underlying values: humanity, ecological principles, appreciation of, and respect for nature’s beauty and biodiversity, social equity, gender, ethnic, and racial equality. Hawken begins with these values and pulls together the viable and ambitious solutions that engender and uplift these values as our end goals. Huzzah! For this I totally applaud Hawken’s book and his work in general. In this way, Hawken bridges the divide between environmentalists and humanitarians. There doesn’t have to be a conflict here.
Reviews that criticize the warm, fuzzy nature of certain solutions or the short shrift paid to other solutions, may have some valid points about how we accomplish this. But let’s please not just avoid the future we dread. Let’s be sure to address our goals first. If we’re in general agreement there, we can then quibble about the path(s) to get there.
July 11, 2023
3.5-4.0
After a few weeks of contending with bad air quality and reading the somewhat depressing “All Hell Breaking Loose”, I needed something more positive about what is/can be done to address the Climate Crisis. Hence “Regeneration”. I’m familiar with author Paul Hawken from his previous book “Drawdown”. In general, Regeneration is remarkably similar to Drawdown. Between the two I’d say I prefer Drawdown, as the discussions of the Climate Crisis and the proposed solutions in Regeneration had already been covered in Drawdown and a bit better in that book. The writing in Regeneration felt a bit dryer (which made it more of a longer read than I expected), there was less of a practical breakdown for how to put the solutions in play and the benefits of doing so, and more talk about the depressing environmental/social situations and the difficulties of applying the solutions to scale. With my climate anxiety I’ve learned to accept when climate scholars talk about the steep slope we have to surmount but in a book like Regeneration which is talking about addressing the crisis, I think Hawken could have done a better job leaving the reader with some hope.
All that said, Regeneration does provide comprehensive coverage of climate solutions, both ones the general public knows about and the lesser known but very innovative solutions. For those readers just learning about what they/the world can do to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change, the book gives a good introduction to it all. For more experienced readers like myself, its a nice review and supplement to our experience/knowledge base. In addition to Hawken’s explanations of the solutions, I also really appreciated how Hawken included occasional sections that republish the works of other climate scholars/activists, to give a broader perspective of the solutions.
Ultimately while I don’t think “Regeneration” is as effective as “Drawdown”, Paul Hawken still provides a useful overview of where we are at with the Climate Crisis, who is already out there trying to slow its impacts with various solutions, and what needs to be done to reverse the worst trends and put the world in better shape moving forward.
After a few weeks of contending with bad air quality and reading the somewhat depressing “All Hell Breaking Loose”, I needed something more positive about what is/can be done to address the Climate Crisis. Hence “Regeneration”. I’m familiar with author Paul Hawken from his previous book “Drawdown”. In general, Regeneration is remarkably similar to Drawdown. Between the two I’d say I prefer Drawdown, as the discussions of the Climate Crisis and the proposed solutions in Regeneration had already been covered in Drawdown and a bit better in that book. The writing in Regeneration felt a bit dryer (which made it more of a longer read than I expected), there was less of a practical breakdown for how to put the solutions in play and the benefits of doing so, and more talk about the depressing environmental/social situations and the difficulties of applying the solutions to scale. With my climate anxiety I’ve learned to accept when climate scholars talk about the steep slope we have to surmount but in a book like Regeneration which is talking about addressing the crisis, I think Hawken could have done a better job leaving the reader with some hope.
All that said, Regeneration does provide comprehensive coverage of climate solutions, both ones the general public knows about and the lesser known but very innovative solutions. For those readers just learning about what they/the world can do to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change, the book gives a good introduction to it all. For more experienced readers like myself, its a nice review and supplement to our experience/knowledge base. In addition to Hawken’s explanations of the solutions, I also really appreciated how Hawken included occasional sections that republish the works of other climate scholars/activists, to give a broader perspective of the solutions.
Ultimately while I don’t think “Regeneration” is as effective as “Drawdown”, Paul Hawken still provides a useful overview of where we are at with the Climate Crisis, who is already out there trying to slow its impacts with various solutions, and what needs to be done to reverse the worst trends and put the world in better shape moving forward.
November 19, 2022
With a subtitle like that I thought, now this I have to read! Best, most comprehensive book on grappling with and reversing climate change that I have read recently. Format is easily digestible - don't want to read a 300 page book about how terrible everything is? No problem, because it's a coffee table book divided into digestible segments and filled with solutions that grow themselves.
For too long, conversations and policy have been divided into camps, including: race and social inequity; biodiversity and habitat; and greenhouse gasses and energy. But they're all related, they all cause and affect each other. Colonialism, slavery, and capitalism are fueled by, well, fossil fuels and exploitation of land, ecosystems, and people. If COVID failed to teach us, or teach the powers that be, the following lesson, then climate change will. And that is, it's our relationship to the earth and to each other that needs to be radically reconsidered and shaped. I used to think, oh that is so frivolous, let's talk about material problems, there is no time to spare. But I have come to think that every problem is rooted in the problem of our relationship to our one and only home, to our one and only family of living beings. It's not corny or woo-ey, because likewise all the solutions tumble directly out of that reconsideration. So many good things to say about this book. It's inspiring, it's terrific. Everybody on board!
For too long, conversations and policy have been divided into camps, including: race and social inequity; biodiversity and habitat; and greenhouse gasses and energy. But they're all related, they all cause and affect each other. Colonialism, slavery, and capitalism are fueled by, well, fossil fuels and exploitation of land, ecosystems, and people. If COVID failed to teach us, or teach the powers that be, the following lesson, then climate change will. And that is, it's our relationship to the earth and to each other that needs to be radically reconsidered and shaped. I used to think, oh that is so frivolous, let's talk about material problems, there is no time to spare. But I have come to think that every problem is rooted in the problem of our relationship to our one and only home, to our one and only family of living beings. It's not corny or woo-ey, because likewise all the solutions tumble directly out of that reconsideration. So many good things to say about this book. It's inspiring, it's terrific. Everybody on board!
October 15, 2022
This is an amazing book. It isn't set up to read straight through, but it has dozens of short chapters on a wide variety of ways in which people are addressing climate change. Many of them were unfamiliar to me, and the whole result is a sense of "we can do this!" At the end there are chapters on ideas on how to take actions and create a list of your own on what you want to do. There is also a very extensive website which covers similar ground. I will be going back to that information over and over.
October 28, 2022
If you’re concerned about climate change but unsure as to how to make a difference, this is the book you’ve been looking for. Tons of content across a spectrum of climate topics with prescriptive guidance on how to take action.
December 5, 2022
This book is so good I rented it from the library and then bought it to share/review periodically.
An amazing framework and state of mind. A book everyone should read.
An amazing framework and state of mind. A book everyone should read.
March 29, 2023
Regeneration focused largely on how nature balanced co2 emissions with natural carbon sinks and also elaborated on how human activities are causing a lot of damage to this natural processes. Recovering and regenerating these diminished ecosystems could go a very long way in solving climate change within a generation. This book made me appreciate nature a whole lot more. Good read.
August 4, 2022
This book blew me away. It covered SO many topics— the problems and the solutions. I was really happy that it spent significant time discussing social justice. There is no climate justice without social justice. I learned so much and will definitely re-read this someday!
August 20, 2022
More hopeful and way better as an audiobook than Drawdown would be. Drawdown is also good, but probably better as a book and more like an encyclopedia to skip around, whereas this you can read all the way through.
November 25, 2021
I think you all know by now that I'm a big advocate for caring for the environment. I read a lot about environmentally sustainable practices, as well as having degrees in environmental subjects. So Regeneration by Paul Hawken is right up my alley.
This is the definition of a coffee table book, it's probably the size of a kids Christmas annual (about A4/letter paper size for non-British readers!) but thicker and it has some absolutely gorgeous pictures of our world within. But of course the most important part of this book is the text inside.
This book is so insightful. It of course discusses the fact that we need to stop polluting. It covers all of the obvious and well trodden points about stopping further climate change. They're important after all! But this book goes further.
Human activity is what has caused this decline of our climate and planet, but Hawken doesn't merely focus on stopping current activities. He also discusses how to regenerate ecosystems, help communities flourish, develop sustainably industry practices, and more as a way out of the disaster we have gotten ourselves into.
I also like how this book is sectioned out. Combining like topics together and encouraging people to just flick to another page when they see this open on the coffee table!
I will say that the book isn't perfect. It is definitely written with a white, western, middle class audience in mind. There is no discussion of nuclear power (and I know it's controversial but honestly lads we're reaching the point of no return it should at least be on the table), "try to fly less" is one of the actions that the author suggests... as though the general population can afford to be jet-setting frequently, eclectic cars are stated to reach the same affordability as non-electric vehicles by 2023... they're currently around £30k and I can get the same car in petrol for around £8. A lot of people can't justify that price difference. There's also a weird discussion about the healthcare industry which gives me holistic vibes. As someone who is chronically ill... nah not keen on that one thanks.
This book is a good read, it has some really interesting points within and is formatted beautifully which should engage those not so familiar with the topic! However, it is a little preachy and surface level in the solutions that are presented. I would say that this is best suited for someone who is just reaching into the world of "oh wow we've really screwed over our planet" rather than one who already knows a lot about it. It'll give them the basics that they need and hopefully get them asking questions!
Thank you to Penguin Environment for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
This is the definition of a coffee table book, it's probably the size of a kids Christmas annual (about A4/letter paper size for non-British readers!) but thicker and it has some absolutely gorgeous pictures of our world within. But of course the most important part of this book is the text inside.
This book is so insightful. It of course discusses the fact that we need to stop polluting. It covers all of the obvious and well trodden points about stopping further climate change. They're important after all! But this book goes further.
Human activity is what has caused this decline of our climate and planet, but Hawken doesn't merely focus on stopping current activities. He also discusses how to regenerate ecosystems, help communities flourish, develop sustainably industry practices, and more as a way out of the disaster we have gotten ourselves into.
I also like how this book is sectioned out. Combining like topics together and encouraging people to just flick to another page when they see this open on the coffee table!
I will say that the book isn't perfect. It is definitely written with a white, western, middle class audience in mind. There is no discussion of nuclear power (and I know it's controversial but honestly lads we're reaching the point of no return it should at least be on the table), "try to fly less" is one of the actions that the author suggests... as though the general population can afford to be jet-setting frequently, eclectic cars are stated to reach the same affordability as non-electric vehicles by 2023... they're currently around £30k and I can get the same car in petrol for around £8. A lot of people can't justify that price difference. There's also a weird discussion about the healthcare industry which gives me holistic vibes. As someone who is chronically ill... nah not keen on that one thanks.
This book is a good read, it has some really interesting points within and is formatted beautifully which should engage those not so familiar with the topic! However, it is a little preachy and surface level in the solutions that are presented. I would say that this is best suited for someone who is just reaching into the world of "oh wow we've really screwed over our planet" rather than one who already knows a lot about it. It'll give them the basics that they need and hopefully get them asking questions!
Thank you to Penguin Environment for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
October 2, 2021
If you are familiar with Paul Hawken's book Drawdown, then you will be familiar with the solutions that are discussed throughout this book. This one takes a deep dive into each of those solutions showing real life applications and people working through the problems real time - showing the solutions are making progress. As well as some very informative history for context while presenting these real world applications/solutions. There are also entire sections of supported texts from authors like Jonathan Safran Foer. A LOT of content to digest, but curated brilliantly.
February 17, 2022
I think this is a must read book for everyone! Paul Hawken has shown how all of life on the planet is interrelated and that if we want to stop the trajectory of climate chaos, we must address equity for humans and all of life. I was so taken with the book that I suggested a reading group hosted by Sustainable Charlotte Vermont and the Charlotte Public Library which is now ongoing.
March 10, 2022
A truly excellent book, bursting with information. I recommend this to anyone interested in how to help our environment at this critical time.
January 29, 2022
Brilliant book. This book has the answers to the climate challenge and its up to us to join forces and regenerate our world.
It's a big read, it's depressing at times however is written through an optimistic lens.
It's a big read, it's depressing at times however is written through an optimistic lens.
October 31, 2021
Audiobook
January 16, 2022
I learned so much about what needs to be done. I bought several copies for other generations!
February 10, 2022
To take action
https://regeneration.org/
https://regeneration.org/
February 17, 2022
A stellar exploration of the ways in which regenerative thinking can help transform our society in this moment of crisis.
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