Our Planet Our Future, our landmark series of talks and events, launched an Environment Book Club, meeting in Harpenden to discuss agreed texts on the subject of sustainability. Our recent meeting discussed Five Times Faster.
The need to act to prevent runaway climate change or avoid breaching further tipping points couldn’t be clearer, as demonstrated by extreme weather events such as the dramatic flooding in Dubai. Closer to home, the UK has recorded the ninth consecutive warmest monthly temperature on record. Simon Sharpe sets out the scale of the challenge in his new book Five Times Faster, the subject of the latest Our Planet Our Future environment book club meeting at the Cross Keys pub in Harpenden on 18th April.
The book was a fascinating insight into what needs to change to meet climate change targets from an author with real policy making experience highlighting the importance of availability of appropriate data & models to completing risk assessments, long-term forward-planning and asking the right questions.
This prompted a lively discussion of what the future could look like by changing direction now, in particular examining the merits of the Wales Future Generations Act. Also discussed was the need to give business sectors the certainty to embrace direction shifts away from business as usual and the undermining effect of hasty u-turns.
The idea of decisions being assessed for harm to the environment and future generations is a powerful one, and could be far reaching but if implemented now, could it be one of the levers we need to get back on a more sustainable course and potentially be a concept politicians could unite behind?
Further information about the book and the author see https://fivetimesfaster.org
Check out our next book and dates for our Environment Book Club and OPOF discussion events here.