Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation by Paul Hawken

Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation Reviews

• 
  Brian Clegg

  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.
• 
  Mackenzie Bohannon

  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.
• 
  Diana Green

  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.
• 
  John Kaufmann

  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.
• 
  Henry

  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.
• 
  Lais Atilano

  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!
• 
  Craig Becker

  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
• 
  John

  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.
• 
  Kara Allen

  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.
• 
  Kevin Gannon

  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.
• 
  Joseph Montuori

  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.
• 
  Brady Steigauf

  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.
• 
  Kirsten D

  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!
• 
  Abi Robins

  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.
• 
  Trace Nichols

  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.
• 
  Heron

  A truly excellent book, bursting with information. I recommend this to anyone interested in how to help our environment at this critical time.
• 
  Jennifer Kellogg

  I learned so much about what needs to be done. I bought several copies for other generations!
• 
  Marissa

  To take action
  
  
  https://regeneration.org/
• 
  Mason

  A stellar exploration of the ways in which regenerative thinking can help transform our society in this moment of crisis.
• 
  Shelhorowitzgreenmkt

  This book came out last year, while The Carbon Almanac, which I reviewed in June, was only published in July 2020. There are a lot of similarities. Both are large-format paperbacks divided into many short articles, both were assembled by a team, both feature color photographs throughout and many additional resources—including all the numerous reference citations—online.
  
  Most importantly, both spend a lot of time outlining the problems with the way we humans have chosen to live on the earth these last several millennia—but instead of getting mired in despair, both show that we have already developed the solutions we need, and give some advice on how we can undo the damage humans have wreaked on the earth. I recommend reading both, taking good notes on each, and perhaps having a month or two off between readings. They reinforce each other, but they also complement each other, with each including some pieces the other leaves out or glosses over.
  
  Regeneration is more holistic than the Almanac, and somewhat more focused on actions we can take to restore the planet, its ecosystems, its peoples, and the other living creatures we share it with. It encourages action both by individuals and through sweeping changes in policy, legislation, and culture. And it hammers at the hypocrisy of corporate and government approaches that—as one among many examples—allow companies to take carbon credits for planting monoculture forests of non-native species that will take 20 years to offset the carbon, will displace indigenous cultures, and will be destroyed for lumber within a generation or so of planting (p. 245, with a related article on pp. 44-45).
  
  These companies talk the talk, these days, but they aren’t walking the walk; CO2 emissions in 2019 were a third more than in 2000 (p. 246); more than half the total virgin-materials plastic produced since its invention in 1907 has been in the past 15 years, and 60 percent of that ends up as waste (p. 237). The Paris Climate Accord is not resulting in the huge progress we need. Morocco and Gambia are the only two countries on track to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
  
  Hawken, who has been a major figure in the responsible business movement for decades, is also much more willing to face the big, scary social issues like poverty, prisons, and racism, as well as under-the-radar but high-negative-impact industries such as fast fashion, big pharma, and big ag—and to look both at their climate impact and their human impact. To look at the reality that much of the world lives in megacities and is distanced from the land (see especially p. 149). And to look at the unintended consequences of human efforts to improve things by reducing biodiversity (addressed throughout the book, with the especially relevant story about how humans disrupted a balanced system in Yellowstone, pp. 64-67).
  
  Hawken and his team are surprisingly optimistic. They cite research to bolster their conclusion that once climate is under control, which can be done in a single generation, the earth will stabilize rapidly (p. 9)—although the work of making sure will continue for a century (p. 12), still a nanosecond in our history as a species.
  
  This review barely scratches the surface of this remarkable book. Go get a copy. Read an article or two every day, and take good notes. Then think about how you can turn these insights into action, starting with the action section at the end, pp. 248-255. I’m including the last page, 255, a brief essay on how to develop and share the hopeful yet realistic stories we need to get un-sunk and move forward: as individuals, communities, nations, and species.
• 
  David

  This book is part sequel and part update to the author's previous work
  Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming. Although it's more recent and hence a bit more up to date on recent facts, figures, and the current state of technologies, politics, and society (e.g. the Covid-19 pandemic), it isn't nearly as good. It retains the main drawback of Drawdown, rather than a cohesive and consistent narrative, it's a loosely organised mishmash collection of contributions by different authors, which vary wildly in both tone and quality.
  
  But the biggest problem is that all of the numbers and specifics and details have stripped out [a few a relegated to an appendix]. Where Drawdown provided a pretty clear plan for combatting global warming, this book takes a more humanistic and animistic approach, more appropriate to a spiritual or religious text than a scientific, political, or technological one. Only about a third of the content actually deals with climate change, the rest is a rehash of traditional environmentalist (updated for the 21st century with a renewed emphasis on indigenous knowledge) and marginally related social justice causes such as universal healthcare.
  
  The focus away from hard facts and numbers has also lead to a lot of contradictory ideas, spurious logic, and leaps of faith. For instance, the forest fires in the American West are blamed on poor forest management policies, and contrasted to those of the indigenous population. Only several pages later is it revealed that the modern approach is 200x as productive, and supports a population thousands of times larger than would be supported if we reverted to the traditional ways. Similarly, we are urged to switch to electric vehicles to eliminate the carbon emissions not only from internal combustion engines, but also from the associated infrastructure such as the steel used to construct gas stations. As if the doubling of the electrical grid and installation of thousands of charging stations would be an entirely carbon-free endeavor. While I agree that the net benefit likely outweighs the negatives, to present it without any supporting calculations is irresponsible. Especially given that the very next chapter addresses the challenges of enhancing the electrical grid to meet the increased demand.
  
  In a way I can't fault the author for trying. Serious solutions with plans of action and specific targets have been largely ignored. So maybe resorting to waxing poetic about majestic chestnut trees and orphaned meerkats is the way to spur action. But given the current political and social climate, it seems too preachy, and preaching to the choir at that. Don't get me wrong, I wholeheartedly agree with 90% of the book's content and ideas, I just don't think it will help convince anyone who isn't already on board.
  
• 
  Bex

  For a long time now we have been at war, in one way or another, with our world. Or at least that's the way things are often presented to us. But the reality is much starker - we are in fact at war against those that won't see what catalyses climate change; not against the world itself. Paul Hawken goes to great lengths to change the conversation.
  
  You're most likely reading this book because you're invested in reversing the damage, which means you've most likely read countless books akin to this one (probably Bill Gates' How to Avoid a Climate Disaster which, despite his enormous carbon footprint, was hugely influential in my eyes to shining a light onto the bigger culprits). But what you'll notice from many books about climate change is that they have this obtuse tone which undeniably intends to make you feel like a bad human being who must be contributing to destroying your own planet, instead of giving you the tools to do something about it.
  
  Not this book. This is an entirely accessible, beautifully illustrated handbook (it feels like) into the reality of our situation, how we might have quite often ignorantly contributed to the problem but most importantly what we can start to do to reverse some of that damage.
  
  Prince William recently said in an interview that we need to ask the brightest individuals in our world to start looking at how to fix the planet, rather than looking for ways to leave it. I couldn't agree more, and I felt that distinct impression from this author as I was reading too. So large portions of this book are about planet degeneration and subsequently some of the regeneration we need to start working towards, as everyone's responsibility. But it doesn't feel "preachy" or overly contrived, it feels like a genuine plea for attention to some of the initiatives we can take to start flipping the narrative.
  
  Absolutely worth a read, largely accessible to anyone and despite some areas of information-overload, it does genuinely contain some great, realistic ideas and discussions which have potential to change the conversation and, possibly, the planet.
  
  ARC provided from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.