The Geography of Hope: A Tour of the World We Need

After the fierce warnings and grim predictions of The Weather Makers and An Inconvenient Truth, acclaimed journalist and national bestselling author Chris Turner finds hope in the search for a sustainable future.

Point of no return: The chilling phrase has become the ubiquitous mantra of ecological doomsayers, a troubling headline above stories of melting permafrost and receding ice caps, visions of catastrophe and fears of a problem with no solution. Daring to step beyond the rhetoric of panic and despair, The Geography of Hope points to the bright light at the end of this very dark tunnel.

With a mix of front-line reporting, analysis and passionate argument, Chris Turner pieces together the glimmers of optimism amid the gloom and the solutions already at work around the world, from Canadas largest wind farm to Asias greenest building and Europes most eco-friendly communities. But The Geography of Hope goes far beyond mere technology. Turner seeks out the next generation of political, economic, social and spiritual institutions that could provide the global foundations for a sustainable futurefrom the green hills of northern Thailand to the parliament houses of Scandinavia, from the villages of southern India, where microcredit finance has remade the social fabric, to Americas most forward-thinking think tanks.

In this compelling first-person exploration, punctuated by the wonder and angst of a writer discovering the worlds beacons of possibility, Chris Turner pieces together a dazzling map of the disparate landmarks in a geography of hope.



While most of the world has been spinning in stagnant circles of recrimination and debate on the subject of climate change, paralyzed by visions of apocalypse both natural (if nothing of our way of life changes) and economic (if too much does), Denmark has simply marched off with steadfast resolve into the sustainable future, reaching the zenith of its pioneering trek on the island of Sams. And so if theres an encircled star on this patchwork map indicating hopes modest capital, then it should be properly placed on this island. Perhaps, for the sake of precision, at the geographic centre of Jrgen Tranbergs dairy farm.

There are, Im sure, any number of images called to mind by talk of ecological revolution and renewable energy and sustainable living, but Im pretty certain they dont generally include a hearty fiftysomething Dane in rubber boots spotted with mud and cow shit. Which is why Samss transformation is not just revolutionary but inspiring, not just a huge change but a tantalizingly attainable one. And it was a change that seemed at its most workadaynear-effortless, no more remarkable than the cool October wind gusting across the islanddown on Tranbergs farm.
from The Geography of Hope