From Indian vultures to Chinese bees, Nature provides the ‘natural services’ that keep the economy going. From the recycling miracles in the soil; an army of predators ridding us of unwanted pests; an abundance of life creating a genetic codebook that underpins our food, pharmaceutical industries and much more, it has been estimated that these and other services are each year worth about double global GDP. Yet we take most of Nature’s services for granted, imagining them free and limitless … until they suddenly switch off.
This is a book full of immediate, impactful stories, containing both warnings (such as in the tale of India’s vultures, killed off by drugs given to cattle, leading to an epidemic of rabies) but also the positive (how birds protect fruit harvests, coral reefs protect coasts from storms and how the rainforests absorb billions of tonnes of carbon released from cars and power stations).
Tony Juniper’s book will change whole way you think about life, the planet and the economy
Over de auteur
Tony Juniper is an independent sustainability and environment adviser, including as Special Advisor with the Prince’s Charities International Sustainability Unit and as a Senior Associate with the University of Cambridge Program for Sustainability Leadership. He is a founder member of the Robertsbridge Group that advises international companies. He speaks and writes on many aspects of sustainability and is the author of several books, including the award winning Parrots of the World, Spix’s Macaw and How Many Light Bulbs Does It Take To Change A Planet? He was a co-author of Harmony, with HRH The Prince of Wales and Ian Skelly.His book, What has Nature ever done for us? was published in January 2013. He began his career as an ornithologist, working with Birdlife International. From 1990 he worked at Friends of the Earth and was the organisation’s executive director from 2003-2008 and was the Vice Chair of Friends of the Earth International from 2000-2008.Follow Tony Juniper on Twitter @Tony Juniper