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Dr Charlie Gardner is an interdisciplinary researcher, conservationist and activist with a particular interest in societal responses to the climate and biodiversity emergencies.
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// Researcher
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What One Person Can Do - Why a climate scientist still has hope
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The floods, fires, storms and heatwaves have been hitting closer to home recently, and like most people you probably want to do more about the climate and ecological emergency. But you’re just one person, so what could you do that will make a difference?
Well, I bring great news – I’ve written just the book for you! It’s called What One Person Can Do and it’s a clear and simple how-to guide, a roadmap to help you make influential changes in the world around you. It’s not hard to find advice on what to do about climate change, but most of the guidance urges us to focus only on reducing our personal footprints. Yet you are not just a consumer – you are a friend, family member and colleague who can influence other people, you’re a resident of a community who can start transforming your neighbourhood, you’re a member of organisations with the power to transform them from the inside, and you’re a citizen who can actively reshape the society we live in. You won’t be able to change the world on your own, but What One Person Can Do will help you change the world around you. Here’s a quick overview of what it covers: Introduction: The Power of You shows that every action we take for the climate and nature has a powerful double impact. Beyond the direct effects, it also sends out a social signal to anyone who sees it, and that signal says ‘other people are treating this seriously, maybe I should too’. Our words and deeds are contagious, and that gives all of us much more power than we often realise. Ch 1. Empower Yourself provides guidance on how to cope with the devastating reality of what’s happening to our world, and advice on how to stay happy, healthy and motivated as you embark on your journey as a changemaker. Happily, action is the antidote to despair! Ch 2. Shrink Your Footprint will give you all the guidance you need to reduce your own personal impacts on the climate and nature. |
Ch 3. Talk About It will help you speak confidently and persuasively with the people who matter to you, whether you consider yourself an expert on the science or not.
Ch 4. Join Forces is about the power of collective action. The most important thing you can do as an individual, says veteran campaigner Bill McKibben, is to not be an individual at all, and this chapter provides all the guidance you’ll need to get together with likeminded people and work effectively together as a group. Ch 5. Transform Your Community is about the changes we can all make in the places we live to make sure they’re not only as sustainable as possible, but also fit to face the changes ahead. Ch 6. Reshape Your Circles shows you how to transform your workplace, sports club, children’s school, or any other organisation in your circles of influence. Every organisation needs to be transformed, and as a member you’re in a powerful position to kickstart that transition. Ch 7. Upgrade the System is about the power of campaigning and activism to transform the very society we live in. We’ll explore the range of creative and disruptive tactics used by activists the world over, and I’ll explain how you can apply them to your own campaigns. Whether you’ve been an activist most of your life or are only beginning to consider your role in turning this ship around, What One Person Can Do is the one book you’ll need. I spent a long time thinking about, researching and writing it, and I’m so excited to finally be able to share it. Please consider pre-ordering a copy, as that will make a big difference in getting it stocked and promoted by booksellers – the more pre-orders there are the faster we’ll get this advice into the hands of everyone who can use it, and the bigger the impact we’ll collectively make. You can order your copy here – thanks in advance, happy reading, and more power to you! - https://geni.us/whatonepersoncando |
About |
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Dr Charlie Gardner is an interdisciplinary researcher, climate and nature communicator, conservationist and activist with a particular interest in societal responses to the climate and biodiversity emergencies. From 2005 to 2015, he was based in Madagascar, where he worked with WWF and other NGOs on the country’s ambitious ‘Durban Vision’, to triple the extent of the protected area network. Charlie has also worked in conservation and natural resource management in Mauritius, Kenya, Ghana, England and Scotland.
Having completed a BSc in Zoology at the University of Leeds, Charlie studied for an MSc in Conservation Biology at DICE in 2002. He returned to Kent to carry out his doctoral research in 2009, submitting his thesis entitled ‘Reconciling conservation and development in Madagascar’s rapidly expanding protected area system’ in 2014. Having completed his PhD, he returned to the School of Anthropology and Conservation at Kent in 2016 in a part-time teaching and scholarship role, but he continues to pursue collaborative research projects (largely focused on Madagascar) and work as a consultant to Blue Ventures and other organisations, alongside climate activism work. Charlie enjoys communicating conservation and climate issues to broader audiences and has written for The Guardian, The Conversation, The Ecologist and Mongabay, as well as appearing on a range of TV and radio broadcasts. His book Life Amongst the Thorns – Biodiversity and Conservation of Madagascar’s Spiny Forest (co-authored with his wife, the photographer Louise Jasper) was published in 2015 by John Beaufoy. |
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