Best of the Moment
energy-environment
FiveBooks Interviews
Author Dan Morrison says that in popular imagination the Nile runs from Egyptian monument to monument, but in reality it’s an African river. Choosing five books on the Nile, he discusses the violence and the politics that flow through the iconic river.
Is science responsible for our climate problems? Can it help us resolve them? Professor John Shepherd chooses FiveBooks with the answers.
Apples are sweet, potatoes stave off famine, marijuana gets you high, tulips are flamboyant – are the plants in control of their own survival? Third-generation plant hunter Kenneth Cox thinks so and he chooses FiveBooks to prove it.
Troops in Afghanistan could take a leaf out of Emperor Babur’s book. Penelope Hobhouse describes the 16th century warrior’s military campaign during which, if he paused in beautiful scenery, he would have his men do some landscaping, enlarging a stream here or moving a bank there. She chooses the best FiveBooks on the history of horticulture.
Gardening activist Richard Reynolds compares South London to a war zone and says everyone in adversity hungers for the peace and beauty of a garden. He tells us how to wage our own war of cultivation against ugly derelict land and he chooses FiveBooks that inspired him.
This week architect Jeremy Till was awarded the prestigious Royal Institute of British Architects international award for his book Architecture Depends. Here he chooses FiveBooks which help us understand what it depends on ... and he explains how a building can ‘learn’
As Zimbabwe's Unity Government teeters on the brink of collapse, Karen Paolillo of the Turgwe Hippo Trust says stability and tourism are essential for the survival of the country's wildlife. She tells us how to make a hippo swimming pool and chooses the best FiveBooks on hippos and conservation.
The National Snow and Ice Data Center released its summary of summer sea-ice conditions in the Arctic yesterday, noting a reprieve in devastating summer melting. Author Sara Wheeler says the earth will recover from climate change - it's people who will have the problems. She chooses the best Five Books on the Polar Regions
Mark Lynas is a British author, journalist and environmental activist who focuses on climate change. He offers five ways to view mankind as a global catastrophe.
Journalist and broadcaster Isabel Hilton discusses China and its attitude towards the environment. Former editor of opendemocracy.org, she is currently head of the English-Chinese bilingual website China Dialogue, which aims to promote international dialogue on environmental and sustainability issues in China. She is an expert in Chinese affairs, having gained an MA in Chinese, at Edinburgh University and scholarships at the Peking Languages Institute and Fudan University, Shanghai.