AsiaLIFE

Can I Recycle My Granny? And 39 Other Eco-dilemmas – Ethan Greenhart
50 Ways To F**k The Planet – Mark Townsend & Davis Glick
Fugitive Denim: A Moving Story of People and Pants in the Borderless World of Global Trade – Rachel Louise Snyder
The Last Oil Shock – David Strahan
Acme Climate Action – Provocateur

Sometimes I despair of the publishing industry! The reality of global warming inches daily ever closer and what’s their response? A positive tsunami of recently published books in all colours and sizes overflows from the shelves. Here are just a few. Can I Recycle My Granny? And 39 Other Eco-dilemmas is a rehash of columns from Spiked online magazine, which attempts to spoof some of the more evangelical tendencies of the average eco-worrier. It’s too smug and repetitive to be truly effective satire and, frankly anyone who comes up with the odious idea of everyone having a “carbon skidmark,” should be put under house arrest quicker than a Burmese general can say Aung San Suu Kyi!

 

Much better, surprisingly perhaps given its title, is 50 Ways To F**k The Planet. For me, sometimes the issues are so big, I’m tempted to throw the chemical-free, organic cotton sheet over my head and stay in bed all week. But this acerbic yet thought-provoking guide works, exposing the hypocrisy of governments and business while poking fun at our own behaviour as consumers – why do people prefer bananas to be wrapped in plastic as they’re already encased in a natural protective coat?

 

Fugitive Denim: A Moving Story of People and Pants in the Borderless World of Global Trade is a well-written human story of “the people who make your pants.” Author Rachel Snyder, who has lived for some time in Cambodia, is soon to leave. Her conclusions of how the fortunes of families here are directly connected to, and sometimes threatened by, the buying whims of your typical Paris fashionista, are sobering to say the least.

 

If you really want to scare yourself try David Strahan’s The Last Oil Shock. With solid historical analysis, he reveals the apocalyptic consequences of inaction while showing how even respected organisations like Greenpeace have a self-interested agenda. After that his helpful last chapter on how to survive is no comfort whatsoever.

 

For quirky enjoyment, however, I thoroughly recommend Acme Climate Action from Provokateur. It’s a book of tear out posters and stickers aimed at provoking debate but in a fun, graphic way. Kids (and schools no doubt) will love to get involved while parents should appreciate the slightly retro design. Time to replace that fraying poster of the tennis player scratching her bottom, I’d say!