A review by samdalefox
Regenesis: Feeding the World Without Devouring the Planet by George Monbiot

challenging hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

I found the self-indulgent style of the first chapter offputting, despite the topic of soil science being incredibly interesting, but the book's style got immensely better so I encourage you to persevere. This is not a book for the faint-hearted, it is an intense, meticulously well researched and argued piece about the agriculture and food industry. The first three chapters clearly define the problems with the current system, the remaining chapters explore solutions. I will always champion a book that acknowledges the complex interconnected systems of climate change, capitalism, and climate justice, gives references, and gives examples of achievable praxis and change. This is what we desparately need right now. We need to understand that solutions exists and we need to show strong support for pursuing these solutions and system change. It took me a long time to finish this book because 1) the topic matter is heavy, 2) there is a lot of information conveyed in every paragraph, and 3) I needed to process the full implications of points 1 and 2. 

There are simply too many scientific concepts, principles, and theories to summarise here. Some I already knew, the vast majority I didn't. I will certainly be revisiting these in the future. All terms were clearly explained in common language, and all claims were substantiated by (from what I could tell from the sample I looked at) by credible sources. Monbiot writes from a UK perspective and highlights many pitfalls and opportunities close to home, but also takes a truly holistic view of the globalised industry of agriculture and the effects is has in all parts of the world. I cannot speak highly enough of this book.

Favourite quotes:

"Learning about the soil has taught me, to a greater extent than ever before, that we establish our truths from information that's patchy and shallow, beneath which lie realities we scarcely imagine.  Widely accepted claims are based of hearsay and myth, while scientific findings, however dramatic and intriguing, are scarcely known beyond a small circle of specialists."

"Some of our knowledge gaps are so wide that humanity could fall through them. As systems becomes more connected, study paradoxically becomes more segregated: there is a trend in the academic research of greater specialisation over time. A tremendous body of knowledge accumulates, but the walls between disciplines are high. In science, modularity is dangerous."