Natural Connection

Urgent, profound and compassionate’ Robert Macfarlane‘A wonderful book’ Katherine MayIn this lyrical, deeply researched and original work of narrative non-fiction, University of Cambridge AI and bioacoustics researcher Joycelyn Longdon reclaims the importance of awe for the natural world, and how marginalised communities and ancient wisdom can help us create a sustainable mindset and future for generations to come.When it comes to environmental action, many of us view ourselves through the binary of activist or observer. But as Longdon shows, there are many paths to positive change, and embracing rage, imagination, innovation, theory, healing and care as outlooks can fuel the wider movement. Featuring contributions from key voices such as Robert Macfarlane, Miranda Lowe, Katherine May and Rebecca Solnit, this is an invitation to view environmental action as a shared goal rather than an individual burden.Natural Connection celebrates the histories and extraordinary acts of ordinary people who have paved the way for today's environmental movement, such as the Chipko women of India – the original tree huggers, who pioneered direct action by hugging the trees in their communities to combat deforestation – and Nigeria’s Ogoni 9, who fought the threat of fossil fuel in the Delta region. Bringing together stories and wisdom from marginalised people from the US to the UK, Brazil to Iran, this book roots us back to our intrinsic connection with the natural world, celebrating the power of community.