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Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science

Just Earth with Tony Juniper

Published 3 months ago • 2 min read

Conservation and Science

When I was reading the book featured in this week's newsletter, two thoughts came to mind. First, this is a great book, albeit slightly depressing, as it lays bare our failure to take care of our environment due (mostly) to greed and misguided values. Second, I would love to make an episode about this book, but knowing the author's profile, he would be unlikely to find the time to come on the show. Please remember that the first is a gross oversimplification and somewhat emotional interpretation on my part, as the book is far more nuanced and focuses on social injustice as the foundation of the perilous state of environmental affairs. On the second point, I was completely wrong. To my delight, when I invited Tony to the show he was quick to accept the invitation!

'Just Earth' is definitely my book of the year, and I'm pretty sure it's not recency bias. Everyone should read this book. So please go ahead and get it for yourself or someone you know who is interested in environmental or social justice issues. And as a Christmas gift to me, use the link provided. This way you'll support my work since I get a small commission from every sale.

Just Earth with Tony Juniper

Why are we failing to make progress on climate change and biodiversity loss despite fifty years of environmental campaigning? What changed in recent years that made it so difficult to rally support for nature? Could social inequality be the root cause undermining all our conservation efforts? These are the questions Tony Juniper addresses in his latest book 'Just Earth: How a Fairer World Will Save the Planet' and in our conversation today.

Tony has been campaigning for nature for nearly forty years. He has led major organisations including BirdLife International, Friends of the Earth, and WWF UK. He is a multi-award winning author whose books include 'What Has Nature Ever Done For Us?' and 'Harmony', co-authored with King Charles III. Currently, he chairs Natural England, the British Government's official conservation agency. During our conversation, Tony reflects on the progress made over the past five decades and explains why the last fifteen years have seen a dramatic shift. He describes how political volatility, misinformation, media fragmentation, and rising inequality have created an environment where environmental progress has stalled.

We discuss how obscene levels of wealth concentration, declining living standards for ordinary people, and the manipulation of public debate by vested interests have made it nearly impossible to build the broad coalition needed to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss. Tony makes a compelling case that we cannot solve environmental problems without addressing social inequality. He offers practical advice on what each of us can do, starting today, to be part of the solution. This conversation challenges us to think differently about conservation and recognise the deeper societal issues we must confront.

Replay Series: What Regenerative Agriculture Really Means

What is sustainable agriculture? Does regenerative farming mean focusing primarily on the soil biome? Is farming a leading cause of biodiversity loss? …and do we really have only 60 harvests left? To get the answers to those and other questions about farming and biodiversity, join me for a conversation with an agricultural management and policy specialist, an economist, a writer and an advisor, Stuart Meikle.

In this episode, Stuart shares with us the history of his education in farming and later his work in different farming environments across the world. Then we switch gears and talk about issues specific to Irish agriculture, which also has some relevance in the UK context. And so, we discuss the use of nitrogen fertilisers, soil health and whether the cuts to the size of the national cattle herd are inevitable. I also ask Stuart about his thoughts on the recently passed Nature Restoration Law.

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Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science

I am an outdoorsman, podcaster and speaker. I talk and write about the natural environment, biodiversity, conservation, hunting and fishing, rewilding and more. I am particularly interested in wildlife and human-wildlife interactions. I enjoy reading scientific papers on those subjects as much as being outdoors weathering the elements and getting first-hand experiences.

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