Regenesis

Feeding the World Without Devouring the Planet

By: George Monbiot

Narrated by: George Monbiot

Winner of the 2022 Orwell Prize for Journalism | A Sunday Times (London) Bestseller | Shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize for Writing on Conservation

“George Monbiot is one of the most fearless and important voices in the global climate movement today.”—Greta Thunberg

For the first time in millennia, we have the opportunity to transform not only our food system but our entire relationship to the living world.

Farming is the world's greatest cause of environmental destruction—and the one we are least prepared to talk about. We criticize urban sprawl, but farming sprawls across thirty times as much land. We have plowed, fenced, and grazed great tracts of the planet, felling forests, killing wildlife, and poisoning rivers and oceans to feed ourselves. Yet millions still go hungry and the price of food is rising faster than ever.

Now the food system itself is beginning to falter. But, as George Monbiot shows us in this brilliant, bracingly original new book, we can resolve the biggest of our dilemmas and feed the world without devouring the planet.

Regenesis is a breathtaking vision of a new future for food and for humanity. Drawing on astonishing advances in soil ecology, Monbiot reveals how our changing understanding of the world beneath our feet could allow us to grow more food with less farming. He meets the people who are unlocking these methods, from the fruit and vegetable grower revolutionizing our understanding of fertility; through breeders of perennial grains, liberating the land from plows and poisons; to the scientists pioneering new ways to grow protein and fat. Together, they show how the tiniest life forms could help us make peace with the planet, restore its living systems, and replace the age of extinction with an age of regenesis.

©2022 George Monbiot (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

A Sunday Times (London) bestseller

2022, James Cropper Wainwright Prize for Writing on Conservation: Short-listed

“George Monbiot is one of the most fearless and important voices in the global climate movement today.”—Greta Thunberg, activist and author of No One is Too Small to Make a Difference

“A brilliant, mesmerizing, vital book. Beneath each square meter of soil live thousands of species, and each chapter of George Monbiot's eye-opening exploration of that soil and its potential is similarly, dynamically rich-delivering a whole new way of thinking about our agriculture and our diets, our climate and our future. And much needed hope, besides.”—David Wallace-Wells, New York Times bestselling author of The Uninhabitable Earth

“Ambitious and deeply researched ... bristling with ideas and imagination.”―Laura Battle, Financial Times

Informative and entertaining

George Monbiot is an unsung heroe.
He is thorough, creative, and knows how to narrate a good story.

Looking forward to more of his sfuff

An extensive, well researched, and inspiring analysis

The author masterfully moves from specific to systemic issues, connecting dots that are rarely related, yet together offer a coherent view of how we got here, and how we can get there = a more just, sustainable, and all-life respecting world.

The depth and understanding of this formidable topic

Albert Einstein said “you cannot solve a problem with the same level of consciousness that created it“. George Monbiot presents a look at modern agriculture through the eyes of what could and should be instead of what is. Compelling, urgent, brilliant, vital… anyone interested in protecting our planet for our children sake should read this book.

Eye opening and necessarily challenging

Thank you for this very important book. It has educated me, challenged my assumptions, excited me about new topics like soil ecology, made me feel small amidst such a complex system, but also hopeful and empowered by the stories of what people are doing around the world to solve environmental health and food supply issues. I agree with the author we have a public duty, and it starts with seeking to understand how our actions impact the whole. That isn't easy and requires an open mind, continued research, and challenging blind self interest, especially that of powerful corporations.

Some interesting information, a lot of bias

The basic information was informative and interesting yet, as often happens with climate perspectives from both sides, a lot of bias and authoritarian inclinations. The ideals are just and sound great yet does not really address the problem of people in REAL abject poverty who do not have the luxury of being a martyr. A reasonable argument for change but a bit condescending.. Just my opinion

inspiring book

George Monbiot is a great writer and narrator. The book is interesting and inspiring. Highly recomended

Great information left lost in most conversations

I learned so much about the world’s agriculture systems and ways to look at everything outside of just health. I appreciate his thoughts of the future start to come to pass and we take the leap as a society

Outstanding read!

This book truely describes the situation we all face and the route forward. I can't express it enough how important it is for everyone to read/listen to this book and the solution(s) it offers.

Fantastic

This was a great read about an important topic. It was not proselytizing. A pleasure to listen to certain sections were more scientific which I enjoyed. Others based in classical history the penultimate chapter 8 was amazing.

Good perspective on the global impact of farming

I had no idea how destructive most farming is. Add to that ranching of sheep and cattle. Too much land is used to grow crops to feed animals and is a very inefficient process for feeding us.