New library reading list for Greenspace hopes to deliver wellbeing boost

A post by Sarah Cleeve

Optimistic climate scientists, “doughnut” economics, problem-solving fungi and rewilding are some of the topics on a newly-created Talis reading list: “Greenspace: reading on environment and sustainability”. This is now available to anyone in the university community wishing to know how best to navigate the often overwhelming problems of environmental sustainability while keeping a sense of wellbeing.

As one of the Library’s Environmental Champions, I was inspired by a conversation with members of the Greenspace team to collect a number of resources which are “urgently optimistic” in how they deal with the problems facing the world, and which explain how individuals have power to drive change in the right direction. They share reasons for hope through the innovations being implemented globally – the ones rarely featured in headline news – to tackle issues as biodiversity loss, climate change, inequality, CO² emissions reduction and carbon-capture. It is hoped that this list will offer a boost to wellbeing through access to balanced information.

All the titles come with top recommendations, but if I had to select only one for anyone struggling with the onslaught of bad climate news, it would be Not the End of the World by Oxford data scientist Hannah Ritchie. She takes doom and gloom headlines and news articles and, with a lot of number-crunching and data analysis, is able to present the full, real picture – always one more nuanced and certainly less bleak than expected. It’s an empowering read. The Talis list links straight to a copy of the audiobook on Libby; this is read by Ritchie herself, with the added bonus of her reassuringly calm Glaswegian lilt.

The titles are cross-disciplinary but pitched at the general public and accessible to a wide audience. The ability to host such a reading list on Talis, with direct and convenient links, is a great opportunity to publicise the library’s excellent range of holdings. It is intended that it will be publicised further via the Greenspace App, Greenspace news updates and on Libby, in order to keep these resources channelling out to the University community.

We are encouraging anyone with ideas for additions to the reading list to get in touch at greenspace.staff@durham.ac.uk so it can remain a dynamic and relevant resource!