Just $0.99/month for the first 3 months on Audible. Limited-time offer. Start now.
Limited-time Offer
Save over 90% off
$0.99
  • For a limited time, join Audible for only $0.99/mo for the first 3 months.
  • 1 bestseller or new release each month from our entire selection - yours to keep.
  • Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts & Audible Originals.
  • After 3 months, $14.95/mo. No commitment. Cancel online anytime.
Learn more about membership
Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company
Your audiobook is waiting!
  • One credit a month to pick any title from our entire premium selection to keep (you’ll use your first credit now).
  • Unlimited listening on select audiobooks, Audible Originals, and podcasts.
  • You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
  • $14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel online anytime.
Learn more about membership
Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company
List Price: $21.83
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible’s Conditions Of Use. and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company

Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,285 ratings
Editors' pick Best History
See all formats and editions

This "truly essential" audiobook will transform how you see our biggest environmental problems (Margaret Atwood)—and explains how we can solve them.

It’s become common to tell kids that they’re going to die from climate change. We are constantly bombarded by doomsday headlines that tell us the soil won’t be able to support crops, fish will vanish from our oceans, and that we should reconsider having children.

But in this bold, radically hopeful audiobook, data scientist Hannah Ritchie argues that if we zoom out, a very different picture emerges. In fact, the data shows we’ve made so much progress on these problems that we could be on track to achieve true sustainability for the first time in human history. Did you know that carbon emissions per capita are actually down, deforestation peaked back in the 1980s, the air we breathe now is vastly improved from centuries ago, and more people died from natural disasters a hundred years ago?

Packed with the latest research and practical guidance, this audiobook will make you rethink almost everything you’ve been told about the environment. Not the End of the World will give you the tools to understand our current crisis and make lifestyle changes that actually have an impact. Hannah cuts through the noise by outlining what works, what doesn’t, and what we urgently need to focus on so we can leave a sustainable planet for future generations.

These problems are big. But they are solvable. We are not doomed. We can build a better future for everyone. Let’s turn that opportunity into reality.

Previous slide of product details
  1. Listening Length
    9 hours and 26 minutes
  2. Author
    Hannah Ritchie
  3. Narrator
    Hannah Ritchie PhD
  4. Audible release date
    January 9, 2024
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Little, Brown Spark
  7. ASIN
    B0C5JSZ6H9
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
Next slide of product details

Read & Listen

Switch between reading the Kindle book & listening to the Audible audiobook with Whispersync for Voice.
Get the Audible audiobook for the reduced price of $12.99 after you buy the Kindle book.
$0.99/month for the first 3 months
For a limited time, save 90% on Audible. Get this deal

Product details

Listening Length 9 hours and 26 minutes
Author Hannah Ritchie
Narrator Hannah Ritchie PhD
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date January 09, 2024
Publisher Little, Brown Spark
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B0C5JSZ6H9
Best Sellers Rank #9,533 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#3 in Climate Change (Audible Books & Originals)
#8 in Climatology
#9 in Environmental Conservation

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
1,285 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the book informative and engaging, with insightful data and useful statistics. They appreciate its factual approach to the environment and climate change. The book offers hope and practical advice for coping with the challenges. Readers describe the writing as straightforward, clear, and easy to understand. The book provides a good overview of where we are in addressing climate change and summarizes key points in the conclusion chapter.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
ReadabilityData qualityEnvironmental awarenessOptimismReadablePacing
27 customers mention "Readability"27 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's readability. They find it informative, compelling, and easy to understand. The book offers hope and practical advice on how to make a difference. Readers appreciate that the research is objective and reasonable.

"...The author also gives practical advice on what the average person can do to be a part of the solution...." Read more

"...In a nutshell, it is a essential read, saying basically we CAN fix our environment with diligent effort to reach a sustainable future for us, our..." Read more

"This is an important book. It provides clear and strong evidence for hope as we face very serious environmental problems...." Read more

"Insightful data, analysis and practical recommendation to realize the ideal of the first human generation that achieve sustainability for the..." Read more

20 customers mention "Data quality"20 positive0 negative

Customers find the book provides insightful data, analysis, and practical recommendations. They appreciate the relevant statistics and useful graphs throughout. The book is a must-read from a data scientist who reviews climate change. Readers mention it's deeply rooted in evidence and provides good advice based on the data.

"...There is a lot of data to slog thru in this book, as a nerd I enjoyed it, as it proves much of her ideas are logical and sound...." Read more

"...The book contains 100+ graphs, 335 references, hundreds if not thousands of interesting facts...." Read more

"Insightful data, analysis and practical recommendation to realize the ideal of the first human generation that achieve sustainability for the..." Read more

"There’s lots of good info presented here (no surprise, this author is from an Oxford data research center - Our World in Data), but there’s not..." Read more

20 customers mention "Environmental awareness"20 positive0 negative

Customers find the book informative and a great resource for anyone interested in the environment. It provides a factual, nuanced perspective on climate change and its impact on society. The book offers a data-based discussion of sources of environmental problems and how to deal with them. Readers feel optimistic about the book's message that climate change is being addressed and that we can fix our environment through diligent effort.

"...It gave me realistic hope that climate change IS being addressed as well as how it could be improved from a policy standpoint...." Read more

"...it is a essential read, saying basically we CAN fix our environment with diligent effort to reach a sustainable future for us, our children, and..." Read more

"...urges people to switch to electric vehicles – they really are more climate friendly, contrary to what many will tell you here in Texas where I live...." Read more

"...areas where our concerns are misplaced, and lays out the actions that we must incorporate into our daily lives if we are to attain..." Read more

11 customers mention "Optimism"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book provides hope for the future. They say it helps focus on what really matters and evaluate life choices so as to be at peace. The book encourages personal determination in helping cope with climate change. It puts realistic actions front and center, calling for personal action in food, energy, and transportation choices.

"...It gave me realistic hope that climate change IS being addressed as well as how it could be improved from a policy standpoint...." Read more

"...Where I am most encouraged is the potential of personal determination in helping cope with climate change and other looming environmental disasters...." Read more

"...This book offers both hope and realistic choices both individually and collectively for realistic actions now to improve our global living choices...." Read more

"...There are clear calls for personal actions, in food, energy, and transportation choices...." Read more

10 customers mention "Readable"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and understand. It provides strong evidence without condescension or unnecessary complexity. The author debunks many myths about making a change and provides a clear explanation of a confusing truth.

"...She is the expert, yet writes in a direct way that’s easy to grasp." Read more

"This is an important book. It provides clear and strong evidence for hope as we face very serious environmental problems...." Read more

"...Clearly written and easy to read. A triumph." Read more

"...Hannah Ritchie states it all clearly, and without condescension or unnecessary complexity...." Read more

5 customers mention "Pacing"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's pacing. It offers hope and realistic choices, both individually and collectively. They say it provides a good overview of where we are in addressing climate change. The conclusion chapter summarizes much of the content.

"...Luckily, much of it is summarized in the Conclusion chapter, although I feel it might be good to have a Cliff Notes type summary with bullet points..." Read more

"This is a good overview of where we are in addressing climate change and related sustainability crises...." Read more

"...book reflects that research and is highly objective and arrives at reasonable conclusions...." Read more

"...This book offers both hope and realistic choices both individually and collectively for realistic actions now to improve our global living choices...." Read more

A clear explanation of a confusing and counterintuitive truth
5 out of 5 stars
A clear explanation of a confusing and counterintuitive truth
If you are worried about the future, read this book. I promised you will still be worried: this is not climate denialism or blind optimism. But you will come a way with a much better understanding of what we face, and what problems we don't face because of the progress we have already made. We can beat this, if we understand it.Hannah Ritchie is not merely an spectator or analyst: she is at the forefront of this research and has been preaching the nuanced truth of environmentalism for years. And she does not stand alone. Our World In Data is the the culmination of years of work from many legendary environmentalists, researchers, and educators. You may recognize OWID from the many famous visualizations they've made over the years.Not the End of the World is arguably the distilled brilliance of many minds over the last 30 years. Hannah Ritchie states it all clearly, and without condescension or unnecessary complexity.I hope this book gives you same clarity it gave me, about how much danger we really face, and what actions really matter.- Note: I've been following Hans Rosling, Max Roser, Hannah Ritchie, and OWID for years. I've been desperately waiting for this book, because it explains these concepts better than I ever could. Please excuse me while I buy 5 more copies to force on my friends and family lolol.
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Practical Guide for Addressing Climate Change
    Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I have read several books on climate change and highly recommend this one. It gave me realistic hope that climate change IS being addressed as well as how it could be improved from a policy standpoint. The author also gives practical advice on what the average person can do to be a part of the solution. I learned some of what I’m doing is good (like reducing red meat intake, taking public transit, for example) and some of my efforts aren’t achieving as much as I thought or are even counter productive on a large scale (eating organic). She is the expert, yet writes in a direct way that’s easy to grasp.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Robert J. Drake
    5.0 out of 5 stars An essential read!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Great data driven review of where we are and potentially heading with climate change in the world today. Much of the mass media news is dire and incorrect about the current status of the environment, this book corrects many of these misconceptions with hard data.

    There are a few things I do take issue with, particularly her assertion that organic food is no more healthy than non organic (p190): "and there is little evidence that organic food is healthier" Most likely there is no data is that no one is willing to pay for a study. Perhaps she gets her "organic" food at a supermarket, I've had similar experience that it is often not much better, but when you get real organic from a farm directly, or from a farmers market or farm food box delivery, the difference is really significant. Taste is MUCH better, and I actually feel better after eating these type veggies!

    She gives many examples where we have improved aspects of our environment already (air pollution particularly in the developed countries), and strategies to implement much more far reaching improvements needed for the future.

    Probably the most surprising to me was the damage to the environment eating red meat has done, one of the most actionable things we ALL can do is reduce eating red meat. Even chicken has a much lower carbon footprint than red meat.

    There is a lot of data to slog thru in this book, as a nerd I enjoyed it, as it proves much of her ideas are logical and sound. Luckily, much of it is summarized in the Conclusion chapter, although I feel it might be good to have a Cliff Notes type summary with bullet points to refer to.

    In looking at some of the negative reviews, it's clear to me they haven't actually read the book, as they say she doesn't provide actionable things to do, which is completely incorrect.

    In a nutshell, it is a essential read, saying basically we CAN fix our environment with diligent effort to reach a sustainable future for us, our children, and the future. We need to spread these ideas widely to make it so!
    6 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Jim Stiles
    4.0 out of 5 stars Huge problem, but reason for hope and need for determination
    Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This is an important book. It provides clear and strong evidence for hope as we face very serious environmental problems. Hope is important, and the evidence for its justification is well-presented in this book. I recommend it for anyone who is concerned about climate change or other crucial environmental challenges.
    I do think that sometimes the book's tone is too rosy. Yes, good things ARE possible. However anything resembling good outcomes are far from inevitable. Until some of the dominant trends surrounding major environmental challenges shift, I personally believe that reasons for optimism face significant limits.
    Where I am most encouraged is the potential of personal determination in helping cope with climate change and other looming environmental disasters. People can cope with some pretty extreme challenges while at the same time helping others do the same. I have little hope that large swaths of humanity will reorient their lives in time to prevent some terrible outcomes, but determination, hard work, and intelligence can help those people - individuals, large groups and everything in between - who do get to work preparing for these challenges to make it through the hard things that we are on track toward.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Thomas Wikman
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Factful Approach to the Environment
    Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    The facts regarding the environment can be confusing. The fossil fuel industry, climate deniers, right-wing pundits and politicians are bombarding us with falsehoods, but poorly informed environmentalists and sensationalist media are misleading us as well. The author takes special issue with doomism, the belief that it’s too late and that we are all going to die. Both denialism and doomism, as well as efforts to minimize the problems lead to inaction. What we need is to have the correct information and to be realistic, which will make it possible for us to take the best action.

    In the spirit of “Hans Rosling / Factfulness” she tells us about our successes and about our progress by using data. She shows us how things really are and how we can solve our current big problems. She explains that we are reducing malnutrition, eradicating poverty, and extending people’s life span all around the world despite a growing population. She mentions that we successfully tackled pollution in many large cities in the west, as well as the acid rain problem and the ozone layer/hole. Sulphur dioxide, a major cause of acid rain, has fallen by 95% in the US since the 1970’s largely thanks to scrubbers. By 2018 the emissions of ozone-depleting gases had fallen by 99.7%. The list goes on. When we make big environmental problems smaller, we stop talking about them.

    Climate change / global warming is a more difficult problem, but we are having some success here as well. The climate policies we have enacted so far are making a big difference. For example, greenhouse gas emissions in the US have fallen by more than 20% over the last 15 years. From 1990 to 2019 the greenhouse gas emissions fell by 21% despite the economy growing by 55% (in the 1990’s the emissions were still increasing). My native country Sweden is doing even better. Greenhouse gas emissions in Sweden has fallen by 39% over the same period despite the economy growing by 55%.

    The origins of the world’s carbon emissions are: 25% Electricity and Heat, 24% Agriculture and Forestry, Industry 16%, Transport 14%, direct from buildings 6%, and other energy 10%. In the US Transportation is 28% and Agriculture 10%. Agriculture includes the effects of deforestation. The good news is that the price of renewables is dropping, and they are now the cheapest while EV cars have become affordable. In Norway 88% of car sales in 2022 were electric. In Sweden, my native country, 54% of car sales in 2022 were electric. The author urges people to switch to electric vehicles – they really are more climate friendly, contrary to what many will tell you here in Texas where I live. Even if their electricity comes from a dirty grid, they are cleaner than gasoline cars, and with respect to minerals, mining, and land use their impact is much smaller than that of the gasoline cars they replace.

    She also suggests that we try to avoid driving big SUV, fly less, try to use or support renewables, eat less red meat, depending on our circumstances (absolutism and judgmentalism is counterproductive). She advocates for carbon prices as an effective means to reducing emissions. Things that don’t matter or are counterproductive are recycling, not using plastic bags when shopping, turning off your laptop when you don’t use it, buying local (often makes emissions worse), buying organic food (often greatly increases land use), etc.

    She mentions that landfills in the US and Europe are very well managed and are not a big environmental problem, unlike the developing countries. 1% of the plastic in the Ocean comes from Europe and I read elsewhere that 1% comes from the United States. The plastic in the ocean originates mostly in Asia and Latin America. A fact she mentions that may not sit well with some environmentalists is that nuclear power is a safe and clean source of energy, just like renewables, but without the problem with intermittency.

    In this review I mentioned a few facts from the book to give a taste of the content. Naturally, there is a whole lot more. All these claims and stats, as well as hundreds of other sometimes surprising claims that she makes she supports by referencing reliable sources and peer reviewed research. The book contains 100+ graphs, 335 references, hundreds if not thousands of interesting facts. I can add that Hannah Ritchie (PhD) is a young Scottish data scientist, senior researcher at the University of Oxford in the Oxford Martin School, deputy editor at Our World in Data, and she is the head of research at Our World in Data. She is quite an impressive young lady. I think this book is one of the most informative books on the topic of the environment that I have ever read. I think most of us will learn something important from this book. If there is a fact from the book that I’ve mentioned in my review that you doubt, why don’t you buy the book and find out the details and where it comes from. Maybe you will see the world with new eyes.

    A final note is that the statement in the title “How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet” comes from the fact that using UN’s definition of sustainability we humans have never been sustainable, but with science, technology and good policy we can be sustainable.
    25 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Cassie
    5.0 out of 5 stars Accessible, well written
    Reviewed in Canada on August 23, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Data heavy but readable, it’s a hard thing to achieve. It is well balanced, I like how it doesn’t have a doomsday agenda or naively says everything is fine.

    One nitpick, she switches between percentages and multiples. Like she switches between saying things like “100 times lower” and 1%. It’s unnecessary and confusing when the number is like “3,283x lower emissions” or something
    Report
  • Flavio
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic diagnosis of the current climate state of play
    Reviewed in Brazil on May 14, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Well written, to the point and pleasant reading. Important messages and lessons on how to be more sustainable. The book also deals with false perceptions on how to be eco-friendly. Enjoy!
    Report
  • Jimscrim
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wow, hugely impressive.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 15, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I could’ve done with reading this 30y ago. It’s so good to read a positive book, with a plan, really well written by a young person.
    Her style is spare, no unnecessary words, easy to understand, and always based on the available data.
    Many environmental writers seem to want us to be angry or sad. This book made me feel relieved and hopeful.
    She doesn’t duck anything. For example, where the interests of people conflicts with the interests of the environment, she lays out the issues clearly so that we can make our minds up.
    The writer also has a good understanding of how to get people to change their behaviour: Not judging or ridiculing them, and making suggestions that are manageable.
    She makes the important point that we can’t be well informed by just reading the news, which often just depresses us.
    This is one of the most impressive books I’ve read, I feel a lot more informed. Its potential impact is huge.
    Report
  • GOLDBERG
    4.0 out of 5 stars Armchair expert's data!
    Reviewed in India on October 2, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This is a good book from an armchair expert. This is my view. I think the author has not vast field work experience on climate change and global warming. Planting trees and care them for full grow is the all time great solution for saving earth. This is something the author misses. Of course we must reduce fossil fuel use. There are other issues as well. Anyway it is a good book. Read with other real serious experts who works on field.
    Report
  • Adria i Mine
    5.0 out of 5 stars Lectura necesaria
    Reviewed in Spain on September 7, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Cuando al inicio del libro la autora dice que la inspiró 'Factfulness' de Hans Rosling supe que me iba a gustar.
    Sin esconder los retos ambientales los que nos enfrentamos como sociedad, el libro está lleno de estadísticas, cifras y gráficos - todo ello explicado de forma muy amena y cercana- que desmienten algunos mitos o ideas muy extendidas, nos muestra que en muchos casos estamos mejor de lo que pensamos y, sobretodo, que ser la primera generación en alcanzar un desarrollo sostenible realmente está a nuestro alcance. Lo recomiendo totalmente.
    Report