It’s not all doom and gloom on the ecological front — despite the dire predictions of experts who warn that we are fast approaching the point of no return, when climate change will become irreversible.
Undeterred by the pessimistic forecasts, award-winning Canadian journalist Chris Turner set out on a journey around the world to see what communities in various countries were doing to save the planet. He documented his findings in The Geography of Hope: A Guided Tour of the World We Need (Vintage), which the Globe & Mail chose as one of the best 100 books of 2007.
In a full-length Quirks & Quarks special, Turner speaks with Bob McDonald about some of the green communities he visited that are leading the way in providing a model for a sustainable future. From the villages of southern India, where microcredit finance has remade the social fabric, to Canada’s largest wind farm, Turner points to the bright light at the end of a very dark tunnel.
Chris Turner is the author of the bestselling Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation (Random House). The winner of four National Magazine Awards for his culture and technology reporting for Shift magazine, he has written for a range of newspapers and magazines including the Globe and Mail, the Sunday Times, Canadian Geographic and Utne Reader.
Listen to Chris Turner’s conversation with Quirks & Quarks host Bob McDonald here:
First aired June 21, 2008 on Quirks & Quarks. [runs 53:00]
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