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The gift of water
In this issue we focus on one of life’s greatest gifts: fresh water. This precious source of all life is a gift taken for granted by many, and in desperate supply for others. Fresh water can present itself in many forms: locked away in glaciers, buried deep underground, funnelled through pipes to pour out of taps, sold bottled with bubbles, and light as a feather in the clouds.
Robert Macfarlane, the author of Is a River Alive?, opens our themed section with a reminder that fresh water is a fragile life-support system, with an invitation to “think like a river” and remember that “our fate flows with that of water.” Gardener Alys Fowler then takes us deep into a glorious blanket bog, looking at the essential regulatory system these fragile habitats provide for 70% of the UK’s drinking water. We also explore water injustice through the lens of the Diné people, as presented by photographer Elliot Ross, and Anna Souter goes In Search of Freshwater in a new exhibition at the Wellcome Collection.
For our feature article, Rob Hopkins invites us into his time machine to reimagine 2030, encouraging us to believe that a shared collective purpose can bring about change. And ahead of COP30 we hear from Monica Piccinini about Brazil’s adoption of bioeconomics.
This issue will take you on many journeys, offering stories to remind you that we are all part of a vast network – one that is sustained and connected by the simple element of water.
Highlights
- Brazil’s bioeconomy – hope or hype: Monica Piccinini
- Delicious opportunity mode: Rob Hopkins
- Nature without precedent: Roman Goergen
- Life support: Robert Macfarlane
- Magic carpets: Alys Fowler
- The way of dance: Satish Kumar
Featured articles
Indigenous wisdom protects biodiversity
Jhon Kwano, a tribal elder from New Guinea, explains how the modern sense of human entitlement has resulted in over-consumption, habitat destruction, and the extinction of countless species. He reminds us that whatever we do to Nature will affect us.
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People power
Sasha Woods reports on citizen science projects around the world and argues that the active involvement of non-scientists in the scientific research process is a powerful tool in the efforts to combat environmental injustice.
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A pilgrim's progress
Guy Hayward shares his experience of accompanying millions of fellow travellers on the Prayag Maha Kumbh Mela in North India, and how joining the largest pilgrimage in the world gave him a profound new perspective on life.
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In love with the world
Karina Miotto offers a very personal tribute to the late environmental activist Joanna Macy. Joanna's pioneering Work That Reconnects is "an invitation to feel gratitude, to honour our pain for the world and to see with new eyes".
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In search of fresh water
Anna Souter reports on the exhibition 'Thirst: In Search of Freshwater' at the Wellcome Collection. Through this thought-provoking exhibition, she sees a clear link between access to water, socio-economic inequality and the environmental crisis.
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Will we listen?
Adam Weymouth reviews How Animals Heal Us by Jay Griffiths, which celebrates our relationship with animals and the joy they bring. Through the pages of this eye-opening book, he finds a deeper connection with the animate world.
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Inside this issue
Article is free for all to view
Welcome
Water is life
We are all part of a vast network connected by water
Regulars
Noticeboard
Highlighting stories for change
Ecologist
Brazil's Bioeconomy - hope or hype? • Monica Piccinini
Brazil's commitment to bioeconomics could be a beacon of hope for the world
A question of balance • Elliot Ross
Exposing the social inequalities of access to running water in the American Southwest
Indigenous wisdom protects biodiversity • Jhon Kwano
A tribal elder from New Guinea shows how indigenous knowledge is vital to improving our relationship with Nature
Connected life
The time to act is now • JP O'Malley
Scientist Neil Shubin explains why he thinks melting polar ice might be the biggest threat to our planet
People power • Sasha Woods
Citizen science can be a powerful tool for tacking environmental injustice
Nature without precedent • Roman Goergen
Reconsidering our response to a world in which human influence has created 'novel ecosystems'
Masters of disguise • Federico Facchin
An extraordinary encounter with giant cuttlefish
The slow read
Delicious opportunity mode • Rob Hopkins
Imagining what the world would look like if we did everything we could to avert climate disaster
The gift of water
Life support • Robert Macfarlane
On the importance of recognising water as a living being that in turn gives us life
Magic carpets • Alys Fowler
Revealing the mysterious world of blanket bogs and the vital role of water in preserving their health
Shifting landscapes • Juliet Klottrup
A photographer and film-maker tells us why so much of her work centred on documenting peatlands
A pilgrim's progress • Guy Hayward
Humbled and inspired by joining the largest pilgrimage in the world
Wisdom and wellbeing
In love with the world • Karina Miotto
A personal tribute to the late Joanna Macy
The way of dance • Satish Kumar
Finding joy in a revival of the ancient tradition of the whirling dervishes of Konya
Wild Folk • Jackie Morris & Tamsin Abbott
A beautifully crafted book that speaks of its rich stories
Art and culture
River as artist • Rebecca Drazin
An interview with Jim Murray about his unique collaborations with British rivers
In search of fresh water • Anna Souter
Reporting on an exhibition that throws new light on our complex relationships with water
The Cenote Ring • Paola Estrella
Artist's statement on being inspired by a magical underground water system in Mexico
Vital materials • Rachel Marsh & Briony Hughes
Introducing poet Susie Campbell's Wasteland project
Reviews
Balancing the books of sustainable agriculture • Colin Tudge
Review of The Profitable Farm: Balancing Business, Nature and Energy through Maximum Sustainable Output
How to pivot the system • Martha Dillon
Review of Positive Tipping Points: How to Fix the Climate Crisis
Time for hopeful pessimism • Russell Warfield
Review of Or Something Worse: Why We Need to Disrupt the Climate Transition
Will we listen? • Adam Weymouth
Review of How Animals Heal Us
The power of connection • Kate Blincoe
Review of What Sheep Think About the Weather
Shaped by the Earth's rocky logic • Janice Pariat
Review of Timefulness: How Thinking Like a Geologist Can Help Save the World
A flowing pilgrimage • Jenny Routley
Review of Sowing the Seeds of the Wild
