Environomics
July 2025
Overall verdict: ★ ★ ★ ★
To buy this book, click here.
Why this book?
Having loved Dharshini David’s previous book The Almighty Dollar (and having used it to teach about the global economy from 2018-2022), I eagerly looked forward to the summer holidays to read her second book. Once again Dharshini David’s clarity of writing and explanation made this a thoroughly enjoyable and insightful read and I learnt a lot- more on the several rabbit holes that I found myself delving into below!
In many ways, this is a similar book to Hannah Ritchie’s Not the End of the World. Both books show us how our everyday choices and actions tie us into the bigger picture of the green economy but do so through a lens of hope and optimism as ‘environomics’ (or the green revolution) picks up pace. Personally, I would say this is a less dense and thus (arguably) more readable option than Not the End of the World (although I did enjoy that too).
Similarly to the way the Almighty Dollar followed a dollar around the world, this book follows the course of an ‘average’ day from first switching on the lights to preparing dinner to explain the impacts that our routines and consumption have on the planet and how this impact is changing (or has the potential to change) as a result of the green developments taking place all around us. Adopting this format means that Dharshini David is not only able to cover a vase array of topics but also do so through a highly readable narrative.
For students:
As the sub-heading suggests, this book looks at our daily activities and routines and how they are ‘going green’; how the global economy is changing fast as money pours into the ‘green revolution’. The book therefore provides an up-to-date discussion of so many of the concepts and issues learnt about when studying A-Level geography. Importantly, Dharshini David offers a balanced perspective throughout as she critically examines greenwashing, industrial fossil fuel dependency and much more. I think most A-Level students would find this a very enjoyable read!
For teachers:
There are lots of extracts from this book that I’ll be using in my A-Level teaching. Although I think that most A-Level students would be able to read (and enjoy) the book in its entirety, the particular extracts I plan to use are:
p.8-11: The concept of a country’s energy mix
What determines a country’s energy mix and how and why might it change over time? What has happened to the UK’s energy mix? Why has nuclear energy fallen in and out of favour globally in recent decades?
p.50-51: The impact of consumer pressure on fast fashion
What is greenwashing and why do we have to be careful when considering green claims and credentials of companies?
p.74-76 The Kuznets curve
What is the Kuznets curve? Why is the journey away from heavy emissions not inevitable? What is the conflict between carbon neutrality and energy security?
p.202-203 Food security in China
Why does the Chinese government care so much about food security? What are China’s main food imports?
p.236-239 China’s concrete consumption
Why does China consume so much concrete? How does this link to the Belt and Road Initiative? How might China’s use of concrete change in the future?
In addition to these extracts, as I read, I found myself making a note of things to research further and clarify (always a sign of a good book for me!) and subsequently found myself down several rabbit holes about:
The progress on Neom- the ‘sustainable city’ being built in Saudi Arabia (p.101)
Findings: Yes, progressing- huge amount of promotional material being continually being pumped out! https://www.youtube.com/@NEOMChannel/videosThe impact of the Rana Plaza fire leading to a fall in wages (p.58)
Findings: Debated and contested as to whether wages have increased or decreased since the factory collapse- an incident we teach about as part of the Edexcel A-Level course.
Some bits I read included:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304387823000627#:~:text=In%20contrast%20with%20what%20the,increased%20wages%20by%20about%2010%25
https://labourbehindthelabel.org/11-years-since-the-rana-plaza-collapse/
https://tribunemag.co.uk/2023/04/remembering-rana-plaza-2The significance of Saudi oil being sold in dollars as per an agreement with the USA (p.100)
Findings: More complicated than the book suggests when it states that ‘The superpowers this [oil] bestowed on the kingdom seemed to blossom into near-invincibility after a deal with the USA to price its oil in dollars.’
Sources included:
https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/econographics/is-the-end-of-the-petrodollar-near/China and Turkey banning waste being imported (p.142)
Findings: Since Türkiye overturned it’s ban, there has been a huge acceleration in EU and UK waste (particularly plastic waste) being sent to Türkiye.
Sources included:
https://earth.org/chinas-import-ban/
https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/we-can-no-longer-bear-this-load-uk-waste-exports-to-turkey-on-the-rise-again/The concept of ‘financed emissions’ (p.158)
Best summary: https://www.weforum.org/stories/2023/05/financed-emissions-could-be-a-gateway-to-a-greener-economy/The concept of ‘Gross Ecosystem Product’ being experimented with in China (p.281)
Best summary: https://www.naturalcapitalireland.com/post/guest-blog-gross-eco-product-gep-a-new-metric-of-value
To buy this book, click here.