{"id":818,"date":"2025-10-01T14:53:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T13:53:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/social-and-applied-ecology\/?page_id=818"},"modified":"2025-12-19T16:16:28","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T16:16:28","slug":"the-nature-delusion","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/social-and-applied-ecology\/the-nature-delusion\/","title":{"rendered":"The Nature Delusion"},"content":{"rendered":"

“A pathbreaking synthesis – accurate in its science, fearless in its analysis…. It should be read by every college student. I love this book.”<\/strong>\u00a0 – Gus Speth, former head UN Development Programme\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Book<\/p>\n

Publication 24th March 2026\u00a0 Pre-order direct from the publisher<\/a> or from Amazon<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Early testimonials:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

“Sobering yet hopeful – this impeccable analysis offers key insights to transcend our sustainability delusions and transform our world.”<\/strong> Lorenzo Benini \u2013 Sustainability expert at the European Environment Agency<\/span><\/p>\n

“A lucid critique of the global poly-crisis that, remarkably, leaves you feeling that, just maybe, there is hope.”<\/strong> Hugh Warwick, author The Cull of the Wild<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

“A rigorous and compelling analysis of impending global crises and the proposed responses, with a bracing realism on the problems of each”.<\/strong> – Michael Foley, Author The Age of Absurdity<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

“We are Homo deludians<\/em>, a selfish species lost inside a dark technosphere. The Nature Delusion<\/em> illuminates a pathway out of this cave and offers reconnection to Earth, nature and life”<\/strong>. – Glenn Albrecht, author Earth Emotions<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

“The Nature Delusion<\/em> is a pathbreaking synthesis – accurate in its science, fearless in its analysis, and promising in its prescriptions. It should be read by every college student, for example, because young people hold the promise of grasping and acting on the powerful insights Oliver offers. I love this book.”<\/strong>\u00a0 Gus Speth, former head of United Nations Development Programme, former Dean, Yale School of the Environment, and\u00a0author of The New Systems Reader: Alternatives to a Failed Economy<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a book about resilience and hope. Thought provoking, succinct and challenging, it links the individual mind set to the complex system challenges we all face, whether we know it yet or not.\u00a0 Our own values and attitudes matter as much as our social structures and economic framing if we are to change our connectedness to nature and the wider environmental crisis.\u00a0 Ultimately it questions our own sense of identity, where change is surely needed if we are to navigate our future.\u201d<\/strong> Beccy Speight, Chief Executive at RSPB (The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds)<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Back cover blurb:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A one-of-a-kind book offering a unique perspective on how our connection with nature relates to the current environmental crisis.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Does the future of humankind lie in colonising a new planet, or uploading our minds to a digital metaverse?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Listening to certain billionaires and technophiles, you might think these are our best bets for escaping the increasingly hostile world we\u2019ve made for ourselves. The Nature Delusion dismantles these ideas. It shows why technological and economic \u2018fixes\u2019 alone cannot solve the existential threat of climate change, and why they remain out of reach for most people. Instead, this book uncovers the root causes of our environmental crisis \u2013 from our disconnection from nature to our focus on short-term, self-centered priorities \u2013 and offers a hopeful vision for the future.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

As the environmental crisis deepens, it\u2019s easy to feel powerless or overwhelmed. The Nature Delusion invites you to see humanity\u2019s place in the world in a radically new way and demonstrates how transforming our mindset can create a healthier, more resilient world<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“A pathbreaking synthesis – accurate in its science, fearless in its analysis…. It should be read by every college student. I love this book.”\u00a0 – Gus Speth, former head UN…Read More ><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":284,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"__cvm_playback_settings":[],"__cvm_video_id":"","footnotes":""},"coauthors":[8],"class_list":["post-818","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Nature Delusion - Social and Applied Ecology<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/social-and-applied-ecology\/the-nature-delusion\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Nature Delusion - Social and Applied Ecology\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"“A pathbreaking synthesis – accurate in its science, fearless in its analysis…. 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