review

Nature

Great Adaptations appeared in the book review section of the prestigious journal Nature (Volume 600 Issue 7888, 9 December 2021). Here’s what reviewer Andrew Robinson said about the book:

Until recently, climate-change activists advocated mitigation of rising global carbon dioxide levels — adapting to them was considered inappropriate or defeatist. Morgan Phillips disagrees. As the UK-based director of the Glacier Trust, which works with remote Nepalese mountain communities, he pragmatically supports mitigation and adaptation. He advocates that “Western civilization” be urgently but carefully “disassembled” to avoid climate catastrophe. His proposed adaptations seem mostly feasible and humane — if challenging.

review

The Conversation

Great Adaptations was included at number two in a list of 6 books about the climate crisis that offer hope. Reviewer, Professor Peter Christoff, says this about the book:

Phillips doesn’t flinch from contemplating bleak prospects: systemic collapses, food and water insecurity, biodiversity decline. But his focus is neither on sheer doom, nor naive techno-optimism. He instead brings careful balance to his consideration of good adaptation and harmful (mal) adaptation.

He pushes us to think beyond fragmented reactions to individual climate catastrophes, such as droughts, fires, floods and storms – reactions that favour the wealthy and are based on the delusion that all will spring back to “normal”.

His aim is realistic “transformative adaptation”. He argues for enduring, flexible and equitable adjustments to nature’s new lottery.

REVIEW

Sink or Swim

Great Adaptations was reviewed by Dr Susannah Fisher (UCL, SOAS) in edition 3 of her Substack newsletter ‘Sink or Swim’. Dr. Fisher provides helpful TLDR (To Long Didn’t Read) summary versions within her newsletter, this is the TLDR she wrote about Great Adaptations:

Great Adaptations is a quick read for those interested in an overview of the types of adaptations happening across the world and some of the common challenges they face. It raises more questions than it answers and this is the purpose of the book, to start a conversation. It left me thinking about two major adaptation priorities for 2022 (and beyond). (1) How to shift power and politics to allow for new adaptation responses that move past the status quo – local action can be inspiring but rarely makes sustainable change at the scale needed. (2) Promoting approaches that help communities and policymakers think outside current norms of what the climate will look like in the future. It is so hard to imagine and plan for what we cannot see.

Article

Permaculture Magazine

The Spring 2022 edition of Permaculture (PM111) features an article by Morgan titled: ‘Agro Forestry Hubs - Local Models of Transitional Adaptation’. He explores the creative and collaborative world of Agro Forestry Resources Centres in Nepal and explains the many benefits of adopting these innovative hubs in the West. A PDF version of this article will be available here in summer 2022. To read the piece before then, please subscribe to Permaculture or order a print copy of edition 111.

review

Resilience

Bart Hawkins Kreps reviewed Great Adaptations for the Resilience website in January 2022. Kreps titles his review ‘For better or worse, we adapt’, here’s a short excerpt:

"... He wants environmentalists to think more clearly about adaptation strategies so we can get on with the urgent work... His book is wide ranging but clearly written and free of obfuscating jargon. It deserves a wide audience because his message is so important..."

Podcast

The Green Urbanist

Morgan joined Ross O'Ceallaigh on episode #38 of The Green Urbanist, a podcast for urbanists fighting climate change.

In this episode we are talking, unsurprisingly, about climate adaptation. What is it, why we need to be talking about it and lots of examples of good and bad adaptations from cities adapting to increased heat to rural communities in Nepal using agroforestry.

Morgan also tells me about two concepts called Deep Adaptation and Transformational Adaptation, which explore how we may adapt to a society level collapse due to climate change. So, we really cover climate adaption from micro to macro scales in this episode...

Podcast

The Response

Three different takes on adaptation from three different continents. Morgan joined Ashish Kothari, Carol Manetta and host Tom Llewelyn on the Response podcast.

Review

International Journal of Environmental Studies

A detailed and lengthy review for Great Adaptations was published in the IJES (28 Oct 2021). The reviewer said: "This book helps us learn the importance of holistic and transformative adaptation strategies by giving us the relevant and bold stories about good adaptation and ugly mal-adaptation ...The book is beautifully furnished with remarkable examples ... and how their transformative response to climate change adaptation may be a model for achieving a sustainable and healthy earth ... This book demands action for the achievement of a sustainable global society. An entire social and economic structure can adapt to climate with visionary leaders and cooperative citizens ... Phillips tells us that great adaptations are possible and asks us to start the journey now." Shukra Raj Paudel, The International Journal of Environmental Studies, 28th October 2021.

Podcast

Doorways podcast

Morgan spoke to Martin Crabbe on the Doorways to Sustainable Schools project about his career in environmental education his work with The Glacier Trust and Great Adaptations…

Review

The Earthbound Report

Issued on the book's publication day (14th September 2021), The Earthbound Report's book review says, "... a creatively presented pocket-sized book with stories from around the world ... Phillips talks about strategies that are mindful, just, effective and scaleable ... a checklist for adaptation that is worth bookmarking ... not afraid to ask difficult questions ... written in short and episodic chapters, it's a book that readers can dip in and out of ... Phillips describes the book's main purpose as providing talking points for a conversation about adaptation ... it succeeds admirably."

REVIEW

In Sophie’s Mind

“whilst I thought this was a play on words, it was a very insightful read. It discusses how heatwaves, extreme storms, forest fires and rising CO2 emissions have been immense for some. Outlining adaptations some countries have taken covering both the bad and good…..”

interview

Arkbound Interview

Morgan was interviewed about the work of The Glacier Trust, our book Great Adaptations and his contribution to Arkbound’s new book ‘Climate Adaptation’

Review

The Planner

''Morgan Phillips FRSA, co-director of The Glacier Trust, dispelling myths about climate adaptation by giving examples of good (and bad) adaptation projects," The Planner (The Official Magazine of the Royal Town Planning Institute), October 2021 issue.

[Print edition only]

Review

The Table Read

'Ahead of the international COP26 climate-emergency conference (being held Glasgow in November) The Table Read meets (new dad) Dr Morgan Phillips FRSA whose beautifully-designed new book, Great Adaptations, offers us humane, positive, plain-speaking approaches to climate change measures and looks a real-life examples of good (and not-so-good) ways in which our communities can adapt to the enormous challenges facing us, our children and our grandchildren ….”

Review

From a Yellow House

“I found this to be an interesting read and I learned a lot that I did not know. During the time that I read this book, I was witnessing the extremes of climate change on the news very regularly. The hurricanes that thrash the United States and the Caribbean have become increasingly powerful and frequent and cause massive flooding and leave a deadly path of destruction. Roaring forest fires around the world are all too frequent and burn a deadly path….”