Happy New Year, and goodbye to 2023!

Seb and I have spent the holiday period redecorating the downstairs offices and laying second-hand carpet tiles. (living the rock and roll lifestyle every day)

During the five layers of white undercoat required to cover the truly ‘spectacular’ black gloss on all the woodwork and trunking, we listened to the four following audiobooks.

-        How to blow up a pipeline – Andreas Malm

-        Rewilding the sea – Charles Clover

-        Citizens - Jon Alexander

-        This changes everything – Naomi Klein

I recommend listening to/reading these four books in 2024 and seeing if they can challenge your thinking on our part to play a role in building a better, fairer, and greener world in 2024.

I would be lying if I said a book called How to Blow Up a Pipeline doesn’t make me very nervous. The book challenges your thinking, and I suspect it is not the book you expect (and it’s nothing like the awful film). The book explores why the climate change movement hasn’t moved past peaceful protest due to its research into the history of the protest movement, and it explores if this is a mistake.

The book creates a narrative for why some elements of the climate movement might turn to more radical tactics that could include directly attacking the fossil fuel infrastructure, including private property; this raises questions about how we need to reconsider our choices in the future. 

-        Change happens slowly and then suddenly all at once.

Rewilding the Sea: This is a fascinating book and my favourite on the Christmas reading list. Human beings are better off leaving things alone and acting as protectors if we are to let ecosystems recover. The power of nature to heal is enormous, and the benefits to humans and the potential reduction of climate change should not be underestimated. The book gives local UK examples of marine parks and the success of working with local fishing communities. Together, it was possible to find ways to support those communities to thrive with nature rather than fight each other. Local knowledge is vital in helping nature recover, and consensus is the only way to create long-term solutions.

Citizens – I spent the time listening to this book going - yes, this! The book talks about the shift from consumers to citizens and the stories we have been fed our whole lives about what is valued in society. The book is an excellent reminder of the “be the change you want in the world”. We cannot wait for the world/government to deliver. I suspect it’s a book I need to reread, and there were many examples of individuals making fundamental differences in their communities.

I first read No Logos by Naomi Klein at university after my professor recommended it. This Changes Everything - explores the relationship between capitalism and climate change. Naomi speaks about the firewall between mouth and money. The hypocritical mismatch between public support for policies that combat climate change and the personal way we invest our wealth.

My reflections

- We should continue to rebuild nature to minimise the effects of climate change, and rewilding is a much simpler and more effective solution than the obsession with “new “technology.

- Why are R&D tax credits not available for social science innovation, and why don’t we have training tax credits?

- How do we break the firewall between mouth and money? How do we change the system to make it easier for each of us to walk the talk?

-  We cannot rely on a technological miracle or on industries to reform themselves. We must demand system change and invest in nature to deliver the recovery.

- We need citizen-led solutions to climate change at local levels and not a top-down approach or waiting for our billionaires or government-led saviours.

For Switchfoot, the 2024 theme is system change, which is why Seb is back to school (more information to follow)

We want to explore how we can use sustainable financial planning to change financial services and use the citizen approach to amplify its impact.

I want to continue to work with other accountants, financial advisers and solicitors to explore the role of professional services in sustainability and fighting climate change.