Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

This book is a collection of essays by the environmental journalist George Monbiot. I’m familiar in passing with Monbiot’s writing - although I wouldn’t say I follow him closely - so I was excited by the chance to read this collection and deepen my knowledge.

The first thing to point out is that none of this is new content from Monbiot. The essays in this collection (In Memoriam, The Unseen World, Embarrassment of Riches, Intergenerational Theft, The Problem Is Capitalism, Hopeless Realism, Deathly Silence) are all publicly available on his website and I believe were originally published in his column in the Guardian. The one exception is The New Political Story that Could Change Everything, which is almost an exact transcript of a TED talk Monbiot delivered, also easily found online. That said, it’s nice to see all these pieces collated in one place and it makes for a good introduction to/overview of Monbiot’s work.

As for the essays themselves, I did really like them; you can see why Monbiot is so popular. I particularly liked The Unseen World and its exploration of the baseline effect; Intergeneration Theft, which wasn’t as obvious and the title suggests but instead more a philosophical/moral challenge to the idea of owning natural resources; and the recurring theme of “private sufficiency, public luxury”. Monbiot’s descriptions of nature are very vivid and powerful, such as the phrase “rivers black with eels,” which comes up in a few essays. I didn’t find anything particularly groundbreaking in this collection but it was definitely worth reading (especially since it’s so short!)

An uncomfortable read for those of us who are so often sold the message of 'green capitalism'. George Monbiot is a known voice in this field and presents with basic truth the breadth of greenwashing in our lives and consumption. His words are motivating and push the reader to think about potential changes and activism. I really enjoyed this short, sharp and clear expression of an emergency in progress.

<b>This Can’t Be Happening</b> is a collection of short essays and speeches by Monbiot between 2016-2020. They’re all centred on (as with most of his work) climate change, and what we can potentially do about it.

George Monbiot is an angry man, one who quite often puts off the people he rails against because he does his railing passionately and to great effect. But, what choice does he have? We’re past the time of complacency or passive optimism. To be aware of the state of the world is “to take on a burden of grief that is almost unbearable.”

In the foreword, he writes
<quote>The moral compass needed to guide us through this crisis has had to be constructed almost from scratch. We need to understand that we can inflict great harm on others, without harbouring any such intent. We need to connect our humdrum activities on one side of the world (generally in the rich nations) to catastrophic effects on the lives of people on the other side (generally in the poorer nations). We need to see that the way we live can destroy the life chances of those who are not yet born.</quote>

Monbiot is not, against all odds, pessimistic in this collection. Angry and desperate, even sad, but he holds on to some hope for change (which is more than I can say for myself). He recognises that it is possible to change the system, that people from Greta Thunberg and movements like Extinction Rebellion can make a difference. This collection also touches (briefly) on examining perspectives, economic systems, political philosophies and polices that might help us fix the mess we’re in.

But I wonder if this book is lacking a story that Monbiot says is so essential to changing the narrative.
<quote>We are creatures of narrative, and a string of facts and figures, however important facts and figures are, has no power to displace a persuasive story. The only thing that can replace a story is a story. You cannot take away someone’s story without giving them a new one.</quote>
Perhaps the collection needs a little bit more of a story to hold it together, perhaps a clearer thread between cause and effect? While Monbiot is not pessimistic and he accepts that he doesn’t have all the answers, he has expanded on stories and solutions in other works that would have fit this collection. It felt a bit…thin, a bit rushed.

All in all though, the three books I’ve read of the Green Ideas series via NetGalley have all been interesting, compelling and from different perspectives/ world views. I will definitely been reading more (if not all) from this collection.

In this collection of short essays and speeches spanning just over two years, Monbiot explores the many different ways people are able to turn a blind eye to the inevitable capitalist climate distaster we are facing, whether through dissonance and ignorance. Drawing on his own experiences from Extinction Rebellion to scientific observations - each essay is succinct, factual and evokes a visceral emotional reaction from the reader. There is a clear message of anger and urgency throughout each essay - but this anger is clearly utilised into passionate action rather than outright aggression. Now, there is no ground-breaking research or revelations in these pages, but it is an excellent peice of literature for anybody who wants to start learning or just reflect on the environmental and societal issues we are all facing.

"What you see is not what others see ... What is obvious to some is invisible to others."

A collection of speeches, essays and talks by renowned author George Monbiot, "This Can't Be Happening" is part of the Penguin Green Ideas series. Less than 100 pages, but eye-opening and accessible for all to read, more than once.