Low-Carbon Birding

The title does not shy away from the harsh reality of climate change and the challenges faced; there is a sense of urgency with the topics addressed in this book. But there is not a sense of despair. Within its 31 chapters, there can be few people who won’t find something positive to inspire them in their birding – and their life in general.

-- British Birds Vol. 115, Issue 12

This is a welcome book, dealing, as it does, with an important issue for those of us who are birders...Things are certainly changing and I am confident that they will change ever more quickly, and this book is an important contribution to that change. 

-- Mark Avery, author and environmental campaigner

This book, for the most part gently, encourages us to look at all we do and find ways to reduce our carbon footprint, especially when it comes to indulging our avian pleasures. There is much here to enjoy, follow and learn from.

-- Bo Beolens, Fatbirder

...this is an excellent book - controversial, engaging and deserving of the widest possible readership.

-- James Wright, RSPB Book Club review

The book is a collection of essays from a variety of writers, many of whom will be familiar to Birdwatch readers…they represent what people ‘on the ground’ are doing to lessen their own carbon footprint and by doing so give us all workable ideas for doing the same.

-- Rebecca Armstrong, Birdwatch

The book makes an interesting and thought-provoking read

-- John Miles, birdwatching.co.uk

If ever there was a book for our time, this is it. Javier Caletrío has called out the practice of fossil-fuelled, high mileage birding for what it is; a gross hypocrisy...The fact is, the birds we travel to see won’t be there unless we act now. Read this book, and then talk to your friends about the issues it so eloquently raises.

-- Simon Bates, British Ecological Society
...engaging, fast-paced and informative. Each of the chapters is absorbing in its own way, and some could almost provide synopses for new standalone titles in their own right. A word, too, for the simple but enchanting cover illustration by Gary Redford and for Pelagic Publishing's insistence on highest production standard for this 250-page hardback which, unusually, was printed in England.       -- Amazon reviewer

With so many contributors sharing their real stories of transformation, Low-Carbon Birding is a thought-provoking read for anyone interested in reducing their carbon emissions.

-- Jenny McKee, Audubon

Low-Carbon Birding is a joy to read....take a few hours to read this amazing book and make 2023 the year of reinventing your way of birding.

-- Vincent Stork, Dutch Birding

There is no doubt that Low-Carbon Birding will have a substantial impact on the world of ornithology.

-- British Trust for Ornithology

It belongs on the bookshelf - or better yet, in the bicycle bag - of all birders, whether they are already low-carbon birders themselves or are just beginning to explore this perspective.

-- Jans Daniels-Trautner, Der Falke

...what does it mean to be a birder in the age of extinction? What is a life list worth in the face of a climate crisis? Can conservation and travel coincide? Enter Low-Carbon Birding, edited by Javier Caletrío. This collection of over 30 essays by a slate of concerned writers bluntly, yet elegantly, answers these questions and provides a blueprint for how birding can evolve to protect the species we have left. 

-- Rebecca Minardi, American Birding Association
A timely reminder to us all... these essays show how increasing numbers of birders are shifting their approach to one that is low in carbon but high in reward. -- Mike Toms, BTO News

This book opens a new perspective for anyone concerned about their carbon footprint, who no longer want to be in a permanent race and who can thus combine physical exercise and passion!

-- Philippe J. Dubois, Ornithos

Ecological economists can find rich inspiration from the captivating case of birdwatching, which can serve as a valuable basis for further studies of environmental values, degrowth, nature connectedness, and political ecology. Ultimately, this book can be seen as a degrowth manifesto that reveals problems with the increasing economisation of nature and the commodification of the birdwatching experience.

-- Jakub Kronenberg, Ecological Economics

… this is not a book about a dreary life of self- denial, but about a more sustainable refocusing of our engagement with and enjoyment of birds.

-- Barry Gray * IBIS *

The Valencian economist Javier Caletrio has edited a book of advice on ornithological tourism with a minimal carbon footprint. He recommends trains for longer distances and a bicycle for shorter ones.

* Quercus, Spain *

... a powerful and timely contribution to the debate on the need for all of us to consider our own carbon footprint, and what we can do to reduce it.

-- Stephen