Published in 2020
448 pages
Lily Cole is an environmental activist, model, actress, and filmmaker. She holds an MA in history of art from the University of Cambridge, was an affiliate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters by the University of Glasgow, for her contribution to humanitarian and environmental causes through social businesses. Cole has spoken at World Economic Forum in Davos, Google Zeitgeist conference, and Wired. She regularly writes for media including the Guardian, Huffington Post, Vogue, and Financial Times. Cole has directed multiple short documentaries. She was the Bronte Parsonage Museum’s creative partner for 2018, for whom she made her first fiction film.
What is this book about?
Optimism demands action. Optimism is an active choice. Optimism is not naïve and it is not impossible.
We are living in an age of turmoil, destruction and uncertainty. Global warming has reached terrifying heights of severity, human expansion has caused the extinction of countless species, and Neoliberalism has led to a destructive divide in wealth and a polarisation of mainstream politics. But, there is a constructive way to meet this challenge, there is a reason to keep on fighting and there are plenty of reasons for optimism.
Lily Cole has met with some of the millions of people around the world who are working on solutions to our biggest challenges and committed to creating a more sustainable and peaceful future for humanity. Exploring issues from fast fashion to fast food and renewable energy to gender equality, and featuring interviews with Sir David Attenborough, Sir Paul McCartney, Elon Musk and Extinction Rebellion co-founder Professor Gail Bradbrook, Reasons for Optimism is a beacon of hope in dark times.
This book is a rousing call to action that will leave you feeling hopeful that we can make a difference. We are the ancestors of our future: a generation who will either be celebrated for their activism or blamed for its apathy. It is for us to choose optimism, to make a change and to show what is possible.
