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‘I am sorry to report that an extraordinary amount of rubbish has been written by well-meaning people about how to tackle climate change,’ writes George Monbiot in his new book HEAT: How to Stop the Planet Burning.

Taking no prisoners, in his opening gambit Monbiot rubbishes claims by eco-architect Bill Dunster regarding the benefits of domestic wind turbines; slams the construction industry for ‘years of terrible housing and feeble regulations’; and accuses those who point

the finger of guilt at China as succumbing to hysteria about the Yellow Peril.

But Monbiot’s central thesis is this: we can secure a healthy future for the planet by achieving the necessary carbon reductions – 90% by 2030 – without returning civilisation to the stone age. In this book he sets out the best way to go about it. He tackles the future of energy production, proposes a new system for land transport and suggests ‘green’ alternatives to cement manufacture.

Rigorously researched and beautifully written, as Monbiot himself says, Heat is ‘both a manifesto for action and a thought experiment’. It’s key selling point, however, is this: it’s a page turner that reads more like a thriller.