A unique national archive capturing the voices of environmental activists who helped transform environmental policy in Britain forms the basis of a new book published by researchers at Royal Holloway, University of London.
Voices for Change is published on Thursday 12 November by UCL Press and freely available online. The book is based on a major research project at Royal Holloway, a collaboration between environmental activists, academic researchers and oral history curators from National Life Stories at the British Library.
The book draws from a unique national archive of 100 life history interviews with environmentalists from across the UK, amounting to several million words and sound files, now accessible as part of the British Library Sound Archive.
The book explores the achievements and challenges of this activism across more than fifty years, revealing diverse and unsung stories from the movement. Contributors include high-profile campaigners such as Jonathon Porritt, Caroline Lucas, George Monbiot, Chris Packham, Jane Goodall and Swampy.
Through its compelling focus on life stories, the book provides a vital resource for today’s environmental activists, offering fresh insight into the way change was made on a wide variety of environmental issues, from nature conservation, transport and recycling to energy, climate change and air pollution.
Felix Driver, Professor of Human Geography at Royal Holloway, described the book as a uniquely valuable resource designed to be of use for generations to come. “We know about the importance of evidence-based policy in shaping new approaches across the environmental sector”, he commented. “But it is often stories that change the world: stories of hope, resilience, struggle and inspiration passed on from one generation to the next. Voices for Change is full of such stories, a testament to the experience of large numbers of environmental campaigners across the four nations of the UK over the last fifty years”.
The project team have also produced a range of free educational resources, including infographics produced with the Royal Geographical Society (RGS); a data bank of hundreds of audio clips with transcripts available via Royal Holloway’s online data repository; transcripts of witness seminars with activists in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; and research articles in academic journals.
The project was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Project partners included the British Library, the RGS, Friends of the Earth and the Wildlife Trusts.
Rob Perks, former Lead Curator of Oral History at the British Library, said: “Astonishing in its range and scope, this all-embracing and long-overdue history of UK environmental activism in all its modes draws on an impressively diverse array of life stories. The vibrant voices we hear help us make sense of a complex, multi-layered movement over five decades which has brought us to our vital awareness of the climate emergency”.
Jenny Pickerill, Professor of Environmental Geography at the University of Sheffield, commented: “This groundbreaking book weaves together the life stories of environmental activists in the UK to narrate a unique modern history of a hugely successful movement for change. Their voices are woven into thought-provoking themes like mobilisation, diversity and how activists sustain themselves, demonstrating the overlapping legacies of the last 50 years of environmentalism. Understanding this history is crucial in generating hope for our contemporary environmental battles. I urge everyone to read and listen to the voices and lessons shared in this fabulous and inspiring book”.
You can access the book on the UCL Press website.
For more information about the research and its outputs, visit the project website.
