Pivotal joins Transition Cambridge in supporting this Cambridge Literary Festival Event.

In his latest book, naturalist and environmental activist Mark Cocker explores six special places which embody the history of British conservation. We meet key characters who shaped the story of the British countryside – Victorian visionaries like Octavia Hill, founder of the National Trust, as well as brilliant naturalists such as Max Nicholson and Derek Ratcliffe.

The book asks searching questions about who owns the land and why? And who benefits from green policies? Above all it attempts to solve a puzzle: why do the British seem to love their countryside more than almost any other nation, yet we have come to live amid one of the most denatured landscapes on Earth?

Join three passionate environmentalists for an optimistic discussion about the new environmental heroes who are taking governments to court – and winning. ClientEarth is the only pan-European group of environmental lawyers working in the public interest. Its founder, environmental lawyer James Thornton, has now written a book about his experiences battling in the courts for the future of our planet. He will be joined in this event by co-writer, Martin Goodman, and ClientEarth trustee, composer and producer, Brian Eno.