University of Edinburgh
Building in Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
At a glance
| Source | Author | Role | In one line |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not the End of the World | Hannah Ritchie | turning point | The author studied Environmental Geoscience here from 2010 and describes each day as a reminder of humanity ravaging the planet. |
| Not the End of the World | Hannah Ritchie | setting | Ritchie recalls her first lecture, to about 100 undergraduates, where she asks them to guess how many calories per person the world’s food could provide if split equally. |
Not the End of the World — Hannah Ritchie (2024)
Source: Not the End of the World · Readwise highlight
In 2010 I started my degree in Environmental Geoscience at the University of Edinburgh. I showed up as a fresh-faced 16-year-old, ready to learn how we were going to fix some of the world’s biggest challenges. Four years later, I left with no solutions.
- Role: turning point
- In the book: The author studied Environmental Geoscience here from 2010 and describes each day as a reminder of humanity ravaging the planet. She left feeling helpless and nearly quit environmental work before seeing Hans Rosling on television.
- Why it matters: It is the source of her despair and misconceptions that motivates the book; the setting is the university generally, not a specific building.
Not the End of the World — Hannah Ritchie (2024)
Source: Not the End of the World · Readwise highlight
I was just 21 years old and giving my first lecture to a room of undergraduates at the University of Edinburgh. I was bricking it.
- Role: setting
- In the book: Ritchie recalls her first lecture, to about 100 undergraduates, where she asks them to guess how many calories per person the world’s food could provide if split equally. Hands drop out until she reveals the answer, at least 5,000 calories a day. She calls it her Hans Rosling moment.
- Why it matters: The room anchors the chapter’s opening anecdote and her personal point that she herself would have guessed wrong as a student. The same story could have happened at any university; the place makes it concrete and personal.