Regius Professor Andrew Davison co-authors work on climate responsibility

Promise the Earth: A Safe Climate in Good Faith, published by Cambridge University Press, brings together engineering analysis and moral philosophy to argue that meaningful climate action cannot rely solely on future technologies or political leadership. Instead, the authors suggest that the choices made by individuals and institutions – particularly in wealthier societies – are central to creating a liveable future.

The book departs from the familiar narrative that innovation will arrive in time to avert the worst impacts of climate change. Drawing on decades of research into the material realities of decarbonisation, Professor Allwood, Professor of Engineering and the Environment at the University of Cambridge, examines the physical limits on how quickly low-carbon infrastructure can be built, from energy systems to heavy industry. These constraints, the authors argue, make it unrealistic to assume that emerging technologies alone will deliver emissions reductions at the required pace.

Alongside this technical analysis, Professor Davison, Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford, contributes a theological and ethical perspective, exploring how long-standing traditions of moral thought can help explain why awareness of climate change has not translated into sufficient action. Rather than treating the climate crisis purely as a scientific or economic problem, the book frames it as a question of values, responsibility and motivation.

Chapters on emissions, industry and policy are interwoven with reflections on the classical virtues – including courage, justice, prudence and temperance, as well as the concepts of faith, hope and love as explored in the Bible. Together, these strands invite readers to consider not only what can be done to reduce emissions, but how societies might rethink ideas of progress, restraint and the good life.

A central theme of the book is the role of restraint: a concept that rarely features in public climate debates. The authors argue that using fewer resources, travelling less and re-evaluating patterns of consumption are not signs of failure, but realistic and necessary responses to the scale of the challenge. Importantly, they emphasise that influence extends well beyond personal lifestyle choices, encompassing workplaces, professional networks and institutions.

The book also directly addresses the responsibilities of affluent societies. While extreme wealth often dominates headlines, Promise the Earth points out that much of the environmental impact in countries such as the UK comes from ordinary, comfortable lifestyles. The authors suggest that recognising this reality is a starting point for meaningful change, rather than a cause for guilt or paralysis.

At the same time, the book resists the idea that climate action inevitably diminishes quality of life. Many of those things that people most value – relationships, creativity, learning and community – are not dependent on intensive resource use. The challenge, the authors argue, lies in making deliberate choices and accepting the moral significance of those choices, even when others may not act in the same way.

Promise the Earth also responds to what the authors describe as a newer form of climate denialism – one that accepts the science but insists that serious action would be economically or socially impossible. By highlighting practical examples of change already underway, including business models that decouple growth from resource use, the book offers a more grounded form of hope rooted in agency rather than optimism alone.

Reflecting on what led him to co-author Promise the Earth, Professor Davison said: ‘More than any previous book of mine, I wrote this one for a readership of one: myself. I found Julian’s arguments compelling – that climate change is serious, that engineering solutions will not arrive quickly enough to absolve us from action, and that this leaves us with a responsibility to practise restraint, changing how we live in a small number of significant ways. My chapters are an attempt to think through how the seven virtues might help me take that step. I hope they prove useful to others as well.’

Promise the Earth: A Safe Climate in Good Faith was launched on 21 January at the Cambridge University Press Bookshop, with an Oxford launch soon to be announced.