"Then it is dark; a night where kings in golden suits ride elephants over the mountains." - John Cheever

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Iain Banks on climate change

I was a bit surprised when I read Iain Banks's book on whisky to discover that he's a complete petrol-head, with a string of sports cars, land rovers etc. The book was more about cars than whisky.

However, he's now got rid of them all for environmental reasons and owns a solitary Toyota Yaris instead. Here's a short  interview he's done with Friends of the Earth.

If only there were more like him and fewer Clarksons.

Although I do sometimes regret that by the time I was old enough and earned enough to think about being into cars, the environmental evidence discouraged me from doing so.


4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Quite Right! Although when I was a young lady not having 10 cars was seen as quite a normal thing. We didn't understand about the environment, or the effect children have on it in those days though, so I pushed them out like a rabbit. If I'd known better I'd have had them converted to bio fuel.

Tom said...

Edna aside, this is a really great interview. I am so delighted and enthused by everything he says! A lot of environmental advocates can come across as a bit earnest and frantic (understandably). Iain Banks strikes me as someone who hugely enjoys life, while also totally committed to being as responsible as possible.

Col said...

Who is Edna by the way? She's paid us a visit more than once. Which one of you is she? Eh?

Tom said...

Really - she's been here before? I love it - we've got a groupie. Unless, disappointingly, it's one of the others.