“I had made the mistake of thinking that condemning other people’s misdeeds somehow made me virtuous.”

The author lectures his wife about issues such as wearing fur. However, he realizes that he is a kind of armchair liberal who hasn’t taken action himself. He dedicates himself to the No Impact project so that he can initiate change, not just preach to others about protecting the planet.

“For the last few months, in other words, I’d spent my time talking about sixty years’ worth of yesterdays when I was really scared to death of what was happening today.”

Beavan has written books about history, but he decides to focus on the current climate crisis instead. He is tired of writing about the past when the future seems so pressing. He turns his energies to writing about his quest to carry out the No Impact project.

“Back on that summery day in the middle of winter, I seemed to be hitting bottom.”

The author reacts with horror when it the weather is summery in the middle of the winter. He believes that things have reached the crisis point in the planet, but he has not done anything about it. He therefore dedicates himself to the No Impact project.