BOOKS
Robert Macfarlane on rivers
HAVE WE BROKEN THE NATURAL CONTRACT BETWEEN HUMANS AND RIVERS? THE WRITER REVEALS HOW WATER INSPIRED HIS NEW BOOK
INTERVIEW: SARAH BARRELL. IMAGES: GETTY; WILLIAM WATERWORTH
At the heart of the book is the idea that rivers have lives, deaths — and even rights. It asks readers to imagine rivers in these terms, and to see what consequences flow from that reimagining. The book is a journey into the history, future, places and possibilities of this ancient, urgent idea. I know that the notion of a river as ‘alive’ is a searching, confronting one, especially to those of us raised in the traditions of rationalism. But if you find it hard to imagine a river as alive, try imagining a dead or dying river. We know what this looks like, what it feels like: fish floating belly-up, channels choked with sewage and garbage, a river disappearing in its own dry bed. Unfortunately, many rivers in the world are dying. We need new thinking: our rivers have become first undrinkable, then unswimmable, then untouchable. How did it come to this —and where do we go from here?