The book starts strongly, with an engaging opening, and Foyster’s accessible prose engages the reader with ease, but after the first few chapters it starts to feel rather contrived. The intermittent personal anecdotes and journal entries at times highlight pertinent points and add to the book’s argument, but often they derail the flow of information and seem de trop.

An important aspect of any discussion about sustainability concerns the desirable methods to reduce environmental impact that don’t require substantial upfront capital or a complete shift in ways of living. After all, these things never happen in single big steps. Changing Gears, although it acknowledges the need for a middle ground several times, never provides any tenable solutions, and leaves the reader with a vague impression of ‘all or nothing’ in its argument, even as it explicitly states otherwise.

Changing Gears, well researched and nicely written, contains more than a few interesting stories. But it offers little for someone who already agrees that measures need to be taken and is seeking something more practical.