The eminent biologist E.O. Wilson set the bar higher in his final book before his death, Half-Earth. He makes a strong argument that half the surface of the Earth should be set aside to stem the runaway carbon crisis and provide ecosystem services in perpetuity. Great idea—I support it 100 per cent. But who am I, and how much influence do I have over huge self-serving corporations and their bought-out legislators? Zilch.