Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh

Ladakh, or "Little Tibet", is a place of few resources and an extreme climate. Yet for more than 1000 years, it has been home to a thriving culture. Traditions of frugality and co-operation, coupled with an intimate and location-specific knowledge of the environment, enabled the Ladakhis not only to survive, but to prosper. Now in the modern sector one finds pollution and divisiveness, inflation and unemployment, intolerance and greed. "Ancient Futures" is much more than a book about Ladakh. It raises important questions about the whole notion of progress, and explores the root causes of the malaise of industrial society. At the same time, the story of Ladakh aims to serve as a source of inspiration for our own future.

This book is ranked number 8 in the Global Reads list

Recommended by:

David Cameron
“I was given this book by Zac Goldsmith and it is a really compelling read. The description of life and culture in Ladakh are absorbing. It tells us a lot about life on the other side of the world – but has some interesting lessons for us at home.”