“Finitude and death”, as the redoubtable Susan George puts it, now snap at our collective heels. Given the tally of global crises, how relevant is a book marking the 50th anniversaries of the UN and UNESCO? Refreshingly, The Right to Hope by Catherine Tick (Earthscan, £14.95, ISBN 1 85383 309 6) looks hard at their roles – and beyond. The 48 artists and writers (Desmond Tutu, Wangari Maathai and George among them) present an alternative, cross-cultural vision in which art is both expression and agent of global change.
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features

Humans
Ancient monument may have been an early Stonehenge prototype
News

ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû1000¼¯ºÏ
No young women have died of cervical cancer in England for years
News

ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû1000¼¯ºÏ
Chilling the body with drugs could limit brain damage from stroke
News

Comment
The bigger the lizard, the bigger the Wiki page, discovers ecologist
Regulars
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
A quantum state that lasts forever may finally be within our grasp
2
Our brains have their first thoughts surprisingly early in life
3
The secrets to keeping your brain sharp in old age
4
Sperm have been made magnetic to allow IVF inside the body
5
Autism and ADHD are on the rise due to widening diagnostic criteria
6
Does gravity create reality? A shocking path to a theory of everything
7
Why you need to future-proof your brain in middle age and how to start
8
Pigeons lock their eyes in place when they are flying
9
Autism may have two distinct subtypes that vary by brain activity
10
Arctic Ocean reaches tipping point that could be dire for marine life