Struck down with fever in Thailand in 1987, Rod recuperated in a forest monastery, meditating six hours a day. His early experiences studying Buddhism in Asia have grown into a dedicated appreciation of the region - its nature, people, and spiritual life.

Writer, photographer and filmmaker, Rod reports largely on critical environmental and human-rights issues. His stories and investigations have appeared in books, documentaries and over fifty high-profile academic and media titles.

He led the Environment and Climate Change Programmes at Panos London, was a founder of the Climate Change Media Partnership and was editor of seven magazines and academic journals.

When not publishing books, he explores the outside world with a camera and the inner world through meditation and yoga.