If you’re looking to deepen your knowledge about climate change, find motivation to take action, or simply reconnect with nature, these books offer fresh insights and inspiration. Here’s a curated list to add to your reading list this year.
Books That Deepen Your Understanding of Climate Change
1. The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming – David Wallace-Wells
In his travelogue of our near future, David Wallace-Wells brings into stark relief the climate troubles that await—food shortages, refugee emergencies, and other crises that will reshape the globe. But the world will be remade by warming in more profound ways as well, transforming our politics, our culture, our relationship to technology, and our sense of history. It will be all-encompassing, shaping and distorting nearly every aspect of human life as it is lived today.
2. What Is Climate Change? – Gail Herman & Who HQ
A fact-based and well-researched book that presents multiple perspectives on climate change—scientific, social, and political. This book is particularly useful for those looking to understand both the overwhelming scientific consensus and the counterarguments that continue to be debated.
3. The Carbon Footprint of Everything – Mike Berners-Lee
Ever wondered about the carbon impact of your daily choices? This book breaks down the emissions of everyday activities, from food and travel to digital habits like bitcoin. With engaging writing and up-to-date research, it provides a practical look at how individual actions contribute to the bigger picture.
Books That Inspire Action
1. The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis – Christiana Figueres & Tom Rivett-Carnac
Written by key architects of the Paris Agreement, this book presents two possible futures: one where we fail to act and face catastrophic consequences, and another where we achieve net-zero emissions and create a regenerative world. A hopeful, action-oriented read.
2. The Climate Book – by Greta Thunberg
In his travelogue of our near future, David Wallace-Wells brings into stark relief the climate troubles that await—food shortages, refugee emergencies, and other crises that will reshape the globe. But the world will be remade by warming in more profound ways as well, transforming our politics, our culture, our relationship to technology, and our sense of history. It will be all-encompassing, shaping and distorting nearly every aspect of human life as it is lived today.
Books That Connect You to Nature
1. Wild: An Elemental Journey – Jay Griffiths
A poetic evaluation of the connection between human society and the natural world, this part-travelogue, symbolic tour of the earth’s elements explores “wildness” as an essential character of life. By the award-winning author of A Sideways Look at Time.
2. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants – Robin Wall Kimmerer
This beautifully written book blends Indigenous wisdom with scientific knowledge, encouraging readers to build a reciprocal relationship with nature through gratitude, stewardship, and storytelling.
Trending Books of 2024
1. What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures – Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
A thought-provoking and uplifting exploration of what a thriving, climate-resilient world could look like. Blending science, policy, and culture with poetry and art, this book offers a hopeful and actionable vision for the future—one that invites all of us to contribute to meaningful change.
2. Not the End of the World – Hannah Ritchie
Feeling anxious, powerless, or confused about the future of our planet? This book will transform how you see our biggest environmental problems—and how we can solve them. In this bold, radically hopeful book, data scientist Hannah Ritchie argues that if we zoom out, a very different picture emerges. In fact, the data shows we’ve made so much progress on these problems that we could be on track to achieve true sustainability for the first time in human history.
Each of these books offers a unique lens on the environment, from scientific insights and Indigenous wisdom to personal stories of resilience and action. Whether you’re looking to better understand climate change, reconnect with nature, or find tangible ways to make a difference, these reads will leave you informed and inspired.
The journey toward sustainability starts with awareness—so why not begin by turning the page? Which one will you read first?