The climate crisis is transforming the way that humans across the globe function on a day-to-day basis, whether through intentional behaviours or necessary adaptations to a changing environment.
As disturbing heatwaves continue to hit Europe, with countries such as Greece and Italy only just recovering from a series of raging wildfires – there isn’t a news day that goes by in which we aren’t reminded of the ever-present and overwhelming effects of climate change.
Sea levels are rising steadily as polar ice caps continue to melt, and it’s increasingly difficult to not feel as though we’re already drowning. However, getting caught up in the very real doom and gloom associated with the climate crisis is not – for the vast majority of the population – a productive means of engaging in environmental activism and making meaningful changes to our lives and those surrounding us.
Likewise, scaremongering only alienates citizens from better understanding the nature of the climate crisis, what has caused and continues to sustain it, as well as learning about the practical steps we can take to make the earth a hospitable planet for many more billions of years to come. Rather than triggering a fight or flight instinct with climate activism, it’s important first to understand the rational, science-backed argument behind the cause before moving on to positive, intentional action.
To do so, many environmental activists and climate change scientists will encourage you to get reading. As such, we’ve rounded up a selection of the best books to help you better understand the climate crisis, and what the world can do to stop it.
From holistic, philosophical texts to practical solutions, keep scrolling for the best books about climate change.
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This Changes Everything by Naomi Klein
For Naomi Klein, climate change is an inherently ecopolitical crisis. Rather than focusing on carbon footprints and the power of the individual to bring about change, Klein blames one thing and one thing only: capitalism. The number one best-selling author urges us to grip onto the existential crisis elicited by climate change and shake it until the shackles of corporate power finally come loose. If you’re interested in dismantling the way we view climate change by shifting the onus off the individual and onto the economic and political structures that define our planet, give Klein’s book a read.
Buy now £14.99, Waterstones
The Intersectional Environmentalist by Leah Thomas
Written by Thomas and supported by the words of young environmental activists across the globe, The Intersectional Environmentalist is a lesson on the power and inherent importance of melding different streams of thought, academic disciplines, sociopolitical crises, and critical views to gain a positive and powerful holistic perspective on climate change.
The Missouri-born writer and activist seeks to create a space in which environmental activism can be at one with the inherent need for social justice reform, particularly in the United States. The need for what Thomas herself coined as intersectional environmentalism was made abundantly clear to the writer by repeated instances of police violence towards African Americans across the country, the most infamous of which pushed Thomas to her simultaneous breaking and creation point – that of George Floyd in 2020. For a text that advocates for the protection of all people and the planet, look no further than Thomas’ groundbreaking book.
Buy now £12.99, Waterstones
How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates
From a man that has dedicated the better part of a decade to campaigning for environmental justice, it was only a matter of time before Bill Gates released his own no-nonsense guide to the climate crisis and how to stop it. This authoritative text has been described as providing a welcome relief to the doom-and-gloom narrative most commonly given attention by popular news outlets.
Gates’ goal in writing this prescient, yet entirely accessible text was to cut through the noise and state the facts. Featuring an abundance of information on everything from what exactly causes climate change, the shape that climate disaster may continue to take, and the potential for an array of technologically innovative solutions that Gates himself is funding – we recommend this book to anyone who is seeking information on both individual and collective means to achieve a zero-emissions future.
Buy now £10.99, Waterstones
The Climate Book by Greta Thunberg (Hardback)
In August 2018, Greta Thunberg decided not to attend school, instead protesting outside the Swedish parliament with a handmade sign that read “School strike for climate”. These protests continued every Friday, snowballing into a global climate protest that shook the world and its leaders.
A few weeks ago, Thunberg took part in her final school strike, as she graduates this summer. Thankfully, the global climate activist, in partnership with over 100 climate change experts, has produced an almost bible-like guide to climate activism – ensuring that her torch will be carried. Learn what it means to be part of a collective mission with The Climate Book and get inspired to sow your very own seeds of change.
Buy now £25.00, Waterstones
What we know about Climate Change by Kerry Emanuel (Hardback)
Kerry Emanuel is a professor of Atmospheric Science in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Science at MIT, and in May of 2006, he was named one of Time magazine’s 100 people who shape our world.
Despite his many qualifications, Emanuel sets out the basic science behind climate change in an entirely accessible manner. Throughout his established career, the author has specialised in atmospheric convection and the mechanisms which work to intensify the power of hurricanes. As such, in this text, Emanuel moves beyond the much-discussed effects of rising global temperatures – instead describing in detail how climate change will lead to an increased extremity of disastrous weather, including the intensity and power of hurricanes, flooding and rapidly advancing deserts if we don’t act now.
Buy now £10.95, Waterstones
The Future We Choose by Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac
With overwhelmingly positive reviews from inspirational figures within the world of climate activism including Jane Goodall, Yuval Noah Harari, Richard Branson, Stella McCartney, and more,The Future We Choose employs unwavering optimism and practical solutions to inspire its readers to come together and take collective action.
Written by former UN Executive Secretary for Climate Change, Christiana Figueres and senior political strategist for the Paris Agreement, Tom Rivett-Carnac, this text is well and truly a stubborn optimist’s guide to the climate crisis.
Buy now £9.99, Waterstones
