Recommended Reading
There are hundreds, probably thousands, of books and scholarly papers relating to the climate emergency. They cover a vast array of theory, facts, history, predictions, hopes and fears. We believe the most relevant information is to be found through reading about the science, but without losing the plot through too much technical detail, understanding the background and the politics, appreciating that things can be and are being done to adapt to and mitigate the problems we face and, perhaps most importantly, not being so doom-laden that we give up: cautious optimism combined with action is, in our view, what’s needed.
Here’s a list of some recommended reading:
Positive Tipping Points by Prof. Tim Lenton ISBN 978-0-19-887578-9
Hot Air by Prof. Peter Stott ISBN 978-1-83895-249-5
Ours is the age of global warming. Rising sea levels, extreme weather, forest fires. Dire warnings are everywhere, so why has it taken so long for the crisis to be recognised?
Here, for the first time, climate scientist Peter Stott reveals the bitter fight to get international recognition for what, among scientists, has been known for decades: human activity causes climate change. Across continents and against the efforts of sceptical governments, prominent climate change deniers and shadowy lobbyists, Hot Air is the urgent story of how the science was developed, how it has been repeatedly sabotaged and why humanity hasn’t a second to spare in the fight to halt climate change.
Peter Stott is a Science Fellow in Climate Attribution at the Met Office’s Hadley Centre and Professor of Detection & Attribution at the University of Exeter.
The New Climate War by Dr. Michael E Mann ISBN 978-1-913348-68-7
“Seventy-one per cent of global emissions come from the same hundred companies, but fossil-fuel companies have taken no responsibility themselves. Instead, they have waged a thirty-year campaign to blame individuals for climate change. The result has been disastrous for our planet.
In the New Climate War, renowned scientist Michael E Mann argues that all is not lost. He draws the battle lines between the people and the polluters – fossil-fuel companies, right-wing plutocrats, and petro-states – and outlines a plan for forcing our governments and corporations to wake up and make real change.”The Climate Book created by Greta Thunberg. ISBN 978-0-241-54747-2 A series of essays by contributors from a wide range of disciplines.
“This is the biggest story in the world, and it must be spoken as far and wide as our voices can carry, and much further still.
It must be told in books and articles, in movies and in songs, at breakfast tables, lunch meetings and family gatherings, in lifts, at bus stops and in rural shops. In schools, boardrooms and marketplaces. At airports, in gyms and in bars. In the fields, in the warehouses and on the factory floors. At union meetings, political workshops and football games. In kindergartens and in old people’s homes.In hospitals and car-repair shops. On Instagram, TikTok and the evening news. On dusty country roads and in the streets and alleys of our towns and cities. The time has come for us all to tell this story, and perhaps even change the ending.”No Miracles Needed by Prof. Mark Z Jacobson ISBN 978-1-009-24954-6
“This is among the most important books you’ll ever read, because it lays out in clear and frank terms the great problem of our age, and the great solution. To state it plainly: there is no longer any technical or economic obstacle to the swift transition of our energy system to something far cleaner, cheaper and more rational. But of course winning the argument is not the same as winning the fight.” (From foreword by Bill McKibben)
https://profiles.stanford.edu/mark-jacobson
Saving Us by Prof. Katharine Hayhoe ISBN 978-1-9821-4384-8
“Called “one of the nation’s most effective communicators on climate change” by The New York Times, Katharine Hayhoe knows how to navigate all sides of the conversation on our changing planet. A Canadian climate scientist living in Texas, she negotiates distrust of data, indifference to imminent threats, and resistance to proposed solutions with ease. Over the past fifteen years Hayhoe has found that the most important thing we can do to address climate change is talk about it—and she wants to teach you how.
In Saving Us, Hayhoe argues that when it comes to changing hearts and minds, facts are only one part of the equation. We need to find shared values in order to connect our unique identities to collective action. This is not another doomsday narrative about a planet on fire. It is a multilayered look at science, faith, and human psychology, from an icon in her field—recently named chief scientist at The Nature Conservancy.
Drawing on interdisciplinary research and personal stories, Hayhoe shows that small conversations can have astonishing results. Saving Us leaves us with the tools to open a dialogue with your loved ones about how we all can play a role in pushing forward for change.”http://www.katharinehayhoe.com/
Our Fragile Moment by Dr. Michael E Mann ISBN 978-1-915590-51-0
“In this sweeping work of science and history, the renowned climate scientist and author of The New Climate War shows us the conditions on Earth that allowed humans not only to exist but thrive, and how they are imperilled if we veer off course.”
The Heat Will Kill You First by Jeff Goodell ISBN 978-0-316-49756-5
“The world is waking up to a new reality: wildfires are now seasonal in California, the Northeast is
getting less and less snow each winter, and the ice sheets in the Arctic and Antarctica are
melting fast. Heat is the first order threat that drives all other impacts of the climate crisis. And
as the temperature rises, it is revealing fault lines in our governments, our politics, our economy,
and our values. The basic science is not complicated: Stop burning fossil fuels tomorrow, and the
global temperature will stop rising tomorrow. Stop burning fossil fuels in 50 years, and the
temperature will keep rising for 50 years, making parts of our planet virtually uninhabitable. It’s
up to us. The hotter it gets, the deeper and wider our fault lines will open.”https://jeffgoodellwriter.com/
Hothouse Earth – An Inhabitant’s Guide by Prof. Bill McGuire ISBN 978-1-78578-920-5
“Provides a post-COP26 perspective on the climate emergency, acknowledging that it is now practically impossible to keep this side of the 1.5°C dangerous climate change guardrail.”
How to save our planet – The Facts by Prof. Mark Maslin ISBN 978-0-241-47253-8
“How can we save our planet and survive the 21st century? How can we create positive change in the midst of the climate crisis?
Global awareness of climate change is growing rapidly. Science has proven that our planet and species are facing a massive environmental crisis. How to Save Our Planet is a call to action, guaranteed to equip everyone with the knowledge needed to make change. Be under no illusion the challenges of the twenty-first century are immense. We need to deal with: climate change, environmental destruction, global poverty and ensure everyone’s security.
We have the technology. We have the resources. We have the money.
We have the scientists, the entrepreneurs and the innovators.
We lack the politics and policies to make your vision of a better world happen.
So we need a plan to save our planet…How to Save Our Planet is your handbook of how we together can save our precious planet. From the history of our planet and species, to the potential of individuals and our power to create a better future, Maslin inspires optimism in these bleak times. We stand at the precipice. The future of our planet is in our hands. It’s time to face the facts and save our planet from, and for, ourselves.”https://www.ucl.ac.uk/geography/people/academic-staff/mark-maslin
The Climate Optimist Handbook by Anne Therese Gennari ISBN 978-1-63618-206-3
“How do you find the courage to choose positive change in uncertain times? How do you spread optimism to people concerned about the future but who feel too overwhelmed to know how to act?
Anne Therese Gennari has been seeking the answers to those questions most of her life, and in The Climate Optimist Handbook, she offers encouragement, wisdom, and practical tools to help us let go of fear and the dismal truth of today to build toward a world that can be better and more beautiful than anything we’ve yet seen.
That future starts with shifting the narrative on climate change so we can act from courage and excitement, not fear. We must let go of the guilt and responsibility we feel to save the planet and move into a place of opportunity, optimism, and hope. We should act not because it’s our duty, but because we recognize the beautiful and exciting opportunity we have to participate in the shift toward an even better world.
The Climate Change Optimist Handbook will guide you through that shift to become your own source of optimism. You will learn the psychological reasons we aren’t acting more on climate change and gain tools and mindset tips to model positive change in your community and home. A grounded and resilient leader is waiting to be born inside you—one who doesn’t just believe a better world is possible, but who is eager and excited to do everything possible to make that world a reality.”doesn’t just believe a better world is possible, but who is eager and excited to do everything possible to make that world a reality.”Fiction:
The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson ISBN 978-0-356-50885-6
The Ministry for ignoring climate change by David Millar ISBN 978-0-9938321-2-3