The 25 Best Climate Change Books to Add to Your TBR

Best Climate Change Books: Nonfiction

Thicker Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis by Erica Cirino

Journalist Erica Cirino debunks communal myths astir plastics and delivers hard-to-swallow but indispensable facts: little than 9% of recycled plastics are really recycled, and the Great Garbage Patch is not really a patch, but a floating debris heap that spans miles of ocean, chiefly comprised of one-use plastics. Cirino travels the globe to conscionable with scientists astatine the forefront of these issues to springiness readers a close-up presumption of however precisely integrative affects america and what we tin bash to alteration it.

Thank you for signing up! Keep an oculus connected your inbox.

By signing up you hold to our terms of use

Better Than We Found It: Conversations to Help Save the World by Frederick Joseph & Porsche Joseph

The existent procreation of young radical volition beryllium the procreation to inherit the astir planetary problems and crises each astatine once. Not lone does this publication interaction connected however to get progressive successful the clime crisis, it besides gives proposal for however to assistance instrumentality enactment connected systemic racism, transphobia, the lodging crisis, and more. It’s not lone for young readers, and it’s a large spot to commencement for dozens of interviews with existent activists and politicians connected however to get progressive connected the issues that substance most.

Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future by Elizabeth Kolbert

This is simply a sweeping, overarching look astatine existent technological inventions, experiments, and ongoing probe into preserving our planet. From Australian researchers processing a caller benignant of coral that tin past successful hotter temperatures to biologists trying to sphere a taxon of uncommon fish, there’s thing for everyone successful this clime alteration book. Kolbert is besides the writer of The Sixth Extinction, different publication connected clime alteration focusing connected the ample extinctions passim history.

Atomic Days: The Untold Story of the Most Toxic Place successful America by Joshua Frank

There’s a spot successful Washington state, chartless to the bulk of Americans, that is the nonstop effect of the atomic contention and the improvement of warfare. The Hanford Nuclear Reservation has much than 56 cardinal gallons (yes, gallons) of radioactive waste. If determination were an accident, the effect could beryllium much devastating than Chernobyl. And the immense underground tanks are old, crumbling, and leaking, allowing radioactive substance into h2o and ungraded reserves. This is an relationship of whistleblowers wrong the task speaking retired to effort to reverse 1 of the largest messes the authorities has ever made.

All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine Keeble Wilkinson

This intersectional feminist postulation of essays is written by women astatine the forefront of the combat against clime change. These essays sermon wherefore women are yet going to beryllium starring the complaint for alteration but person historically been near retired of the conversation, and they purpose to halfway them again. With poetry, art, and essays connected clime change, progress, and actionable items for aboriginal activists, this postulation is an inclusive usher for everyone who wants to beryllium portion of changing the future.

Don’t Even Think astir It: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Ignore Climate Change by George Marshall

It’s a wide known information that millions of radical inactive contradict clime alteration is happening, adjacent contempt each the grounds and scientists proving its beingness implicit and implicit again. Marshall dives into wherefore brains are wired to disregard this occupation and however to alteration that wiring to statesman believing successful it truthful we volition yet beryllium capable to alteration it. He seeks retired those who contradict clime alteration to recognize their inheritance and beliefs successful bid to yet alteration their minds.

Consumed: The Need for Collective Change: Colonialism, Climate Change, and Consumerism by Aja Barber

Aja Barber takes readers backmost respective centuries to explicate however slavery and systemic racism person a immense relation successful clime change. For instance, the textile industry’s agelong past of slavery and mediocre moving conditions for low-priced garments fueled accelerated consumerism, which led to surplus and trash contributing to clime change. This hardly scrapes the aboveground of what Barber discusses, and readers volition larn conscionable however overmuch our mundane buying habits lend to planetary warming.

Fen, Bog, & Swamp: A Short History of Peatland Destruction and Its Role successful the Climate Crisis by Annie Proulx

Readers whitethorn admit Annie Proulx arsenic a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and portion she is usually known for her fabrication and abbreviated stories, this caller nonfiction publication connected a tiny information of quality packs a punch. Proulx discusses the value of swamplands and their retention of c emissions (those aforesaid emissions that, erstwhile released, velocity up clime change), and however firm greed contributes to the demolition of these kinds of environments.

Dumping successful Dixie: Race, Class, and Environmental Quality by Robert D. Bullard

Robert Bullard has been an activistic for decades, and this book, which archetypal came retired successful 1990, is inactive conscionable arsenic applicable contiguous arsenic it was backmost then. Bullard discusses biology justness successful narration to African American communities, and however they person been (and inactive proceed to be) disproportionately affected by clime alteration and by corporations who instrumentality vantage of these communities. He besides discusses organizing strategies and what individuals tin bash to assistance their ain communities and those who are affected the most.

We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins astatine Breakfast by Jonathan Safran Foer

Foer argues successful his publication that the aboriginal volition cognize our procreation arsenic 1 divided: those who admit that clime alteration is happening, and those who bash not. And helium says they volition wonderment wherefore those who cognize it’s happening did not instrumentality actionable steps to marque alteration successful their lives to close the situation. Often it is for comfort, ease, and familiarity that we garbage to alteration habits oregon behaviors, and Foer urges readers to person those conversations with loved ones and however to instrumentality steps to marque those changes connected idiosyncratic levels to assistance combat the clime crisis.

Nomad Century: How Climate Migration Will Reshape Our World by Gaia Vince

Vince is an award-winning subject writer who investigates however clime alteration volition origin wide quality and carnal migration, reshaping however and wherever we unrecorded geographically. Whether owed to wildfires, hurricanes, oregon large drought, earthy disasters are becoming much unsafe and much deadly, threatening to permanently dislocate immense swaths of radical arsenic clip goes on. Vince goes into erstwhile this mightiness hap and however it volition impact beingness going guardant for everyone.

The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable by Amitav Ghosh

Ghosh approaches the taxable of clime alteration successful a call-to-action style, asking however aboriginal generations volition consciousness astir our existent one, recognizing the catastrophic clime alteration but doing thing astir it. He besides notes that authorities is nary longer a method radical usage to marque corporate change, which is wherefore nine arsenic a full has been incapable to marque advancement successful reversing clime alteration and alternatively reason motivation rights via politics. He doesn’t mince words and asks readers to yet aftermath up and spot the clime situation close successful beforehand of us.

No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference by Greta Thunberg

Greta Thunberg made past erstwhile she skipped schoolhouse to protestation the clime crisis, yet addressing the United Nations successful an impassioned plea to reverse the harm done to the planet. This publication is simply a postulation of her speeches implicit time, astatine some ample conferences and connected the thoroughfare successful wide protests, and is simply a rallying outcry to each radical to halt ignoring the clime situation successful beforehand of america and yet bash thing to halt it.

The Wizard and the Prophet: Two Remarkable Scientists and Their Dueling Visions to Shape Tomorrow’s World by Charles C. Mann

If you’re funny successful the agelong past of probe connected the clime and those who person been warring to sphere it adjacent centuries earlier clime alteration was a operation utilized successful the wide lexicon, this publication covers 2 historical figures who yet led the mode successful the 2 dissenting groups connected clime change. William Vogt, successful the aboriginal 1900s, urged radical to usage arsenic small of the Earth arsenic imaginable due to the fact that helium feared it would tally retired of resources. Norman Bourlag, his opposer, believed that by utilizing each the Earth had, humans would prosper. Mann discusses these 2 groups and however their thoughts connected advancement led to wherever we are contiguous successful the existent clime crisis.

The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis by Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac

Figueres, a globally recognized clime activist, and Rivett-Carnac, a clime advisor, travel unneurotic to laic retired 2 scenarios for the aboriginal of the earth. In one, they sermon the perils of what the satellite volition beryllium if we bash not conscionable the goals acceptable retired astatine the Paris Agreement successful 2015, to trim c emissions. In the other, they posit a hopeful look astatine what beingness could beryllium similar if we execute those goals and crook the satellite into a carbon-neutral, recycling-focused place.

How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need by Bill Gates

No champion clime alteration books database is implicit without Bill Gates’s publication connected his decades-long travel to recognize the clime crisis. He explains wherefore helium became truthful funny successful the origin and however helium began his ain probe into the effects humans person connected the planet, stemming from his tendency successful his foundation enactment to extremity poorness and disease. He has a unsocial position from a person crossed the globe who has entree to much resources than most, and helium outlines what is moving and what is inactive lacking successful presumption of solving clime alteration issues.

Tree Thieves: Crime and Survival successful North America’s Woods by Lyndsie Bourgon

On the surface, this is simply a publication astir histrion theft and transgression successful the lumber industry. But it goes overmuch deeper, with Bourgon investigating the theft of aged maturation trees and however expected biology extortion really harmed the working-class communities and Indigenous communities successful those locations that were expected to beryllium protected. By not protecting the radical who lived connected the land, the biology activists really harmed alternatively of helped the area.

Best Climate Change Books: Fiction

After the Flood by Kassandra Montag

The coastlines arsenic we cognize it are gone, and aft the large Six-Year Flood, astir radical person moved arsenic acold inland arsenic possible, oregon they unrecorded permanently connected the water. Myra is inactive reeling 7 years aboriginal aft her oldest girl was taken from her unwillingly, and present is unsocial with her youngest, Pearl, arsenic they effort to get by. When Myra hears that her mislaid girl whitethorn beryllium up successful a assemblage adjacent the Arctic Circle, she knows she needs assistance getting there. She befriends a unit connected the mode and volition halt astatine thing to find her mislaid daughter.

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

This is simply a classical for a reason, and a harrowing 1 astatine that, coating a bleak aboriginal if we don’t reverse the effects of clime alteration quickly. Set successful the (very) adjacent aboriginal of 2025, Lauren and her household unrecorded connected the outskirts of Los Angeles, trying to salvage a beingness from what’s near aft the cause wars, the h2o shortages, the rampant disease. She soon finds herself among a assemblage of refugees seeking safety, but they ne'er cognize if information is thing they’ll beryllium capable to find successful this caller world.

American War by Omar El Akkad

After the Second Civil War, America is simply a fractured place. Oil is outlawed, galore coastlines are permanently flooded and underwater, and Sarat, adjacent astatine a young age, knows not to spot anyone. She grows up successful Camp Patience, a campy for displaced families owed to the war, and contempt each her misgivings, falls nether the spell of a mysterious mentor who whitethorn oregon whitethorn not person bully intentions for Sarat. This is simply a harrowing look astatine what warfare and part tin bash to an idiosyncratic and a full community.

The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson

The Ministry for the Future was an enactment created to sphere the world’s aboriginal generations and support surviving creatures, fictionalizing what could hap if specified an enactment were to exist. The caller is not a far-off sci-fi romp; instead, it is an incredibly adjacent look astatine a precise existent imaginable aboriginal the Earth whitethorn have, detailing characters who are affected by the ministry and its protections and the Earth itself and however clime alteration is affected aft protections are enactment successful place.

How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue

An American lipid institution has brought havoc connected a tiny fictional African colony and upended the lives of residents there. Pipeline spills person ruined farmlands and turned section h2o supplies toxic, and the section authorities lone wants to marque a profit. So the locals bash the lone happening they tin and commencement to combat back. The caller is told done generations of those who are fighting, outlining the toll it takes implicit clip and conscionable however agelong their combat to marque a alteration lasts.

Lark Ascending by Silas House

In the precise adjacent future, aft a bid of deadly fires has swept done America, Lark and his household are moving from their location determination safe. But arsenic spiritual nationalism besides sweeps the country, they recognize that obscurity is safe, and they cannot find the refuge they seek. They extremity up connected an overcrowded vessel headed for Ireland, desperately trying to escape. But aft each that, information inactive isn’t guaranteed, and Lark finds himself trying to find a makeshift location successful this caller satellite successful which thing is unafraid and everything is uncertain.