Biblio File
Urgent, Hopeful Reads for Earth Day
Thinking about our planet and threats to it can be overwhelming, but there's no better day than Earth Day to decide to learn more about the impact we have on the environment and the work being done by scientists and activists to ensure our planet's future. Below are recent titles, all published within the last few years, that cover a variety of environmental topics including climate change, environmental justice, plastic waste, and sustainable food and clothing. Check one out today!
Looking for more? Also see recommendations in this blog post: These Books Show Why Earth Day Matters.
Climate Justice: Hope, Resilience, and the Fight for a Sustainable Future by Mary Robinson with Caitríona Palmer
A former president of Ireland and U.S. special envoy on climate change describes the impact of climate change and offers uplifting stories of ordinary people who have stepped up to help save our planet, including a Mississippi hair dresser and a Ugandan farmer.
Hacking Planet Earth: How Geoengineering Can Help Us Reimagine the Future by Thomas Kostigen
New York Times bestselling author Thomas Kostigen takes readers to the frontlines of geoengineering projects that scientists, entrepreneurs, engineers, and other visionaries around the world are developing to solve the problems associated with climate change. From giant parasols hovering above the Earth to shield us from an unforgiving sun, to lasers shooting up into clouds to coax out much-needed water, Kostigen introduces readers to this inspiring work and the people who are spearheading it. These futurist, far- thinking, world-changing ideas will save us, and Hacking Planet Earth offers readers their new vision for the future.
How To Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need by Bill Gates
In this urgent, authoritative book, Bill Gates sets out a wide-ranging, practical—and accessible— plan for how the world can get to zero greenhouse gas emissions in time to avoid a climate catastrophe. The technologist, business leader and philanthropist who founded Microsoft draws on the input of experts in physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, political science and finance to create an accessible, concrete plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and avoid certain environmental disaster.
Waste: One Woman's Fight Against America's Dirty Secret by Catherine Coleman Flowers
The Equal Justice Initiative’s “Erin Brockovich of Sewage” traces her evolution as an activist and the growing environmental justice movement on behalf of rural Americans whose are losing access to basic sanitation because of racism, poverty and climate change.
No One Is Too Small To Make a Difference by Greta Thunberg
In August 2018 a fifteen-year-old Swedish girl, Greta Thunberg, decided not to go to school one day in order to protest the climate crisis. Her actions sparked a global movement, inspiring millions of students to go on strike for our planet, forcing governments to listen, and earning her a Nobel Peace Prize nomination. No One Is Too Small to Make A Difference brings you Greta in her own words, for the first time. Collecting her speeches that have made history across the globe, from the United Nations to Capitol Hill and mass street protests, her book is a rallying cry for why we must all wake up and fight to protect the living planet, no matter how powerless we feel.
The Climate Diet: 50 Simple Ways to Trim Your Carbon Footprint by Paul Greenberg
The author of the James Beard Award-winning best-seller Four Fish and American Catch offers a practical guide for daily living that supports the health of our planet through modifying how we eat, live at home, travel and lobby for change.
Losing Earth: A Recent History by Nathaniel Rich
A groundbreaking account of the failures that prevented the world from committing to taking measures against climate change documents key negotiations against a backdrop of 1980s history while explaining what the choices of the past mean for today's world.
As Long As Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight For Environmental Justice From Colonization to Standing Rock by Dina Gilio-Whitaker
An indigenous researcher and activist provides a history of native people's resistance to government and corporate incursions on their lands through the centuries, from the beginning of European colonization to the 2016 pipeline protest at Standing Rock.
Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes by Dana Thomas
An investigation into the lesser-known consequences of the mass-clothing industry by the author of the best-selling Deluxe shares insights into the grassroots, global movement to reclaim traditional and sustainable means of clothing production.
No Planet B: A Teen Vogue Guide to the Climate Crisis edited by Lucy Diavolo
No Planet B is an essential collection of Teen Vogue contributions on climate justice that makes an urgent argument for intersectional activism. Teen Vogue, the fresh voice for a generation of activists, curates a dynamic collection of timely pieces on the climate justice movement. With accessible, concise explanations of the causes of climate change and cutting-edge essays urging an intersectional approach to environmental issues this is a vital handbook for the growing climate justice movement.
The Day the World Stops Shopping: How Ending Consumerism Saves the Environment and Ourselves by J.B. MacKinnon
Consuming less is our best strategy for saving the planet-but can we do it? In this thoughtful and surprisingly optimistic book, journalist J.B. MacKinnon investigates how we might achieve a world without shopping
Plastic Free: The Inspiring Story of a Global Environmental Movement and Why It Matters by Rebecca Prince-Ruiz and Joanna Atherfold Finn
This book explores how one of the world’s leading environmental campaigns took off and shares lessons from its success. From narrating marine-debris research expeditions to tracking what actually happens to our waste to sharing insights from behavioral research, it speaks to the massive scale of the plastic waste problem and how we can tackle it together. Interweaving interviews from participants, activists, and experts, Plastic Free tells the inspiring story of how ordinary people have created change in their homes, communities, workplaces, schools, businesses, and beyond.
Our Only Home: A Climate Appeal to the World by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Franz, translated by Peter Reif
An appeal for environmental action by the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and spiritual leader of Tibet urges decision-makers to fight climate change ignorance while encouraging younger readers to assert their right to a climate-friendly future.
Earth Day and the Environmental Movement: Standing Up for Earth by Christy Peterson
A historical look at the launch of Earth Day and a look at the global environmental movement that has sprung from it,
Animal, Vegetable, Junk: A History of Food, From Sustainable to Suicidal by Mark Bittman
In Animal, Vegetable, Junk, trusted food authority Mark Bittman offers a panoramic view of how the frenzy for food has driven human history to some of its most catastrophic moments, from slavery and colonialism to famine and genocide&;and to our current moment, wherein Big Food exacerbates climate change, plunders our planet, and sickens its people. Even still, Bittman refuses to concede that the battle is lost, pointing to activists, workers, and governments around the world who are choosing well-being over corporate greed and gluttony, and fighting to free society from Big Food's grip.
Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.
Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!
Summaries provided via NYPL’s catalog, which draws from multiple sources. Click through to each book’s title for more.
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