Saving a warming planet:

11 books that shape our perspective

Climate change is a vast and complex topic. In our quest to understand it, we set out to read as much thoughtful content as possible. While no single book can cover all perspectives, this list of books has helped inform our views of how society can solve the climate crisis.

We curated this list to be (mostly) optimistic, but realistic, about our future. Both private enterprise and government will require significant re-wiring to tackle the climate problem over the coming decades. These books present multiple visions for how that can be achieved — as well as damning perspectives for what happens if we fail to act.

Getting started: Climate change 101

Because climate change is an intersectional topic — ranging from biodiversity and weather to the structure of our economy and government — it can be difficult to gain a basic understanding of it. This book provides an approachable primer on the underlying science and how we as humans are directly changing the world around us.

Climate Change: What Everyone Needs To Know by Joseph Romm (268 fact-filled pages)

• Why we like it: Dr. Romm’s fact-based, scientific understanding of how our world is changing, along with humans’ role in that change, is critical to understanding the climate crisis. (Review)

Our current path: What happens if we don’t act

The science is clear: the consequences of further climate inaction, of status quo and “business as usual,” are stark. These eye-opening books share how we have already altered our world and how the status quo poses a continued threat to life on our planet.

The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert (272 dwindling pages)

• Why we like it: Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring helped spark the modern environmental movement when it was published in 1962. This Pulitzer Prize-winning narrative picks up that mantle, inspiring us to consider the profound damage we’re causing to the natural world during the Anthropocene. (Al Gore’s review for the NYT.)

The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming by David Wallace-Wells (237 dystopian pages)

• Why we like it: David Wallace-Wells projects in graphic detail the worst possible scenarios for life on planet earth if we fail to act. Although it isn’t an uplifting read, this book does serve a purpose in illustrating just how existential this crisis is. (NYT’s review.)

Reframing the narrative: The myths that brought us here

Centuries of an extraction-based economy and decades of climate change denial have warped our relationship with the planet and destroyed the balance between homo sapiens sapiens and nature. These introspective books highlight the pressing need to reconsider our human-centric perspective.

The Overstory by Richard Powers (502 beautifully written pages)

• Why we like it: We’ll never look at a tree the same way. Equal parts art, science, history, and philosophy, The Overstory employs the ubiquitous tree (including our favorite, Sequoia Sempervirens) to hold a mirror up to our own species, exposing the durability of our faults and the frailty of our economic systems. (The Atlantic’s review.)

Ishmael by Daniel Quinn (266 contemplative pages)

• Why we like it: Quinn uses the Socratic method to challenge dominant cultural myths and helps reframe humanity’s journey from the agricultural revolution to today’s post-industrial society — laying clear the unsustainable path we are on.

System failure: Why the “free market” alone won’t solve this problem

Our current economic, political, and information systems are not equipped to solve the climate crisis that they created. They need to be retooled and reimagined to consider broader measures of societal well-being rather than a simple maximization of short-term profits. These books diagnose the causes of our society’s failure to address the climate crisis.

This Changes Everything — Capitalism vs. The Climate by Naomi Klein (466 incriminating pages)

• Why we like it: While we don’t agree with every page of this New York Times bestseller, we are convinced by Klein’s central argument: individual sacrifice alone will not ameliorate the damage we’ve done to the planet. Rather, any solution will require the uncomfortable step of changing the structure of our economic and political systems. (NYT’s review.)

Merchants of Doubt by Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway (274 investigative pages)

• Why we like it: What do cigarettes, acid rain, and climate change have in common? A small group of discredited scientists were paid by corporations to sow public doubt about the negative effects of each. By chronicling that effort in climate change, this book demonstrates the vulnerability of our societal norms and rules, and illustrates what happens when those systems are taken advantage of. (It’s also been made into a movie.) (NYT’s review.)

A path forward: Solutions to the present crisis

The climate crisis was caused by humans, and we alone hold the key to solving it. To halt and reverse the processes that are destroying the planet, we need to consider rapid societal restructuring and embrace technological change. These books show how we can begin to correct course.

Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever to Reverse Global Warming (225 intriguing pages)

• Why we like it: This coffee-table read keeps the reader engaged with a mix of fun facts and detailed analysis. Drawdown shows us that climate change will not be solved by a single silver bullet, but will rather require large-scale change across dozens of industries. (Review)

Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman by Yvon Choinard (231 pathfinding pages)

• Why we like it: Yvon Chouinard’s ‘how-to’ guide for Patagonia’s employees provides a living case study for how values can create value. Building a more sustainable and purpose-driven company can serve as a template for doing the same with capitalism more broadly. (Review)

A brighter future: Why we have hope

The existential nature of this crisis should energize us all to preserve our collective home. If we wish to live on a stable planet, the time for collective action is now. These books highlight heroes on the frontlines, inspiring us all to join the fight to save our planet and form a more just and equitable society in the process.

Climate Justice: Hope, Resilience, and the Fight for a Sustainable Future by Mary Robinson (144 inspiring pages)

• Why we like it: Mary Robinson compiles powerful stories that highlight how homeless hurricane survivors and drought-stricken subsistence farmers were able to harness the power of their personal narratives to drive change. It invites all of us to consider our individual role in this fight. (Review)

All We Can Save (374 hopeful pages)

• Why we like it: This brilliant collection of essays is one of the best invitations to join the climate movement that we’ve seen. The diversity of perspectives and professions represented in these pages makes it clear that we each have a unique role to play in solving the climate crisis. (Review)

Should you wish to purchase any of these books, please consider ordering from your local bookstore.