10 Reads to Understand the Climate Crisis and Learn about Solutions
Written by Nikhil Kamath
Climate change affects all our lives across the world in many different ways. Developing an understanding of what the climate crisis is, the ecological threat it poses and the solutions available to us can be an overwhelming job. Having worked in climate action and sustainability for a good part of the last 7 years, I have realised that you always have to stay updated with what’s happening around you as well as collect as much knowledge as possible about the basics.
While you will find hundreds of resources to learn from online, I find books to still be the best resources available to learn from. Not coming from a scientific background, reading books on climate change, sustainable living and the solutions available to mitigate the effects of climate change has helped me a lot to enhance my knowledge.
Here’s a list of some books that I recommend for everyone, from a novice to an expert!
1. The Most Important Comic Book on Earth by Rewriting Extinction
The Most Important Comic Book On Earth is an apt name for this one as this comic book is a collection of stories to save the world. The book is divided into 4 chapters with stories of changing the system, protecting the world, restoring the damage and inspiring & educating. Some of the stories have been developed with the likes of Ricky Gervais, Dame Judi Dench, Taika Waititi, Sir Ian Mckellen, Andy Serkis etc. Every story from this book is hard-hitting and makes you as a reader think of how you as a reader can contribute to shaping the future of the world. Some stories also give a view of the future and what will happen if we don't take action on the climate emergency.
Find it on Amazon
2. Bare Necessities: How to Live a Zero Waste Life by Sahar Mansoor & Tim de Ridder
For everyone who wants to learn about or adopt a zero waste life, I recommend you read this amazing book. This book is an easy-to-use guide that equips you with the tools to make positive changes to your life and the environment. I like the fact that the book is divided into different sections like Personal Care, Closet, Kitchen, Home Care etc. Filled with activities, insights, recipes, tips and how-to guides, it is a must-read for anyone wanting to make a difference.
Find it on Amazon
3. Green Humour for a Greying Planet by Rohan Chakravarty
Green Humour For A Greying Planet is a curation of gag cartoons and comic strips based exclusively on wildlife and nature, perhaps the first of its kind. At a time when global warming, wildlife crimes and man-animal conflicts are at their worst, 'Green Humour' is sure to provide its readers some much needed comic relief. A comprehensive and satirical take on various aspects of the natural world and the threats to its conservation, this book will appeal to both the scientifically inclined readers as well as the general readers.
Find it on Amazon
4. Unearthed: An Environmental History of Independent India by Meghaa Gupta
From the Green Revolution to the National Action Plan on Climate Change, Unearthed: An Environmental History of Independent India chronicles the country's historical movements and significant green missions since 1947. The book starts with a newly independent lndia and its hunger for growth and development. The author then introduces us to various milestone events in the history of India, like the Green Revolution or the White Revolution and its underlying harmful effects on the environment. The book also talks about major negative events in Indian history like the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, Uranium Poisoning in Punjab, the Yellowing of the Taj Mahal, Delhi's air pollution etc. Towards the end, the author also sheds light on the various programs undertaken by the government to combat climate change and the ambitious targets it has set. The book also highlights the profiles of many environmentalists, activists and scientists who have played a key role in India's environmental history.
Find it on Amazon
5. I’m a Climate Optimist by Aakash Ranison
A book that sums up how different industries contribute to the crisis, it also provides the readers with different resources and solutions that they can adopt in their daily lives. 'I'm A Climate Optimist' brings forward a message that even while climate change is like a horror story, there is still hope and if we act on the solutions we have, we might just be able to mitigate the ill‑effects of it. Climate change is mostly talked about in a very technical language and is full of jargon like "Climate Emergency, Carbon Neutral, Carbon Positive, Net-Zero, Below 2°C" which the majority of people don't understand. This book focuses on simplifying climate change and sustainability so that everyone can understand and take action toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. If we learn to make conscious decisions regarding our consumption habits, we surely can get closer to achieving the target agreed upon in the landmark Paris Agreement.
Find it on Penguin
6. All We Can Save by Ayana Johnson and Katharine Wilkinson
“This book contains provocative and illuminating essays from women at the forefront of the climate movement who are harnessing truth, courage, and solutions to lead humanity forward. All We Can Save illuminates the expertise and insights of dozens of diverse women leading on climate in the United States--scientists, journalists, farmers, lawyers, teachers, activists, innovators, and designers, across generations, geographies, and race--and aims to advance a more representative, nuanced, and solution-oriented public conversation on the climate crisis. These women offer a spectrum of ideas and insights for how we can rapidly, radically reshape society.”
Find it on Amazon
7. No One Is Too Small To Make A Difference by Greta Thunberg
A collection of speeches of climate activist Greta Thunberg from September 2018 to September 2019. This book also contains the famous "How Dare You" speech from the September 2019 UN General Assembly. All the speeches are powerful and based on hard facts. While the speeches throughout this book seem repetitive, they have been delivered to different audiences. Despite being delivered on separate occasions, what sets these speeches apart is their remarkable feature of consistently updating the facts presented within them. Tackling climate change is an urgent crisis of our era, demanding collective contributions from all. Through her speeches, Greta attempts to inspire the youth and mobilise them to hold those in power accountable for their actions.
Find it on Amazon
8. Everything That Rises: A Climate Change Memoir by Brianna Craft
“Nineteen-year-old Brianna Craft is having a panic attack. A professor’s matter-of-fact explanation of the phenomenon known as “climate change” has her white-knuckling the table in her first environmental studies lecture. This moment changed everything for Brianna. For her first internship, she jumped at the chance to assist the Least Developed Countries Group at the United Nations’ negotiations meant to produce a new climate treaty. While working for those most ignored yet most impacted by the climate crisis, she grappled with the negligent indifference of those who hold the most power. This dynamic painfully reminded her of growing up in a house where the loudest voice always won and violence silenced those in need. Authentic and inspiring, Everything That Rises personalizes the realities of climate change by paralleling our relationship to the planet with the way we interact within our own homes.”
Find it on Amazon
9. How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates
In this book, Bill Gates explains why he cares so deeply about climate change and what makes him optimistic that the world can prevent the worst impacts of the climate crisis. If you’re looking to understand the basics of climate change, then this is the book you should pick up. Throughout the book, all the aspects around the climate crisis have been taken into account and solutions have been suggested on how countries can come together and collectively work to develop solutions. Even though the book is technologically-inclined, Bill Gates does give due importance to the economic and commercial aspects as well.
Find it on Amazon
The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
If you’re looking for some climate fiction, then this one’s the book for you!
From legendary science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson comes a vision of climate change unlike any ever imagined. Told entirely through fictional eye-witness accounts, The Ministry for the Future is a masterpiece of the imagination, the story of how climate change will affect us all over the decades to come. Its setting is not a desolate, post-apocalyptic world, but a future that is almost upon us—and in which we might just overcome the extraordinary challenges we face.
It is a novel both immediate and impactful, desperate and hopeful in equal measure, and it is one of the most powerful and original books on climate change ever written.
Find it on Amazon
BONUS FEATURE: It’s Not Just You by Tori Tsui
This one comes from one of our fellow members at AEYN!!
The term ‘eco-anxiety’ has been popularised as a way to talk about the negative impact of the climate emergency on our wellbeing. In It’s Not Just You, activist Tori Tsui reframes eco-anxiety as the urgent mental health crisis it clearly is. Drawing on the wisdom of environmental advocates from around the globe, Tori looks to those on the frontlines of eco-activism to demonstrate that the current climate-related mental health struggle goes beyond the climate itself. Instead, it is a struggle that encompasses many injustices and is deeply entrenched in systems such as racism, sexism, ableism and, above all, capitalism.
Find it on Amazon
