5 Inspiring + Hopeful Books To Learn About Climate Change
If you're wanting to learn more about climate change, reading a good book is a great place to start. However I wouldn't suggest picking up just any climate book because many of the books out there on climate change can be dry at best and depressing at worst. I think instead it's really important to not only share the facts about climate change but to pair that with hope and optimism. Without that critical component of hope & optimism it's much harder to actually make change in our lives and take inspired action and easier to bury our head in the sand and continue on with our lives (been there). That's why I highly recommend starting your climate journey with these 5 inspiring & hopeful books about climate change. I love all of these books because they teach you a lot about climate change but also the solutions and mindset shift required to be a part of those solutions. I left each one feeling motivated and inspired to learn more and do more. Give all 5 a read or just start with one - go at your own pace. I hope you'll find these reads as inspiring as I did - let me know in the comments!
by Paul Hawken
This is an essential read to learn about not just the climate crisis but more importantly the solutions we have available at both the micro and macro levels to solve it. To me, it's just plain depressing to talk about climate change without also talking about the very real solutions that exist and the even better future we can create. If you like Project Drawdown - add Paul's latest book Regeneration to your reading list next.
by Anne Therese Gennari
To say I love this book is an understatement. If you've already spent some time learning about the climate crisis and are finding yourself feeling low or overwhelmed or angry by the weight of it all- this is the book for you. To be honest I think all climate activists go through this at some point, I know I have, which is why I think this is an essential read for any eco activist.
by Katherine Hayhoe
Katherine Hayhoe is one of the best climate communicators out there...if not THE best. She knows her stuff and is an actual climate scientist but has such a finesse for communicating about the climate crisis in a way that all of us can understand with or without a science degree. While she does cover a lot about climate change in the book she also spends a lot of time on what she can teach like no one else: how to talk about climate change. You'll feel so much more confident in your work as an activist or simply just a concerned human so pick up a copy, give it a read, think about it, share it with a friend, and most importantly - talk about it.
by Rebecca Solnit & Thelma Young Lutunatabua
I love collected essay books like this because it's easy to just pick up and read whenever you need a boost rather than having to read the whole thing in one go. The central message of this collection of essays is to turn away from either empty optimism or the passivity of despair about the climate crisis, and to know that it is possible to turn things around. It does an excellent job of collecting different points of view yet pointing still to the beacon of hope that still exists today - the simple fact that it is not too late to halt climate change but only if we act now.
by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson & Katherine K Wilkinson
This book is one of the first I ever read when I was getting involved in climate activism and I continuously return to it years later. A beautiful collection of essays by inspiring women involved in all aspects of the fight against climate change from scientists to community activists and everything in between. All of these women provide their own personal stories & ideas for how we can radically reshape society and heal our climate. Whenever I need a boost of motivation and want to be reminded of why continue in the fight against climate change, this is the book I pick up time and time again.
I hope you'll find these books as inspiring as I do! Let me know in the comments.
P.S. Did you know Amazon is one of the biggest polluters in the world? Shop all of these & more at my favorite independent retailer for books that's far more eco friendly, Bookshop.org, or borrow a copy from the local library.
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