3 Sustainable Summer Beach Reads

Need a Summer beach read? Check out Future’s top three eye-opening books on sustainability.

P.S - Producing a book emits an average of 2.7 kilograms of CO2. To reduce your carbon footprint make sure the books on your shelves don’t just sit and collect dust. Buy second-hand, borrow from your local library or share your books with others. If you do want to buy a new copy check out Bookshop.org, a B Corp-certified online bookstore that supports local independent booksellers (links provided with each book).

For more information about the environmental costs of publishing and producing books, check out this article. 

1. The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells

This straightforward and thorough travelog envisions the potential consequences of a warmer world. Wallace-Wells imagines various scenarios corresponding to temperature increases from 2 - 8°C. He explores the potential environmental impact of climate change as well as the transformational changes to global politics, economics, culture and technology. 

• For an explanatory and clear introduction to the current climate crisis, see The No-Nonsense Guide to Climate Change: The Science, the Solutions, the Way Forward by Danny Chivers. 

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2. Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming edited by Paul Hawken

This comprehensive framework condenses the work of an international coalition of climate researchers and scientists to break down proposed strategies to reduce global emissions. Combining both well-known strategies and less intuitive approaches, this book explores the potential path forward for individuals, communities, businesses and governments. 

• For an additional extensive action plan with noteworthy interviews, check out Speed & Scale: A Global Action Plan for Solving Our Climate Crisis Now by John Doerr
  

3. This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate by Naomi Klein

In this passionate text, Klein argues that the degradation of our environment is directly linked to profits gained from the over-use of non-renewable materials. More simply, the climate crisis is a result of capitalism. This radical and thought-provoking book will certainly make you question everything, and then offer political guidelines for the future. 

• Look into Klein’s more recent On Fire: The (Burning) Case for the Green New Deal,an exploration into political strategies for addressing the climate crisis. For an economic perspective, check out Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist by Kate Raworth. 

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