We picked 10 specific books that address climate challenges and environmental issues. For your next sustainability book club, we highly recommend these books that give you perspective on how these current issues impact our lives and what actions we can take. Put on your reading glasses, and let’s get into it.

1. How to Avoid a Climate Disaster - Bill Gates (2021)

Bill Gates brings us into his studying of a decade investigating climate change - what causes them and how we are affected. He starts by describing the exact challenges our planet and we are facing then shares what needs to be done to stop the environmental disaster. Not only focusing on specific objects, the book includes a big picture, longer-term initiatives to be done on both individual and government or entity level. Read More

2. Circular Fashion - Peggy Blum (2021)

Peggy Blum’s Circular Fashion is for anyone who loves fashion. Fashion being the second leading cause to waste and pollution, the book dives into specific case studies of fashion companies that are on a mission to create more ethical and low-impact clothing cycles. From business decisions to a detailed breakdown of the production process of the supply chain, this book will equip you with what circular fashion really means. Read More

3. Net Positive - Paul Polman & Andrew Winston (2021)

In a world full of climate challenges and inequality, there are companies remaining “net positive,” in efforts to better the situation. Former ​​Unilever CEO Paul Polman and Andrew Winston, an expert in green business, take us through a journey of how companies can profit and help the environment at the same time. Read More

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4. Unraveled - Maxine Bedat (2021)

Maxine Bedat’s Unraveled uncovers the lifecycle of a pair of jeans from birth to death. In the process, the book touches upon the issues in the global supply chain. What really happens for consumers to get their new pair of jeans? How does it impact us, society, and the environment? This deeply researched book will give you profound insight into our jeans. Read More

5. Green Swans: The Coming Boom in Regenerative Capitalism - John Elkington (2020)

The title of the book is derived from Nassim Nicholas Taleb's "Black Swans" which talks about the new forms of capitalism for the twenty-first century. The author's "Green Swans" refers to the solutions that may be able to breakthrough the environmental problems in the coming years - the system that will change to serve all people, planet and properity. The book includes real-world examples and technologies that may turn into the world-saving solutions - "Green Swans". Read More

6. How Bad Are Bananas? - Mike Berners-Lee - (updated in 2022)

Have you ever wondered what your carbon footprint is? What impact does your breakfast, your clothes, your lifestyle really have on our environment? Most importantly, how can we reduce our day-to-day carbon footprint? This book tells you how to from your purchasing decisions to overall green lifestyle choices.  Read More

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7. Grow Food For Free - Huw Richards (2020)

This gardening book shows you how you can plant fruits and vegetables at home without spending a penny. Grow your own food in your home garden, acreage or container, and look forward to a bountiful harvest year-round. Read More

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8. Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things - William McDonough and Michael Braungart (2002)

Architect William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart presented an integration of design and science that provides enduring benefits for society from safe materials, water and energy in circular economies and eliminates the concept of waste. Instead of the promoting traditional "reduce reuse recycle" methods, the authors call for a "cradle to cradle" approach, which encourages the manufacture of products with the goal of upcycling in mind. Read More

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9. Climate Justice: Hope, Resilience, and the Fight for a Sustainable Future - Mary Robinson (2019)

Former President of Ireland Mary Robinson's mission to bring together the fight against climate change and the global struggle for human rights has taken her all over the world. It also brought her to a heartening revelation: that that an irrepressible driving force in the battle for climate justice could be found at the grassroots level, mainly among women. Robinson shares these deeply powerful stories and provides a hopeful perspective to the most pressing humanitarian issues of our time. Read More

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10. How To Give Up Plastic: A Guide to Changing the World, One Plastic Bottle at a Time - Will McCallum (2019)

Will McCallum, a Greenpeace activist, teaches you how to spot disposable plastic items and find plastic-free, sustainable alternatives to each one. The author also provides facts about global plastic consumption and anecdotes from activists around the world. This way, you'll be better equipped to advocate for businesses and countries to commit to eliminating disposable plastics for good. Read More

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