Experts Tell Us the Best Books On Climate Change Solutions

As a techie, Bill Gates has been part of my life forever so it should come as no surprise that ‘How to Avoid a Climate Disaster’ is the first book that comes to mind for me. Recently released, it really cuts to the heart of what we, both as a society and as individuals, need to do in order to guarantee not just a clean future but a future at all for humanity.

Michael Crichton, same author that wrote Jurassic Park, did a great job blending factual information on climate change, including lots of charts and numerical data, with a spy/thriller plot. It’s both entertaining and educational as a group of extremists environmentalists set out to cause global disaster and push their agenda only to be thwarted by a genius professor/secret agent, his army sidekick and a philanthropist, his lawyer, and high functioning secretary!

Sir David Attenborough has witnessed the plight of our planet over the course of over 90 years and is perfectly positioned to give his expert opinion on how we, as conscious beings, have the opportunity to save ourselves from climate disaster. While he touches upon the scientific methods that will no doubt go some way towards healing the planet, it’s his message about our own individual attitudes towards how we live that is most apt.

This book is about making small changes that can impact the planet positively. Taking action no matter how small is one giant step in the right direction. The author lays out what action we can take today to reduce our carbon footprint, live a sustainable and earth-friendly lifestyle. She also writes about the everyday struggles she has had with limited and conflicting information. The book also covers her relationship with the earth and how she manages her feelings. At times this book is compelling, funny and it is completely relatable.

This is not an easy read – even as an earth scientist (I’m a geologist) – some of the solutions are challenging to grasp. But the author brings REAL people, REAL scientists who are grappling with ideas and projects in REAL time that can battle, mitigate and even reverse the effects of climate change on the earth and life on our planet. The urgency is palpable – and the tone cautiously optimistic that human ingenuity can undo at least some of the harm human progress has wrought.