Kit by: Jake Madoff
Co-Founder | Agreeable & Co.
Real talk. Just for a second. Global climate change (or as I like to say ‘global climate degradation’) is the single greatest threat facing our human race and the quality of life for virtually all flora and fauna. It is perhaps, too, the most profound, complex, and intractable of problems that we as a society must face and work to solve — and, I believe, the first step to addressing a problem is cultivating knowledge about it and equipping yourself with a firm, practical understanding of it.
Alrighty, now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about the books I selected. A few of these books are books that I had to read for my environmental courses at New York University, while others are personal favorites that I read to quench my curiosity about the topic. I’m incredibly passionate about this issue, in case you couldn’t tell. 😉 Nonetheless, these books will give you a good foundation for understanding the various scientific concepts and societal underpinnings of dealing with a problem this grand. It’s helpful to note that I organized this kit into three kits, each dealing with a different aspect of the subject. Feel free to pick the one you’re most passionate or interested in; but all are worth the read in my opinion.
*These ratings are based on my personal opinions. You may agree with them or disagree with them. I’m happy to talk more about them in the comments section. 🙂 I like to talk about this stuff.
Climate Change: A Kit of Kits
the Top Books on Climate Change (Reviewed)
A Bit of The Science & Some of The Stories Behind Climate Change
Kit Curated By: Jake M.
A Conscious Kit
I think a good place start when trying to ascertain a firm understanding of climate change is in the field of environmental science or earth systems science. Now, I’m not recommending you go read a biogeochemistry textbook, but I think these books offer a nice balance between the science behind the phenomenon and the more conceptual parts. “CO2 Rising”, for example, was quoted as being a ‘must-read’ for President Obama in dealings with climate science and climate policy. Tyler Volk’s take on climate change is novel and brilliant. Volk gives personality to a carbon atom, and walks you along its journey. But, if you’re more interested in the anecdotal side of the ecological consequences of climate change, then I would recommend “Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change”. It’ll stay with you for a while.
Buy These Finds Separately
“CO2 Rising: The World’s Greatest Environmental Challenge”
By: Tyler Volk
MY REVIEW
- Thought-provoking 90%
- Accessible 80%
- Enjoyable 85%
“Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World”
By: Bill Nye
MY REVIEW
- Thought-provoking 90%
- Accessible 85%
- Enjoyable 75%
“Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change”
By: Elizabeth Kolbert
MY REVIEW
- Thought-provoking 100%
- Accessible 90%
- Enjoyable 95%
How We Can Move Forward Politically, Economically & Technologically
Kit Curated By: Jake M.
A Conscious Kit
An incredibly important part of learning about climate change is its current and future effects on society, infrastructure, the economy, and the political sphere. This selection of books do a great job at not only outlining these effects in a comprehensive and digestible way, but they also discuss what should change and why if we hope to enter into a more desirable environmental state. In my opinion, “Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet” is absolutely brilliant, and a book I recommend to all interested in the potential impacts of climate change. It’s a bit scary, but perhaps the raw truth naturally is!
Buy These Finds Separately
“The Great Transition: Shifting from Fossil Fuels to Solar and Wind Energy”
By: Lester R. Brown
MY REVIEW
- Thought-provoking 95%
- Accessible 75%
- Enjoyable 80%
“This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate”
By: Naomi Klein
MY REVIEW
- Thought-provoking 95%
- Accessible 90%
- Enjoyable 85%
“Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet”
By: Bill McKibben
MY REVIEW
- Thought-provoking 100%
- Accessible 95%
- Enjoyable 85%
Personal Favorites About The Idea of “The Self” & One’s Connection To Nature
Kit Curated By: Jake M.
A Conscious Kit
For this last kit, I wanted to offer a selection of personal favorites. They don’t directly deal with the science or the societal aspects of global climate degradation, but they do provide a more emotional and spiritual understanding of the human relationship with Nature. In other words, each of these authors, in their own artful way, unpacks the deep interconnectivity between human life and the environment (i.e., plants, animals, and the biosphere as a whole super-organism). “Silent Spring” is an absolute classic that I had to read in multiple courses at New York University — and “Ecology, Community and Lifestyle: Outline of an Ecosophy” is profound in how it talks about the idea of “the self” being somewhat of an extension of the natural world.
Buy These Finds Separately
“Silent Spring”
By: Rachel Carson
MY REVIEW
- Thought-provoking 95%
- Accessible 90%
- Enjoyable 95%
“alphabet (New Directions)”
By: Inger Christensen
MY REVIEW
- Thought-provoking 90%
- Accessible 75%
- Enjoyable 85%
“Ecology, Community and Lifestyle: Outline of an Ecosophy”
By: Arne Naess
MY REVIEW
- Thought-provoking 100%
- Accessible 70%
- Enjoyable 90%
Hey people! My name is Jake. I’m the Co-Founder of Agreeable & Co. I’m an Environmentalist, Social Entrepreneur, Writer and Developer. Besides making people- and planet-friendly products more accessible through Agreeable & Co., I run an online research guide for sustainable, ethical, and healthy products, called Greener Square (which is slowly transitioning to Agreeable & Co.); and helped to start an award-winning trade and barter app, called TradeMade, that measures and tracks one’s carbon footprint. I also recently graduated from New York University, where I studied corporate sustainability, environmental ethics, and ecological science. In a word, conscious consumption and overall healthy, low-impact living is my jam. I also like jam.
Have a question? I’ll answer.
6 Comments
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I’ve read a few of these. I’ve had Climate Vs. Capitalism on my reading list for a while. Thoughts?
Great! Yeah, it’s a good book. It’s both thought-provoking and appeals to your common sense. Naomi Klein lays out a very compelling argument. We definitely recommend it – especially given this political climate.
Love this!!!!
Thank you!
Hey! I understand this is somewhat off-topic but I have to ask. Does operating a well-established website like yours require a large amount of work? I am brand new to blogging however I do write in my journal daily. I’d like to start a blog so I can share my own experience and views online. Please let me know if you have any recommendations or tips for brand new aspiring bloggers. Appreciate it!
Hi Julianne, it takes a lot of time and sweat-equity (as they say). We say go for it – that’s a good place to start (daily entries).