When it comes to environmental issues, I think we can all agree that it is multifaceted and can be pretty complex. The biggest issue that we may be familiar with is probably climate change, but in reality, that is only one of the many issues our environment is facing right now. A number of Earth-system scientists (Steffen et al., 2015) have defined these issues beautifully through a total of 9 ecological ceilings—as used in Kate Raworth’s Doughnut Economics, which you will find included on this list as well. Those 9 ceilings consist of climate change, air pollution, ozone layer depletion, chemical pollution, biodiversity loss, land conversion, ocean acidification, fresh water withdrawals, and nitrogen & phosphorus loading. However, all of these issues touch on various sectors of our lives and businesses—and we need to see these different perspectives to know how to better tackle them.
On this list, you will find a number of books that show the impact of varying industries on the environment. From fashion, food to the economy, we will be able to see just how our seemingly small actions leave massive, rippling consequences for our planet. Things that we take for granted—like the meals we devour and the clothes we wear—turn out to come from a chain of events that may or may not be good for the earth. Being an environmentalist today means looking at the problem from multiple perspectives and attacking it accordingly. I believe we are all environmentalists— since we all live within an environment—so this list is, really, for everyone.
When it comes to environmental issues, I think we can all agree that it is multifaceted and can be pretty complex. The biggest issue that we may be familiar with is probably climate change, but in reality, that is only one of the many issues our environment is facing right now. A number of Earth-system scientists (Steffen et al., 2015) have defined these issues beautifully through a total of 9 ecological ceilings—as used in Kate Raworth’s Doughnut Economics, which you will find included on this list as well. Those 9 ceilings consist of climate change, air pollution, ozone layer depletion, chemical pollution, biodiversity loss, land conversion, ocean acidification, fresh water withdrawals, and nitrogen & phosphorus loading. However, all of these issues touch on various sectors of our lives and businesses—and we need to see these different perspectives to know how to better tackle them.
On this list, you will find a number of books that show the impact of varying industries on the environment. From fashion, food to the economy, we will be able to see just how our seemingly small actions leave massive, rippling consequences for our planet. Things that we take for granted—like the meals we devour and the clothes we wear—turn out to come from a chain of events that may or may not be good for the earth. Being an environmentalist today means looking at the problem from multiple perspectives and attacking it accordingly. I believe we are all environmentalists— since we all live within an environment—so this list is, really, for everyone.
The Uninhabitable Earth
by David Wallace-Wells
Let’s start off this list with one of the most popular books on the environmental issues out there—it just also happens to be the scariest book on the climate crisis. In this book, David Wallace-Wells takes us on a time travel journey to the not-so-faraway future to see what would happen if the earth’s temperature rises beyond 2º since the Paris Agreement. The first 10 pages alone will be sure to give you the absolute chills.
Through a good balance of everyday words and scientific jargons, Wallace-Wells is able to educate us about the many facets of our planet’s environmental issues and delivering his point home about the importance of taking actions to ensure our species’s survival. His forecast is scary as hell, but entirely plausible—in fact, we are already seeing some of them come true.
The Uninhabitable Earth
by David Wallace-Wells
Let’s start off this list with one of the most popular books on the environmental issues out there—it just also happens to be the scariest book on the climate crisis. In this book, David Wallace-Wells takes us on a time travel journey to the not-so-faraway future to see what would happen if the earth’s temperature rises beyond 2º since the Paris Agreement. The first 10 pages alone will be sure to give you the absolute chills.
Through a good balance of everyday words and scientific jargons, Wallace-Wells is able to educate us about the many facets of our planet’s environmental issues and delivering his point home about the importance of taking actions to ensure our species’s survival. His forecast is scary as hell, but entirely plausible—in fact, we are already seeing some of them come true.
Worn
by Sofi Thanhauser
We all wear clothes. We all use clothes to express who we are to the world. It may vary from person to person, depending on their economic background and interest in personal style—not fashion. However, how many of us can truly say we know where our clothes come from? Where cotton is first grown and how its agriculture has since developed? What the culture behind cloth making was like before fashion comes into being and what has become of it?
In this book, Sofi Thanhauser peels back the glitz and glamour of the fashion industry to show its seedy underbelly. And, guess what? Fast fashion aside, the practice of manufacturing fabric and turning it into wearable pieces has always been problematic. And if you think slavery is sourced mainly in Africa and has long been abolished, think again.
Worn
by Sofi Thanhauser
We all wear clothes. We all use clothes to express who we are to the world. It may vary from person to person, depending on their economic background and interest in personal style—not fashion. However, how many of us can truly say we know where our clothes come from? Where cotton is first grown and how its agriculture has since developed? What the culture behind cloth making was like before fashion comes into being and what has become of it?
In this book, Sofi Thanhauser peels back the glitz and glamour of the fashion industry to show its seedy underbelly. And, guess what? Fast fashion aside, the practice of manufacturing fabric and turning it into wearable pieces has always been problematic. And if you think slavery is sourced mainly in Africa and has long been abolished, think again.
Seri Pangan Nusantara
by Ahmad Arif
It may go without saying, but I think it should be said anyway: There’s a major difference between eating local food and eating local produce. Case in point, in Indonesia, bolu kukus or kue cubit may be considered local food—and thus, eating them will be considered ‘eating local food.’ However, they both use flour as an ingredient, yet wheat is not a local produce. Hence, eating them will not be considered ‘eating local produce.’ Do you understand the difference now? It may not seem like much to you, but apparently, this obsession Indonesians have with flour—both in their world-famous instant noodles Indomie (and the likes) and clearly-foreign food (such as pasta)—causes a huge spending in imported food and a cultural shift that results in entirely preventable starvation.
This series of books by Ahmad Arif sheds a light on that issue, while educating us about forgotten local Indonesian ingredients, such as sorghum and sago. He also talks about the nation’s obsession with rice as the main carbohydrate across the archipelago—which has even been used by the government to measure the people’s economic status. This is absurd, considering the varying climate and types of soil across all regions in Indonesia that may not always accommodate rice planting. This uniformity has caused the death of biodiversity and numerous traditional food across various ethnicities and cultures—not to mention the loss of food sovereignty of indigenous peoples in Indonesia.
Seri Pangan Nusantara
by Ahmad Arif
It may go without saying, but I think it should be said anyway: There’s a major difference between eating local food and eating local produce. Case in point, in Indonesia, bolu kukus or kue cubit may be considered local food—and thus, eating them will be considered ‘eating local food.’ However, they both use flour as an ingredient, yet wheat is not a local produce. Hence, eating them will not be considered ‘eating local produce.’ Do you understand the difference now? It may not seem like much to you, but apparently, this obsession Indonesians have with flour—both in their world-famous instant noodles Indomie (and the likes) and clearly-foreign food (such as pasta)—causes a huge spending in imported food and a cultural shift that results in entirely preventable starvation.
This series of books by Ahmad Arif sheds a light on that issue, while educating us about forgotten local Indonesian ingredients, such as sorghum and sago. He also talks about the nation’s obsession with rice as the main carbohydrate across the archipelago—which has even been used by the government to measure the people’s economic status. This is absurd, considering the varying climate and types of soil across all regions in Indonesia that may not always accommodate rice planting. This uniformity has caused the death of biodiversity and numerous traditional food across various ethnicities and cultures—not to mention the loss of food sovereignty of indigenous peoples in Indonesia.
The Intersectional Environmentalist
by Leah Thomas
Here is something I recently read, and it resonates so well with how I feel about the world and its issues lately. At this day and age, I feel like it’s no longer the time to be putting ourselves into boxes or lanes. Instead, it is the time we fight for good and justice from every aspect and have a more nuanced approach to our activism.
Through this book, Leah Thomas—with the help of her friends from different racial, economic and cultural backgrounds—discusses how disproportionate the environmental movements have been for decades and it is time for marginalised communities to speak up for their right to a clean and safe environment. They talk about how the BIPOC movements and environmentalism should go hand in hand, in order to create a lasting solution and impact to the environmental issues our planet faces—for everyone.
The Intersectional Environmentalist
by Leah Thomas
Here is something I recently read, and it resonates so well with how I feel about the world and its issues lately. At this day and age, I feel like it’s no longer the time to be putting ourselves into boxes or lanes. Instead, it is the time we fight for good and justice from every aspect and have a more nuanced approach to our activism.
Through this book, Leah Thomas—with the help of her friends from different racial, economic and cultural backgrounds—discusses how disproportionate the environmental movements have been for decades and it is time for marginalised communities to speak up for their right to a clean and safe environment. They talk about how the BIPOC movements and environmentalism should go hand in hand, in order to create a lasting solution and impact to the environmental issues our planet faces—for everyone.
The Doughnut Economics
by Kate Raworth
This book serves as an answer to the question environmentalists may have been asking, “If ‘business as usual’ is hurting the planet, isn’t there something wrong with our economy?” Yes, there is. The economy is encouraged to keep growing capital, without any regard for the planet. Many have come up with the circular economy solution, but I feel like that only solves the problem on the surface level, without looking at the deeper problem underneath.
Kate Raworth came up with the concept of the Doughnut Economics to truly address our economy’s root problems that have damaged the planet. Basically, this model puts 9 pillars of ecological ceiling as a limit to our economic growth, while fulfilling our 13 social foundations. In this model, the economy is truly a tool to fulfill our needs, not our greed. It also takes immaterial aspects of our lives into account.
The Doughnut Economics
by Kate Raworth
This book serves as an answer to the question environmentalists may have been asking, “If ‘business as usual’ is hurting the planet, isn’t there something wrong with our economy?” Yes, there is. The economy is encouraged to keep growing capital, without any regard for the planet. Many have come up with the circular economy solution, but I feel like that only solves the problem on the surface level, without looking at the deeper problem underneath.
Kate Raworth came up with the concept of the Doughnut Economics to truly address our economy’s root problems that have damaged the planet. Basically, this model puts 9 pillars of ecological ceiling as a limit to our economic growth, while fulfilling our 13 social foundations. In this model, the economy is truly a tool to fulfill our needs, not our greed. It also takes immaterial aspects of our lives into account.
Honorary Mention
Take It Slow
by Bivisyani Questibrilia
Some of you may be familiar with this book already. Published in 2021, this Indonesian book was written to shed some light on the importance—and possibilities—of the slow fashion movement in Indonesia. I find that people have often associated ethical/slow fashion with expensive clothing only reserved for the rich. However, through this book, I aim to show the readers the multitude of possibilities we could do to advocate and support slow and sustainable fashion—sometimes even without spending a single cent.
While books on this topic can be more easily found in the West, I hadn’t yet found a single such book in Indonesia. Which is why, from the natural materials and the sustainable practices, to the cheap and easy ways to advocate for slow fashion, this book focuses on the local (to Indonesia) aspects of the sustainable fashion movement. It highlights locally found ingredients, local cultures, local organisations and local brands that the readers can support as a kinder choice for the earth. Adorned with illustrations and infographics, this book offers detailed information in bite-sized chunks that everyone can understand.
Lastly, this list is obviously not and end-all-be-all of all environmentalist source materials. This list includes only ecological books, which obviously doesn’t cover everything. It is a starting point at best, or an addition for anyone at any level of their environmentalist work—or maybe even those who have yet the courage to label themselves as such.
Also, as we have seen from The Intersectional Environmentalists, we need to look into other non-ecological issues as well in order to achieve a safe, healthy and just environment for all. Some of these books have touched on that by bringing fashion and the economy into the conversation, however even books that do not talk about the ecology at all can be the key to furthering our cause. I highly recommend checking out this list of non-ecological, mind-blowing books to have a more well-rounded view of the world.
Have any more environmental books to recommend?
Do leave them in the comment!
Take It Slow
by Bivisyani Questibrilia
Some of you may be familiar with this book already. Published in 2021, this Indonesian book was written to shed some light on the importance—and possibilities—of the slow fashion movement in Indonesia. I find that people have often associated ethical/slow fashion with expensive clothing only reserved for the rich. However, through this book, I aim to show the readers the multitude of possibilities we could do to advocate and support slow and sustainable fashion—sometimes even without spending a single cent.
While books on this topic can be more easily found in the West, I hadn’t yet found a single such book in Indonesia. Which is why, from the natural materials and the sustainable practices, to the cheap and easy ways to advocate for slow fashion, this book focuses on the local (to Indonesia) aspects of the sustainable fashion movement. It highlights locally found ingredients, local cultures, local organisations and local brands that the readers can support as a kinder choice for the earth. Adorned with illustrations and infographics, this book offers detailed information in bite-sized chunks that everyone can understand.
Lastly, this list is obviously not and end-all-be-all of all environmentalist source materials. This list includes only ecological books, which obviously doesn’t cover everything. It is a starting point at best, or an addition for anyone at any level of their environmentalist work—or maybe even those who have yet the courage to label themselves as such.
Also, as we have seen from The Intersectional Environmentalists, we need to look into other non-ecological issues as well in order to achieve a safe, healthy and just environment for all. Some of these books have touched on that by bringing fashion and the economy into the conversation, however even books that do not talk about the ecology at all can be the key to furthering our cause. I highly recommend checking out this list of non-ecological, mind-blowing books to have a more well-rounded view of the world.
Have any more environmental books to recommend?
Do leave them in the comment!