Shuswap Climate Action Society
supporting community knowledge and solutions
Welcome to Climate Reads!
There are so many books on the topic of climate change that we decided to start a book club. We welcome our fellow climate activists to join us!
Here's what some of us are reading and what we have next on our "must read" list. So, please have a look at what we have discussed in our Climate Reads! meetings, a thumbnail of the book with a link to find out more.
Dry Spring: The Coming Water Crisis of North America by Chris Wood (2008) – Dry Spring exhaustively reports from dozens of sites in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico that have experienced firsthand the effects of climate change and the water-related havoc it wreaks on human societies large and small. Dry Spring: The Coming Water Crisis of North America - Chris Wood - Google Books
A Line in the Sands: Struggles for Environmental Justice by editors Stephen D’Arcy, Toban Black, Tony Weis and Joshua Kahn Russell (2014) – The editors gather contributions from several authors and activists profiling the struggles to rein in the development of tar sands in Alberta, pitting capitalism against the climate crisis. False solutions are identified and real answers offered to address this global crisis. A Line in the Tar Sands – Between the Lines (btlbooks.com)
The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities and the Remaking of the Civilized World by Jeff Goodell (2017) – Acclaimed journalist Jeff Goodell travels across twelve countries and reports from the front lines, employs fact, science, and first-person, on-the-ground journalism to show vivid scenes from what already is becoming a water world. The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Civilized World by Jeff Goodell | Goodreads
Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World by Jason Hickel (2021) - The world has finally awoken to the reality of climate breakdown and ecological collapse. Now we must face up to its primary cause. Capitalism demands perpetual expansion, which is devastating the living world. There is only one solution that will lead to meaningful and immediate change: degrowth. Less is More — Jason Hickel
The Day the World Stopped Shopping: How Ending Consumerism Saves the Environment and Ourselves by J.B. MacKinnon (2021) - Drawing from experts in fields ranging from climate change to economics, MacKinnon investigates how living with less would change our planet, our society, and ourselves. He reveals how much we stand to gain: an investment in our physical and emotional wellness; the pleasure of caring for our possessions; and closer relationships with our natural world and one another. J.B. MacKinnon | The Day the World Stops Shopping
Fire Weather: The Making of a Beast by John Vaillant (2023) - A stunning account of the 2016 wildfire at Fort McMurray. The multi-billion-dollar disaster melted vehicles, turned entire neighborhoods into firebombs, and drove 88,000 people from their homes in a single afternoon. Through the lens of this apocalyptic conflagration—the wildfire equivalent of Hurricane Katrina—John Vaillant warns that this was not a unique event but a shocking preview of what we must prepare for in a hotter, more flammable world. Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World by John Vaillant | Goodreads
The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan (2006) - The omnivore’s dilemma reveals the cornucopia of the modern American supermarket and fast-food outlet that confront us with a bewildering and treacherous food landscape. Our eating choices are not only about the health of us and our children, but the health of the environment that sustains life on earth. The Omnivore’s Dilemma - Michael Pollan
Ducks: Two Years in the Tar Sands by Kate Beaton (2022) - Winner of Canada Reads 2023! This is a graphic narrative that chronicles the author's time working in the tar sands between 2015 and 2018, telling a story of Canada: a country that prides itself on its egalitarian ethos and natural beauty while simultaneously exploiting both the riches of its land and the humanity of its people. Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton | Goodreads
Half-Earth: Our Planet’s Fight for Life by E.O. Wilson (2020) - Pulitzer Prize–winning author and world-renowned biologist Edward O. Wilson states that in order to stave off the mass extinction of species, including our own, we must move swiftly to preserve the biodiversity of our planet. Half-Earth | Edward O Wilson | W. W. Norton & Company (wwnorton.com)
Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest by Suzanne Simard (2021) - A Canadian forest ecologist and UBC professor, Simard shares her amazing story of discovering the communication that exists between trees and reveals her own story of family and grief. Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard
All We Can Save: Truth Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis by editors Ayana E. Johnson and Katharine Wilkinson (2020) – This book is an anthology of short essays, poems, and art from 60 women who offer ways that we might save the planet from the climate crisis. All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis | A national bestseller — The All We Can Save Project
More books will be added as Climate Reads! meet and discuss the books we find interesting!
Please email us if you are interested in joining Climate Reads!