8 Important Books about Climate Activists

Climate advocacy is a long-standing and growing movement, and it’s very easy to see why.

While the potential effect of climate adjustment has been understood given that the Seventies– with the study being suppressed by significant nonrenewable fuel source firms– recent years have made it clear that without a drastic shift to renewable energy and a lasting lifestyle, the world will change irrevocably, and humankind may not endure the shift.

We have seen prevalent flooding, wildfires, drought, and unprecedentedly hot seasons, triggered by the impact of human overuse of fossil fuels.

Companies and governments have actually dealt with to downplay the hazard of climate adjustment so as not to risk their earnings; thankfully, several brave climate activists have been working to elevate awareness of this danger and fight to guarantee we and our planet have a future.

While some of these climate lobbyists are well-known, many others have been overlooked by mainstream media and even by the broader climate justice activity.

This is particularly true for environment protestors with marginalized identifications: Aboriginal people and other people of color, who are most likely to be straight impacted by the worst consequences of climate adjustment, but whose work is frequently sidelined while white, Western activists are focused.

The job of environment protestors, specifically those on the frontlines of environment modification, not just should have to be acknowledged however is a vital resource for any person desiring to read more regarding climate advocacy and discover lessons they can apply to their own work.

These publications focus on some brilliant climate activists whose job has actually been essential in the fight to save our planet.

 

1. Truth Demands by Abby Reyes

Spanning three years and three continents, Truth Demands charts identical journeys as Abby Reyes browses the waters of loss, objective, and brevity– while defending reality and accountability from big oil.

An extensive and haunting memoir, Truth Demands is an invite right into the current.

It reveals us just how to cling even as we let go– holding us as we bear witness and welcome with nerve and skill what the fact demands people all.

2. As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice from Colonization to Standing Rock by Dina Gilio-Whitaker

Indigenous people have been at the forefront of climate action for many years, but their efforts have largely been neglected by both mainstream media and most of the climate movement itself.

Dina Gilio-Whitaker’s As Long as Grass Grows examines the work of many Indigenous climate activists and movements throughout history, celebrating their legacies of resistance and outlining how other climate activists can learn from their work by following the lessons of indigenized environmental justice—a critical approach for building a truly just climate movement.

3. No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference by Greta Thunberg

Greta Thunberg is one of the most well-known campaigners pushing for climate justice.

Thunberg began with a school strike, but has since done many additional activities, including sailing across the ocean, calling out politicians, companies, and some toxic influencers online, participating in rallies and events, and giving numerous thought-provoking speeches.

No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference gathers numerous of Thunberg’s talks into a single volume. If you want to be inspired or jumpstart your own climate activism, No One is Too Small to Make a Difference is an excellent read.

4. A Bigger Picture: My Fight to Bring a New African Voice to the Climate Crisis by Vanessa Nakate

In A Bigger Picture, Vanessa Nakate uses her personal experiences to highlight issues within the climate justice movement as well as the global impact of climate change.

In 2020, Nakate was cut out of a news shot for an article about climate advocacy, but the four white activists she was standing with remained.

As she points out in A Bigger Picture, the bigoted framing of this photo exemplifies a major issue with the climate movement: it focuses on white European activists while ignoring Black African activists (and other activists of color) who are directly affected by the effects of climate change.

In her book, Nakate outlines her work not only to combat climate change, but also to challenge racism and other bigotries that undermine the climate justice movement.

5. We Will Be Jaguars by Nemonte Nenquimo and Mitch Anderson

In this intriguing memoir, Nemonte Nenquimo discusses her career of climate advocacy in her native Ecuador’s Amazon rain jungle. Nenquimo has been advocating for climate justice for over two decades, focusing her efforts on her ancestors and people.

She uses this link, as well as the lessons she has acquired from her cultural history, to form alliances with other Indigenous tribes, challenge oil and logging firms, and defend the rainforest. Nenquimo’s memoir, co-written with her husband, a fellow climate activist, is essential reading for anybody interested in learning more about front-line individuals in the struggle for our planet.

6. Your Wild and Precious Life by Liz Jensen

Liz Jensen’s book, Your Wild and Precious Life, is a memoir and homage to her son Raphaël, a climate activist who died unexpectedly of heart failure at the age of 25.

In this book, Jensen honors her son’s short but meaningful life, delves into her personal grief over his death, and takes a candid look at the horrors of climate change and the work that her son and other activists like him have done to save the world.

7. It’s Not Just You by Tori Tsui

Fighting for climate justice, or any other justice movement, can be overwhelming. Protecting your mental health may be a huge problem for activists, especially when the news and social media bombard us with negative news on a continuous basis.

Tori Tsui discusses “eco-anxiety” in It’s Not Just You, drawing on her own experiences to examine how climate injustice is negatively impacting everyone’s mental health while also emphasizing that people facing the terrifying, immediate effects of climate change—those from the Global South—are suffering the most.

Tsui discusses her work in the battle for climate justice, examining the intersections of climate injustice, racism, sexism, ableism, and other types of prejudice, and how we may construct a better future.

8. Climate Is Just the Start by Mikaela Loach

Mikaela Loach’s second book makes the realm of climate justice more accessible to younger readers, sending a message of hope to children and teenagers who may believe they are powerless to stop the global disaster.

Loach writes about her own experiences as an activist, telling the stories of actions she has taken, from participating in protests to taking the UK government to court; she also includes the stories of other climate activists, demonstrating the work of others and inspiring young readers to take action themselves.

9. Unbowed: My Autobiography by Wangarĩ Maathai

Wangarĩ Maathai was a lifetime activist who battled for education as a child and later became a powerful force for political and environmental causes.

Matthai is best known for founding the Green Belt Movement in Kenya, which focused on conservation and women’s rights, including paying women to plant trees to restore forests.

Maathai’s voice may still be heard in her book, and readers can understand how her determination and persistence propelled her to prominence in the fight for climate and social justice.