Here are 100 books that Environmental and Economic Sustainability fans have personally recommended if you like Environmental and Economic Sustainability. Book DNA is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Book cover of The Economics of Climate Change: The Stern Review

Lex Fullarton Author Of Watts in the Desert: Pioneering Solar Farming in Australia`s Outback

From my list on combat climate change and the disaster it creates.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am Lex Fullarton, an innovator of Australia’s first privately owned, industrial-sized solar farm. As a descendant of Australia’s 19th Century Colonials who settled here and turned an ancient productive land into a modern wasteland, I have witnessed the disasters of floods, fires, and hurricanes that plague Northern Australia firsthand. I watch temperatures rise year on year with trepidation. I see hurricanes grow in devastation and experience rising flood levels as deluges pour from the barren land. Action should have been taken decades ago, but today is the only day in our grasp. These books are not the end of the list but rather the beginning.

Lex's book list on combat climate change and the disaster it creates

Lex Fullarton Why Lex loves this book

This book appears heavy reading and complex but it can be considered in individual sections. That makes a complex subject easier to understand. It looks specifically at the fiscal impacts of climate change and countermeasures.

The economic perspective is critical, but it is not the only consideration of the impacts of climate change, and this book reveals how social and environmental factors can relate to economic costs and benefits from a fiscal perspective.

By Nicholas Stern ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Economics of Climate Change as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

There is now clear scientific evidence that emissions from economic activity, particularly the burning of fossil fuels for energy, are causing changes to the Earths climate. A sound understanding of the economics of climate change is needed in order to underpin an effective global response to this challenge. The Stern Review is an independent, rigourous and comprehensive analysis of the economic aspects of this crucial issue. It has been conducted by Sir Nicholas Stern, Head of the UK Government Economic Service, and a former Chief Economist of the World Bank. The Economics of Climate Change will be invaluable for all…


If you love Environmental and Economic Sustainability...

Book cover of These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

Book cover of Renewable Energy: Power for a Sustainable Future

Lex Fullarton Author Of Watts in the Desert: Pioneering Solar Farming in Australia`s Outback

From my list on combat climate change and the disaster it creates.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am Lex Fullarton, an innovator of Australia’s first privately owned, industrial-sized solar farm. As a descendant of Australia’s 19th Century Colonials who settled here and turned an ancient productive land into a modern wasteland, I have witnessed the disasters of floods, fires, and hurricanes that plague Northern Australia firsthand. I watch temperatures rise year on year with trepidation. I see hurricanes grow in devastation and experience rising flood levels as deluges pour from the barren land. Action should have been taken decades ago, but today is the only day in our grasp. These books are not the end of the list but rather the beginning.

Lex's book list on combat climate change and the disaster it creates

Lex Fullarton Why Lex loves this book

This book provides essential background to a wide range of renewable energy options across most, if not all, regions on the planet.  

In my opinion, it is an essential basis to begin the study and implementation of non-polluting renewable energy sources and applicable to you no matter where you are on the planet.

By Godfrey Boyle (editor) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Renewable Energy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The prospect of producing clean, sustainable power in substantial quantities from renewable energy sources is now arousing interest world-wide, stimulated by recent technological developments that have improved the cost-effectiveness of many of the 'renewables' and by increasing concern over the environmental impact and sustainability of conventional fossil and nuclear fuel use. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the principal renewable energy sources including: Solar thermal; Photovoltaics; Bio-energy; Hydro; Tidal; Wind; Wave and Geothermal. With the aid of over 350 detailed illustrations, more than 50 tables of data and a wide range of case studies it explains, for each source,…


Book cover of Natural Disasters

Lex Fullarton Author Of Watts in the Desert: Pioneering Solar Farming in Australia`s Outback

From my list on combat climate change and the disaster it creates.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am Lex Fullarton, an innovator of Australia’s first privately owned, industrial-sized solar farm. As a descendant of Australia’s 19th Century Colonials who settled here and turned an ancient productive land into a modern wasteland, I have witnessed the disasters of floods, fires, and hurricanes that plague Northern Australia firsthand. I watch temperatures rise year on year with trepidation. I see hurricanes grow in devastation and experience rising flood levels as deluges pour from the barren land. Action should have been taken decades ago, but today is the only day in our grasp. These books are not the end of the list but rather the beginning.

Lex's book list on combat climate change and the disaster it creates

Lex Fullarton Why Lex loves this book

This book is a comprehensive coverage of a broad range of natural disasters, and while not all of them are related to climate change and global warming, it gives a broad understanding of how natural disasters can be addressed and mitigated.

I feel it is important to plan for and cope with the range of disasters that nature throws at us. Not only can it guide us to bear with the things we cannot change, such as earthquakes, but it gives an understanding of the things that we can change. Ultimately, this book is a guide to saving not only lives and property but the health of the planet itself.

By David C. Alexander ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Natural Disasters as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

As a well balanced and fully illustrated introductory text, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the physical, technological and social components of natural disaster. The main disaster-producing agents are reviewed systematically in terms of geophysical processes and effects, monitoring, mitigation and warning. The relationship between disasters and society is examined with respect to a wide variety of themes, including damage assessment and prevention, hazard mapping, emergency preparedness, the provision of shelter and the nature of reconstruction. Medical emergencies and the epidemiology of disasters are described, and refugee management and aid to the Third World are discussed. A chapter is…


If you love Paul E. Hardisty...

Book cover of Coyote Weather

Coyote Weather by Amanda Cockrell,

Coyote weather is the feral, hungry season, drought-stricken, and ready to catch fire. It’s 1967, and the American culture is violently remaking itself while the country is forcibly sending its young men to fight in a deeply unpopular war.

Jerry has stubbornly made no plans for the future because he…

Book cover of Firestorm

Lex Fullarton Author Of Watts in the Desert: Pioneering Solar Farming in Australia`s Outback

From my list on combat climate change and the disaster it creates.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am Lex Fullarton, an innovator of Australia’s first privately owned, industrial-sized solar farm. As a descendant of Australia’s 19th Century Colonials who settled here and turned an ancient productive land into a modern wasteland, I have witnessed the disasters of floods, fires, and hurricanes that plague Northern Australia firsthand. I watch temperatures rise year on year with trepidation. I see hurricanes grow in devastation and experience rising flood levels as deluges pour from the barren land. Action should have been taken decades ago, but today is the only day in our grasp. These books are not the end of the list but rather the beginning.

Lex's book list on combat climate change and the disaster it creates

Lex Fullarton Why Lex loves this book

This book was written by a man who, for decades, was ‘Johnny on the Spot.’ He not only gives a first-hand witness to forest fires in Australia but also the shortcomings of authorities and governments in dealing with them. He also suggests how some of these disasters can be avoided and mitigated. His personal experiences are invaluable in the conquest to fight the factors affecting global warming and climate change.

By Greg Mullins ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Firestorm as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Combines thrilling stories of what it’s like to be on the front line of Australia’s first giga-fire with the hard truths of human-caused climate change, and what we do about it. Greg Mullins followed his father into fighting bushfires – it was in the blood. He fought major fires around Sydney and the Blue Mountains for decades, and studied bushfires in Europe, Canada and the US. He risked his life in the 1994 Sydney fires and, later, during our catastrophic Black Summer of 2019–20. As a career firefighter, he worked his way up the ranks to become Commissioner of one…


Book cover of Hope Matters: Why Changing the Way We Think Is Critical to Solving the Environmental Crisis

Sarah Jaquette Ray Author Of A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety: How to Keep Your Cool on a Warming Planet

From my list on keeping cool on a warming planet.

Why am I passionate about this?

As an environmental educator over the past 18 years, I have come to see that the central question of our work is no longer “how do we get more people to care?” Our work now is to keep ourselves sustained for the long haul of climate justice advocacy that lies ahead. People now care, a lot, and need to know how to avoid burnout and “amygdala hijack”, cope with the hard emotions of it all, and build community. The solutions are no longer just political, technological, or economic. We need to develop existential tools, resources of interior sustainability, and cultural resilience if we have any hope of thriving in a climate-changed world.

Sarah's book list on keeping cool on a warming planet

Sarah Jaquette Ray Why Sarah loves this book

Kelsey builds an air-tight case for why the planet needs us to get more in touch with our emotions. Emotions dictate all our behavior and action in the world, and so we ought to know which emotions are most effective and in what situations to catalyze actions for climate justice. Because Kelsey is a scientist herself, she buttresses her case about the role of emotions in saving the planet with powerful data. We don’t need more books on “ten things you can do to save the planet.” What we do need is more books like this, which show us why doom and gloom isn’t the only game in town.

By Elin Kelsey ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Hope Matters as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"This book comes at just the right moment. It is NOT too late if we get together and take action, NOW." -Jane Goodall

Fears about climate change are fueling an epidemic of despair across the world: adults worry about their children's future; thirty-somethings question whether they should have kids or not; and many young people honestly believe they have no future at all.

In the face of extreme eco-anxiety, scholar and award-winning author Elin Kelsey argues that our hopelessness-while an understandable reaction-is hampering our ability to address the very real problems we face. Kelsey offers a powerful solution: hope itself.


Book cover of The Practical Permaculture Project

Louis S. Bernier Jr. Author Of Permaculture Ecovillages

From my list on sustainable permaculture design.

Why am I passionate about this?

I find these books most compelling because over the years I have become increasingly motivated to study and share the value of appreciating mankind’s responsibility to nature as God’s gift to us! And in doing so, have embraced our obligation as stewards to ensure future generations a “future Earth” cleaner than we found it. The current trend is faulty to the utmost degree, but can be reversed with intelligent design and appropriate education beginning in grade school. This should be everyone’s objective!

Louis' book list on sustainable permaculture design

Louis S. Bernier Jr. Why Louis loves this book

I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this book because it is perfectly aligned with not just self-sufficiency but also considerate of neighbor-embracing outreach and acknowledgement of appreciation of Mother NatureGod’s creation.

I also appreciated that the author recognizes this as a solution to the global world's problems, which is ultimately realized as "climate change" acceleration.

By Sophie McKay ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Practical Permaculture Project as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Need help to start with permaculture and become self-sufficient as soon as possible? Start with Sophie Today!


The freshest and most delicious food possible is waiting for you... and you don't have to have any experience to get started.

Are you becoming more and more concerned about the global economy and have a burning desire to return to the land in a meaningful way?

What if you could restore your health and vitality in a way that brought you safety and assurance? What if you could work with nature efficiently to grow your own food?

How would it feel to…


If you love Environmental and Economic Sustainability...

Book cover of Temple of Dreams: A Novel of Now and Then

Temple of Dreams by Carolyn Mathews,

Homeless following the death of his adoptive parents in a car crash and the subsequent loss of their farm tenancy, Seb decides to enrol as a residential student at the Asklepios Foundation, a College of Natural Medicine, boasting a sanctuary modelled on an ancient Greek healing temple. Spending a night…

Book cover of Beyond Uneconomic Growth: Economics, Equity and the Ecological Predicament

Jonathan M. Harris Author Of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics: A Contemporary Approach

From my list on understanding ecological economics.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been teaching and writing about economics and the environment for over thirty-five years, and have been inspired by my students to work towards a new ecological economics that can underpin a sustainable planetary future. Many of the crises that I and colleagues have predicted – climate disasters, soil degradation, water shortages, biodiversity loss – are now upon us, but the situation is not hopeless. I am working for a rapid transformation away from fossil-fuel and resource-intensive forms of economic growth, and hope that the expanding field of ecological economics can help to usher in this badly needed change. 

Jonathan's book list on understanding ecological economics

Jonathan M. Harris Why Jonathan loves this book

This is a great selection of more recent work in ecological economics. It focuses on seeking alternatives to standard economists’ fixation on unlimited economic growth.

Drawing on physical science, ecology, and the science of human behavior, contributors show how economic growth itself has become “uneconomic” and incompatible with a healthy ecosystem. An alternative vision – a human economic system in balance with the environment, while providing for essential needs and a high quality of life – is presented in contributions by scholars from diverse fields. 

By Joshua Farley (editor) , Deepak Malghan (editor) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Beyond Uneconomic Growth as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Daly's contributions to the still emergent field of ecological economics are constant references for our peers throughout the developing world as well as in the North. His courageous tilting at the windmills of mainstream economic nonsense inspire us to continue questioning: in whose interests do we continue on a perpetual search for unlimited material satisfaction? Daly's conception is not only of a world restricted by biophysical limits, but also one in which poverty and deprivation are commonplace, and where Sisyphean efforts to maintain accelerated economic growth only exacerbate inequitable distribution. His vision of sustainable economic welfare shed light on other…


Book cover of Building a Green Economy: Perspectives from Ecological Economics

Jonathan M. Harris Author Of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics: A Contemporary Approach

From my list on understanding ecological economics.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been teaching and writing about economics and the environment for over thirty-five years, and have been inspired by my students to work towards a new ecological economics that can underpin a sustainable planetary future. Many of the crises that I and colleagues have predicted – climate disasters, soil degradation, water shortages, biodiversity loss – are now upon us, but the situation is not hopeless. I am working for a rapid transformation away from fossil-fuel and resource-intensive forms of economic growth, and hope that the expanding field of ecological economics can help to usher in this badly needed change. 

Jonathan's book list on understanding ecological economics

Jonathan M. Harris Why Jonathan loves this book

Robby Richardson is an old friend and colleague who has led the way in developing practical ecological economics policies.

He has been on the front lines: fired by the Trump administration from a position at EPA for defending effective environmental protection, he returned to government in the Department of the Interior in the Biden administration, and in that role has developed natural resource accounting systems to guide government policy.

In this edited volume, he brings together leading ecological economics scholars to offer a variety of perspectives on building a green economy that places human welfare above consumerism and resource-intensive growth. 

By Robert B. Richardson (editor) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Building a Green Economy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The first decade of the twenty-first century has been characterised by a growing global awareness of the tremendous strains that human economic activity place on natural resources and the environment. As the world's population increases, so does the demand for energy, food, and other resources, which adds to existing stresses on ecosystems, with potentially disastrous consequences. Humanity is at a crossroads in our pathway to future prosperity, and our next steps will impact our long-term sustainability immensely.

In this timely volume, leading ecological economics scholars offer a variety of perspectives on building a green economy. Grounded in a critique of…


Book cover of EcoMind

John C. Berg Author Of Leave It in the Ground

From my list on why and how to save the environment.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up in a small town, with a barn behind our house and an orchard across the street; nature was always part of my life. What made me more conscious of this was three canoe trips in the Quetico wilderness with my Boy Scout troop, where we saw loons, bears, and clear, sparkling lakes. I later became a political science professor, but I always hiked and camped, and eventually helped start an environmental studies program to share my passion with my students. I also learned about the growing threats we face from environmental destruction. These books helped shape my understanding of the problem and how to solve it. 

John's book list on why and how to save the environment

John C. Berg Why John loves this book

I love this book because it showed me that we can have growth without pollution, because the most important growth is the improvement of the joy our lives bring to us, not an increase in the GDP.

Real growth means making people healthier, eliminating hunger, creating rich natural and cultural communities, and providing more opportunities to walk to where we want to go. The old claim that it is “jobs vs. the environment” is shown to be false.

By Frances Moore Lappé ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked EcoMind as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In EcoMind , Frances Moore Lappe,a giant of the environmental movement,confronts accepted wisdom of environmentalism. Drawing on the latest research from anthropology to neuroscience and her own field experience, she argues that the biggest challenge to human survival isn't our fossil fuel dependency, melting glaciers, or other calamities. Rather, it's our faulty way of thinking about these environmental crises that robs us of power. Lappe dismantles seven common thought traps",from limits to growth to the failings of democracy, that belie what we now know about nature, including our own, and offers contrasting thought leaps" that reveal our hidden power. Like…


If you love Paul E. Hardisty...

Book cover of Marriage and Fatherhood in the Nazi SS

Marriage and Fatherhood in the Nazi SS by Amy Carney,

When I was writing this book, several of my friends jokingly called it the Nazi baby book, with one insisting it would make a great title. Nazi Babies – admittedly, that is a catchy title, but that’s not exactly what my book is about. SS babies would be slightly more…

Book cover of Making Healthy Places: Designing and Building for Well-Being, Equity, and Sustainability

Sara Jensen Carr Author Of The Topography of Wellness: How Health and Disease Shaped the American Landscape

From my list on creating, building, and thinking about healthier places.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a professor of architecture, urbanism, and landscape at Northeastern University in Boston, as well as a licensed architect and urban designer. I’ve always been fascinated by the ways the design of the world affects our decision-making, health, and opportunities, from the early days of my career designing hospitals to my current work researching and designing for green space equity and considering how we design in the age of pandemics and climate change. I hope these books, as well as my own writing and work, empower people to understand, ask for, and co-design healthier environments wherever they live, work, and play.

Sara's book list on creating, building, and thinking about healthier places

Sara Jensen Carr Why Sara loves this book

This book is truly the primer for understanding all the ways in which urban planning, policy, and design effects health outcomes and collects the breadth of contemporary research on the topic in one volume. I have always assigned multiple chapters from the first book in one of my classes, which introduces students to these concepts, and will be making several updates to the syllabus now! The new second edition explores issues of health and environmental justice more in-depth, touches on COVID-19, and provides several examples of how cities and organizations have prioritized health in re-shaping their built environments.

By Nisha Botchwey (editor) , Andrew L. Dannenberg (editor) , Howard Frumkin (editor)

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Making Healthy Places as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The first edition of Making Healthy Places offered a visionary and thoroughly researched treatment of the connections between constructed environments and human health. Since its publication over 10 years ago, the field of healthy community design has evolved significantly to address major societal problems, including health disparities, obesity, and climate change. Most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has upended how we live, work, learn, play, and travel.

In Making Healthy Places, Second Edition: Designing and Building for Well-Being, Equity, and Sustainability, planning and public health experts Nisha D. Botchwey, Andrew L. Dannenberg, and Howard Frumkin bring together scholars and practitioners from…


Book cover of The Economics of Climate Change: The Stern Review
Book cover of Renewable Energy: Power for a Sustainable Future
Book cover of Natural Disasters

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,366

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in sustainable development, protecting the environment, and climate change mitigation?