Books like How to Avoid a Climate Disaster — picked by fans

The author starts with the question: “Are you smarter than my chimpanzee?” When you finished the book, you’ll be so humble to say: I am not!

While reading the book, I was several times surprised by how adults (including myself) have a distorted perception of reality. For example, eighty percent of children worldwide are vaccinated. This means that almost all human beings alive today have some access to basic modern health care. However, on average, just 13 percent of people get the right answer.

Don’t forget that you can only make correct decisions based on accurate data. For this, you can rely on (the many) reliable databases that are available via the internet.

It was for me the first book that convinced me to think and work more with facts and data, i.e., evidence-based management

This book is for me a standard work in the field of evidence-based management. It opened my eyes to the great (negative) impact slogans, insufficient learning from one's own mistakes, blindly following advice from gurus, etc., can have on the results of a company

I discovered that mistakes are also made in the medical world, and insufficient lessons are learned from them because the principles of evidence-based management are not followed.

You can apply the ideas of the authors in any company or organization, regardless of the sector

I particularly appreciated the author's evidence-based management approach. It was refreshing that the author showed that we can be optimistic about solving the many challenges our planet faces. It is important not to think and work in terms of doom and gloom or slogans, but with data.

As a data scientist, Hannah Ritchie illustrates how problems such as climate change, deforestation, biodiversity, plastic in oceans, etc., can be solved. With the available data, you can then work out solutions.

The book is illustrated with many graphs and tables.

I agree with the authors that there is sufficient knowledge in most companies, but that it is not or hardly used. Managers read books, follow training courses, get advice from consultants, etc., but they do not put these ideas and advice into practice. I was triggered by the question: “Why is so little knowledge converted into concrete actions that lead to measurable results?”

I was fascinated to discover the causes and remedies of these symptoms. There are multiple possible causes: teamwork, internal competition, leadership, fear, and rewards.

I found an original and powerful suggestion for translating a new idea from the book I read into concrete actions in my daily work.

Putting in the numbers is what Gates does in his book. Climate change is real, no question. How to address it is where the controversy comes in. I really like that from the outset, Gates proposes five questions to consider whenever climate change is discussed: what fraction of the annual carbon dioxide emission are you removing? What’s your plan for cement? How much electrical power will be needed, what’s the cost, and how much space will it take up? 

But he’s optimistic that zero emissions can be reached. He argues there are many options to explore, including nuclear, and says, contrary to much of the news reporting, don’t focus on 2030; focus instead on 2050 to give the best solutions time to emerge.

This was the first (and still the best) book I ever read on how scientists collect and use the data for forecasting the weather and predicting climate change. I am particularly impressed with its scope–it starts with early attempts by 17th and 18th-century scientists to agree on how to measure things like wind and rainfall and ends with today’s world of satellites and computer models.

The book really brings alive the work of a massive network of scientists around the world collecting and analyzing observations about planet Earth.

Chapter 8! Chapter 8! What a gem on what it really takes to build innovative cultures. Pisano, a Harvard business school professor, articulated ideas that I had observed in my work across Google and with startups around the world—ideas I wish I had authored myself.

The core idea that stood out to me was how people often romanticize innovative cultures as being all about the “bunnies and cotton candy”—like having tolerance for failure or zero hierarchy—while overlooking the harder, more crucial aspects, such as intolerance for incompetence and the discipline required to kill projects that aren’t working.

His insights resonated deeply with my experiences, providing clarity and language for concepts I’ve long recognized but struggled to put into words.

This is one of my favourite tech criticism books. I love how each of the book’s chapters takes a word commonly used in Silicon Valley (and the associated international startup communities) - such as "failure," "disruption," "drop-out," and "content" and dives into the "intellectual bedrock" at the heart of the discourse which surrounds them.

Daub is a Professor of Comparative Literature at Stanford - so his critical eye and vast knowledge of intellectual history swiftly pull apart the pseudo-intellectualism so many in the startup community use to justify their success and problematic behaviour.

I particularly valued the fact that it’s short, punchy, and acts as a brilliant thought-starter to go deeper into the crucial ideologies which are hugely impacting our world today.

This is a fascinating and insightful book about the next stage in the evolution of the Web. Whereas Web 1 was Read-Only, and Web 2 was Read-Write, which allowed for user content creation, Web 3 has the potential to become Read-Write-Own.

The author argues that we are at the beginning of a new era where blockchain can be used to give individuals more ownership and control over their information and allow them to trade their assets peer-to-peer, bypassing traditional intermediaries.

I loved this book because it makes a complex topic very accessible. I also liked the author’s optimistic take on Web 3’s potential for facilitating economic and cultural progress. 

Cities are not just concrete and steel anymore—they’re becoming living systems pulsing with data and possibility. Townsend’s book is a hopeful story of how hackers, planners, and dreamers redesign our urban spaces to merge bits and atoms toward building smarter, more connected communities.

This book highlights the positive potential of technology to serve the people who live and work within the most complex structures humans have ever built, enhancing the quality of life and fostering more inclusive urban spaces. At the same time, it does not shy away from addressing the challenges and ethical concerns these innovations present. This book encourages you to dream while also making you think.