Not the end of the world: How we can be the first generation to create a sustainable planet by Hannah Ritchie (Chatto & Windus/Little, Brown)
It’s hard to be hopeful when the planet is being ravaged by relentless global warming and natural destruction, but data scientist Ritchie makes a compelling case that progress has already been made on a number of environmental problems and argues that a sustainable future is still within reach.
Possible: Paths to Net Zero by Chris Goodall (Profile)
We know how to produce greener electricity and therefore cleaner cars. But it is more difficult to reduce emissions from aircraft, ships, cement production and other sectors that are harder to electrify. More difficult, but still possible, writes clean energy expert Goodall in a book that shows that great progress is already being made.
The price is wrong: why capitalism won’t save the planet by Brett Christophers (Verso)
Wind and solar power are becoming cheaper and more plentiful, but not nearly fast enough to combat climate change. The problem, argues this provocative book, is that we have focused for too long on price rather than the profits that private investors and banks need to guarantee attractive returns.
Tell us what you think
Are you taking any of these books with you on your summer vacation this year? Which ones? And which titles did we miss? Let us know in the comments below.
The war underground: lithium, copper and the global battle for the energy supply of our lives by Ernest Scheyder (Ithaka/One Signal)
Reuters journalist Scheyder has witnessed firsthand an evolving climate dilemma: the urgent need for clean energy that depends on minerals that are typically dirty to extract. His book examines the scale of resistance and the fraught geopolitics facing the building blocks of the green energy transition.
The Burden of Nature: How Climate Change Is Changing Our Minds, Brains and Bodies by Clayton Page Aldern (Allen Lane)
Much has been written about the impact climate change is having on our forests, oceans and crops. This book reveals the terrifying extent of its impact on us – from immigration judges more likely to reject asylum claims on hot days to medicines that are less effective in high temperatures.
Coming soon to the Summer Books 2024 …
All week, FT writers and critics share their favourites. Some highlights include:
Monday: Business by Andrew Hill
Tuesday: Economics by Martin Wolf
Wednesday: Environment by Pilita Clark
Thursday: Fiction by Laura Battle and Andrew Dickson
Friday: Story by Tony Barber
Saturday: FT journalists choose their favourite book of 2024 so far
Sunday: Politics by Gideon Rachman
Join our online book group on Facebook at FT Books Café
