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  3. 10 Best Books About Climate Change UK 2024 | David Wallace, Greta Thunberg and More
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10 Best Books About Climate Change UK 2024 | David Wallace, Greta Thunberg and More

With temperatures across the globe on the rise and catastrophic natural disasters echoing the future of earth's hostility to life, climate change - and its effect on the human race - is an important topic that everyone should explore. Our comprehensive list of books will help you find areas to concentrate on including the recorded history of global warming, sustainability, the climate crisis, and the politics surrounding them.


Our top 10 book choices cover many options, from inspirational non-fiction books urging the population to think about the bigger picture by world-leading campaigners like Greta Thunberg and Naomi Klein to dystopian fiction from Paolo Bacigalupi, Saci Lloyd and many more. Each of these climate change reads will hopefully give you a good understanding of some of the often scary complexities of our changing world and climate. 

Last updated 01/02/2023
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Table of Contents

How to Choose Books About Climate Change in the UK

Key Points to Consider
  1. Choose Between Fiction or Non-fiction: Both Play a Vital Role in Accessibility
  2. Research the Author and Their Credentials to Understand Their View
  3. Consider the Tone: Do You Want to Know How to Fix the World or What Could Become of It?
1

Choose Between Fiction or Non-fiction Depending on Whether You Want to Read Something Creative and Inspiring or Something Factual and Knowledgeable

Choose Between Fiction or Non-fiction Depending on Whether You Want to Read Something Creative and Inspiring or Something Factual and Knowledgeable

Are you looking to feed your soul and creative thinking or gain some new knowledge? Fictional stories about climate change can help you (or someone you know) empathise with those living with the impacts of climate change today, as well as those who may have to do so in the future. They can also be, to put it frankly, enjoyable. 


Not everyone is built to read factual texts with case studies and graphs on how many millions might be displaced by future floods. In that case, a fictional climate change parable may be the book for you.


However, that doesn’t mean all non-fiction books on this topic are dry and academic. So, if you’re searching for more practical knowledge to put to use in the real world, or perhaps in a debate or argument, then a non-fiction climate change text might be more suitable.

2

See if the Book Will Resonate With You by Researching the Author and Their Credentials

See if the Book Will Resonate With You by Researching the Author and Their Credentials

In the same way, we should analyse the intentions and background of the author in a climate change denial piece; it’s best to know a little about the writer of a book on climate change too. For example, a fictional story by a career author will never be as scientifically accurate as a non-fiction book with graphs and charts written by an actual scientist


However, you wouldn’t expect a professional scientist to write beautiful prose with engaging character arcs and well-paced plots on their first try, either. A little bit of research on the author of any book always pays off in helping you find your new favourite.

3

Consider the Tone: Choose Between Optimism, Hope and Solutions, or Intense, Worst-Case Scenarios Based on How You Feel About the Topic

Consider the Tone: Choose Between Optimism, Hope and Solutions, or Intense, Worst-Case Scenarios Based on How You Feel About the Topic

This is an especially important point. People can react differently to predictions about our fate as the human race – some people are already very worried and upset about climate change and the potential future of civilisation. For them, a book that exactingly outlines worst-case future climate scenarios might not be the best idea.


However, if you’re the kind of person that sees any negative as an opportunity to work towards changing it, then the hard-but-shocking truth might be what you need to motivate yourself to get out there and make a difference.


On the other hand, there are balanced options on our list too. These books don’t always shy away from stark pictures of our potential future within a changing climate, but they also offer human stories of hope, solidarity and inspiration in troubled times. 

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10 Best Books About Climate Change in the UK

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1

Naomi Klein

On Fire: The Burning Case for a Green New Deal

Naomi Klein On Fire: The Burning Case for a Green New Deal 1

£9.25

Mid

Iconic Climate Reporter’s Essays Spanning 20 Years of Global Activism

2

Greta Thunberg

No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference

Greta Thunberg No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference 1

£2.99

Low Mid

A Collection of Passionate Speeches From the Teenage Wonderchild of Climate Activism

3

David Wallace Wells

The Uninhabitable Earth: A Story of the Future

David Wallace Wells The Uninhabitable Earth: A Story of the Future  1

£6.01

Mid

Potential Worst-Case Scenarios and Civilisation-Ending Speculation From a New Yorker Magazine Editor

4

Paul Hawken + Various

Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming

Paul Hawken + Various Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming  1

£14.99

High Mid

A Coffee Table Book for Campaigners Featuring Illustrations, Diagrams and Technical Drawings

5

Richard Powers

The Overstory

Richard Powers The Overstory 1

£8.19

Mid

A Story Spanning Multiple Eras and Narratives for the True Tree Huggers

6

Various (Extinction Rebellion group)

This is Not a Drill: An Extinction Rebellion Handbook

Various (Extinction Rebellion group) This is Not a Drill: An Extinction Rebellion Handbook 1

£5.59

Mid

An Introduction to the Global Movement With Essays and Protest Tips for the Aspiring Activist

7

Paolo Bacigalupi

The Water Knife

Paolo Bacigalupi  The Water Knife 1

£4.25

Low Mid

A Brutal Thriller That’s Not for the Faint Hearted, Set In the Future Drought-Ridden South-West USA

8

Various (ed. Trevor Letcher)

Climate Change: Observed Impacts on Planet Earth

Various (ed. Trevor Letcher) Climate Change: Observed Impacts on Planet Earth 1

£27.05

High

A Weighty and Expensive Technical Book for Students and Researchers Written by a World-Leading Expert

9

Saci Lloyd

The Carbon Diaries 2015

Saci Lloyd  The Carbon Diaries 2015 1

£1.19

Low

A Relatable, Down-To-Earth, Teenage Story of Day-To-Day Life in London With a Changed Climate

10

Alexis Wright

The Swan Book

Alexis Wright The Swan Book 1

£8.19

Mid

A Literary Exploration of the Personal Costs of Climate Change on Indigenous Peoples

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No.1

Naomi KleinOn Fire: The Burning Case for a Green New Deal

On Fire: The Burning Case for a Green New Deal 1
Source:amazon.co.uk
Reference price
£9.25
Mid
Reference price
£9.25
Mid

Iconic Climate Reporter’s Essays Spanning 20 Years of Global Activism

A legendary climate activist and author, Canadian Naomi Klein, has held corrupt businesses to account for their disregard of the natural environment for over 20 years. Her new climate change book, On Fire, is a collection of urgent new essays and choice reporting from her long career catalogue.


The bleak depictions of currently ongoing environmental destruction are alarming and harrowing. However, Klein has an unmatched talent at capturing the ceaseless energy and very personal hope displayed by climate campaigners and activists all over the world. 

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No.2

Greta ThunbergNo One Is Too Small to Make a Difference

No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference 1
Source:amazon.co.uk
Reference price
£2.99
Low Mid
Reference price
£2.99
Low Mid

A Collection of Passionate Speeches From the Teenage Wonderchild of Climate Activism

If you’ve not heard of Greta Thunberg, well, we don’t know what to say! The Swedish teenager has become one of the world’s most famous faces since she first started her school protests back in 2018.


This short book is a collection of her speeches written by 17-year-old Thunberg herself and delivered personally at various international conferences. They’re sobering and alarming, yes, but also inspirational to anyone feeling overwhelmed by the seeming lack of global action on the climate crisis. As the title says, sometimes we all need reminding no one is too small to make a difference. 


For more books about empowered females, check out a feminist books article.

No.3

David Wallace WellsThe Uninhabitable Earth: A Story of the Future

The Uninhabitable Earth: A Story of the Future  1
Source:amazon.co.uk
Reference price
£6.01
Mid
Reference price
£6.01
Mid

Potential Worst-Case Scenarios and Civilisation-Ending Speculation From a New Yorker Magazine Editor

“It is much worse than you think,” opens this dire warning of a book, and it rarely lets up from there. Without a doubt, The Uninhabitable Earth is the most stark and upsetting climate change non-fiction book on this list.


Wallace Wells is not a scientist; he is deputy senior editor at the New Yorker magazine. So, don’t expect too many graphs or references. However, this New York Times best-selling book is a scary text-only account of the worst possible outcomes for humanity's future – if we carry on failing to fix things

No.4

Paul Hawken + VariousDrawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming

Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming  1
Source:amazon.co.uk
Reference price
£14.99
High Mid
Reference price
£14.99
High Mid

A Coffee Table Book for Campaigners Featuring Illustrations, Diagrams and Technical Drawings

This is a large book with full-page illustrations, diagrams, technical drawings and photographs. By all accounts, it was a large project to produce as well. Drawdown is successful environmental entrepreneur Paul Hawken’s attempt to publicise all the steps being taken around the world to counter global climate change right now.


Although it doesn’t deny the reality we face, this is by far the most hopeful climate change book on this list. Drawdown takes inspiration from dozens of international scientists, inventors and business leaders to show 100 ways this seemingly-indomitable problem can potentially be tackled. 

No.5

Richard PowersThe Overstory

The Overstory 1
Source:amazon.co.uk
Reference price
£8.19
Mid
Reference price
£8.19
Mid

A Story Spanning Multiple Eras and Narratives for the True Tree Huggers

The Overstory is a book that deals primarily with time. This era-spanning multi-narrative piece of climate change fiction features some of the most incredible descriptions of trees and forests you’ll ever read. It may have some narrative flaws, but The Overstory beautifully captures the spirit and common cause camaraderie of those who feel the call to save nature’s giants.


Sci-fi queen Margaret Atwood, writer of The Handmaid’s Tale, said it was impossible for Richard Powers to write an uninteresting book. With all the attention this captivating tale got in 2019, it’s hard to disagree. 

No.6

Various (Extinction Rebellion group)This is Not a Drill: An Extinction Rebellion Handbook

This is Not a Drill: An Extinction Rebellion Handbook 1
Source:amazon.co.uk
Reference price
£5.59
Mid
Reference price
£5.59
Mid

An Introduction to the Global Movement With Essays and Protest Tips for the Aspiring Activist

This short paperback is an excellent introduction to the global movement that has been in the UK media a lot recently. This Is Not a Drill features essays from key Extinction Rebellion members, including academics, journalists and climate scientists. They cover all sorts of climate change topics, from current injustices to future roadmaps for a greener society.


The second half of the book is dedicated to practical advice for taking direct action, such as dealing with police and safely blocking polluting infrastructure. This may prove controversial in some circles, however, if you’re thinking of joining a protest anytime soon, it may be invaluable. 


Interested in the political side of things? Take a look at our top 10 books about politics.

No.7

Paolo Bacigalupi The Water Knife

The Water Knife 1
Source:amazon.co.uk
Reference price
£4.25
Low Mid
Reference price
£4.25
Low Mid

A Brutal Thriller That’s Not for the Faint Hearted, Set In the Future Drought-Ridden South-West USA

Bacigalupi’s Water Knife is undoubtedly excellent, but it’s not a book for the faint-hearted. With breakneck pace and a bloody body count, we’re shown just how desperate things may get when the most precious of resources – water – is on the line.


A writer for nearly 20 years, American Bacigalupi, has won all sorts of acclaim for his science and speculative fiction work. That includes the Hugo and Nebula Awards, the two biggest prizes in science fiction. 

No.8

Various (ed. Trevor Letcher)Climate Change: Observed Impacts on Planet Earth

Climate Change: Observed Impacts on Planet Earth 1
Source:amazon.co.uk
Reference price
£27.05
High
Reference price
£27.05
High

A Weighty and Expensive Technical Book for Students and Researchers Written by a World-Leading Expert

This highly technical book covers all the latest climate change science from 35 different angles – with every piece written by a world-leading expert in that area. Observed Impacts is also notable for not using any climate modelling or predictive science. 


Instead, each diagram and maths-heavy chapter focuses on what we can observe around the globe right now, and it isn’t pretty. However, without too many dire warnings about possible outcomes, it is mainly left up to the reader to interpret the science and what they think that might mean for the future. 

No.9

Saci Lloyd The Carbon Diaries 2015

The Carbon Diaries 2015 1
Source:amazon.co.uk
Reference price
£1.19
Low
Reference price
£1.19
Low

A Relatable, Down-To-Earth, Teenage Story of Day-To-Day Life in London With a Changed Climate

The Carbon Diaries 2015 may have a dated title today, but it remains a brilliantly down-to-earth book that tackles a complex and scary subject for the young adult market.


It follows the life of a 16-year old girl in a future London, where all private carbon-producing activities face a huge tax and intense weather events constantly erode the edges of her otherwise average life. A complex subject handled deftly; this was Saci Lloyd’s debut novel. 

No.10

Alexis WrightThe Swan Book

The Swan Book 1
Source:amazon.co.uk
Reference price
£8.19
Mid
Reference price
£8.19
Mid

A Literary Exploration of the Personal Costs of Climate Change on Indigenous Peoples

Indigenous Australian author and campaigner Alexis Wright’s third novel, The Swan Book, is one for the literary types. The story chronicles the trials of a young Aboriginal woman in a government internment camp in the climate-ravaged near future


The opening of the story makes for some grim reading, however, the incredibly creative descriptions and dreamlike plot weaving soon combine to create a melancholic climate change novel unlike any other. 

Written and researched by David Weir

Top 5 Books About Climate Change

No. 1: Naomi KleinOn Fire: The Burning Case for a Green New Deal

No. 2: Greta ThunbergNo One Is Too Small to Make a Difference

No. 3: David Wallace WellsThe Uninhabitable Earth: A Story of the Future

No. 4: Paul Hawken + VariousDrawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming

No. 5: Richard PowersThe Overstory

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