Environmental Reading Group

Manny Theocharopoulos

As the new Environmental Reading Group will soon be holding its first meeting, we've put together a list of five books and are inviting SPS students to vote for which one they think the group should read.  You can cast your vote here or via the poll at the end of this post. 

The Sixth Extinction
In prose that is at once frank, entertaining, and deeply informed, The New Yorker writer Elizabeth Kolbert tells us why and how human beings have altered life on the planet in a way no species has before.

Interweaving research in half a dozen disciplines, descriptions of the fascinating species that have already been lost, and the history of extinction as a concept, Kolbert provides a moving and comprehensive account of the disappearances occurring before our very eyes. She shows that the sixth extinction is likely to be mankind's most lasting legacy, compelling us to rethink the fundamental question of what it means to be human.

This Changes Everything

In her book This Changes Everything, Naomi Klein argues why there is an inextricable link between climate change and capitalism. She argues against the Free Market ideals of the ‘invisible hand’ and for the creation of an economic system which takes environmental consequences into its decision making.

An Inconvenient Truth
It’s hard to imagine that if it were not for a supreme ruling deciding not to have a recount of the vote in Florida, Al Gore could have won the presidency in 2000, drastically changing history.

One cannot help but feeling a sense of regret when reading this battle cry to save the environment. Written in 2006 it sadly remains relevant as a wake up call to the environmental damage occurring all around us.

Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet
This book starts at chapter one, describing the changes that occurred on earth when the temperature rose by one degree above pre-industrial levels.

In chapter two it describes the effects of global warming caused by a rise in temperature of 2 degrees above pre industrial levels. At 1 degree Celsius, most coral reefs and many mountain glaciers will be lost. A 3-degree rise would spell the collapse of the Amazon rainforest, disappearance of Greenland's ice sheet, and the creation of deserts across the Midwestern United States and southern Africa. A 6-degree increase would eliminate most life on Earth, including much of humanity. This graphic depiction is sure to set people out to try and save the planet.

No One Is Too Small To Make A Difference

The history-making, ground-breaking speeches of Greta Thunberg, the young activist who has become the voice of a generation.

'Everything needs to change. And it has to start today'
In August 2018 a fifteen-year-old Swedish girl, Greta Thunberg, decided not to go to school one day. Her actions ended up sparking a global movement for action against the climate crisis, inspiring millions of pupils to go on strike for our planet, forcing governments to listen, and earning her a Nobel Peace Prize nomination.

This book brings you Greta in her own words, for the first time. Collecting her speeches that have made history across Europe, from the UN to mass street protests, No One Is Too Small to Make A Difference is a rallying cry for why we must all wake up and fight to protect the living planet, no matter how powerless we feel. Our future depends upon it.

Cast your vote for which one of these books you think we should read here.

The Environmental Reading Group will meet on Fridays in room 109: look out for posters and tannoys with the date of the first meeting.