Earth Day Essentials: Must-Read Books

Updated April 15, 2025
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The story of Earth : the first 4.5 billion years, from stardust to living planet
Hazen, Robert M.
Paper Book
Earth evolves. From first atom to molecule, mineral to magma, granite crust to single cell to verdant living landscape, ours is a planet constantly in flux. In this radical new approach to Earth's biography, senior Carnegie Institution researcher and national bestselling author Robert M. Hazen...
The story of the universe in 100 stars
Freistetter, Florian
Paper Book
With roughly 100 billion stars in the Milky Way alone, the cosmos is simply too vast for an unabridged tell-all. But here's the next best thing: 100 stars--bright and faint, near and far, famous and obscure, long dead and as-yet unborn, red, yellow, blue, and white (but, as you'll learn, never green...
Planet Earth as you've never seen it before
Fothergill, Alastair.
Paper Book
A visual odyssey that will change the way we see our planet, this remarkable book, companion to the acclaimed Discovery Channel/ BBC series, is an enduring and awe-inspiring record of one of the most ambitious natural history projects ever undertaken. Using the latest aerial surveillance, state...
The story of more : how we got to climate change and where to go from here
Jahren, Hope
Paper Book
This young adult adaptation of acclaimed geochemist and geobiologist Hope Jahren's highly respected nonfiction work is the perfect book for those interested in learning about climate change and how they can contribute to creating a more sustainable future. Hope Jahren, acclaimed...
Earth under fire : how global warming is changing the world
Braasch, Gary.
Paper Book
Six years ago, award-winning photojournalist Gary Braasch began an extraordinary journey around the world to observe and document environmental changes resulting from the warming of our climate. In this stunning, eye-opening book, he brings us along to witness firsthand what he saw as he...
The climate book
Thunberg, Greta
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER We still have time to change the world. From climate activist Greta Thunberg, comes the essential handbook for making it happen. You might think it's an impossible task: secure a safe future for life on Earth, at a scale and speed...
This changes everything : capitalism vs. the climate
Klein, Naomi
Paper Book
WINNER 2014 - Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Non-Fiction Forget everything you think you know about global warming. The really inconvenient truth is that it's not about carbon--it's about capitalism. The convenient truth is that we can seize this...
The encyclopedia of Earth : a complete visual guide
Allaby, Michael.
Paper Book
This sumptuously illustrated, beautifully written encyclopedia, the best book available on the topic, presents the most up-to-date information about planet Earth in a style and format that will appeal to an extremely wide range of readers. With thousands of photographs, illustrations, diagrams,...
The fragile earth : writing from the New Yorker on climate change
Remnick, David
Paper Book
A New York Times New & Noteworthy Book One of the Daily Beast's 5 Essential Books to Read Before the Election A collection of the New Yorker's groundbreaking reporting from the front lines of climate change--including writing from Bill McKibben, Elizabeth Kolbert, Ian...

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