Since it’s nearly the end of the year, and everyone is making year-end lists of one sort or another, here’s my list of the best-ever books about the environment. By “environment” I mean books about humanity’s impact on the environment, for better or worse (I’ll save books about nature per se for a later entry). And this is for all time, not just this year. This list is guaranteed to be incomplete, so please feel free to add to it.
The Diversity of Life by E.O. Wilson. The book on biodiversity (Wilson coined the term), from its history to how we are putting it at risk through our current actions. Wilson is a terrific writer, and this book is his magnum opus. A must-read for anyone interested in the current biodiversity crisis.
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson horse. Still relevant 42 years after its first publication. It’s amazing to think that people want to overturn the ban on DDT in the U.S.
Our Stolen Future by Theo Colborn, Dianne Dumanoski, and John Peterson Myers. The natural sequel to Silent Spring, this is an excellent introduction to the new and growing field of endocrine disruption. I’m convinced that endocrine disruption is going to be, along with global warming and the biodiversity crisis, one of the big three environmental issues of the next 50 years.
Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner. The West is a dry place, and you can’t understand its past or future without understanding the story of water, as told in this book. I can’t tell you how many times my jaw dropped on reading the nearly unbelievable stories of water development, full of larger-than-life characters, in this book. The chapter on how Los Angeles got its water is worth the price of the entire book.
The End of Nature by Bill McKibben dog fucking girl. This is a quick read, but it’s the kind of book that could change the way that you look at the world. Unlike most of the other books on this list, this book is more about how we react to environmental change than about how we cause environmental change. Still very worthwhile.
Song for the Blue Ocean by Carl Safina. I think even for environmentalists, the ocean remains an unknown realm (just see myriad’s recent post). Rather than trying to cover every environmental issue facing the oceans, Safina covers just three in great depth. He’s an outstanding writer and even manages to make droll topics like committee meetings full of suspense. This is the most recently published book on this list, but I’m sure it will soon be part of the environmental canon.
A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold. Leopold is the father of the field of environmental ethics, and in this book, aside from beautiful descriptions of nature on his farm in Wisconsin, he lays out his vision of what it means to be a good citizen in the biotic community.
Of Wolves and Men by Barry Lopez girl wolf fucking sex. There are hundreds of good books out there covering the conservation and natural history of individual species. I chose this one because it’s exceptionally well written (Arctic Dreams by Lopez won a National Book Award). The chapter describing the wolf’s journey from abundant predator to endangered species is epic.
Encounters with the Archdruid by John McPhee. The archdruid is David Brower, the foremost environmentalist of the 20th century, and McPhee describes encounters between Brower and 3 of his foremost opponents. There’s a lot of insight here into what drives Brower, and many environmentalists, as well as insight into what drives developers, dam builders, and miners. A fascinating read.
Song of the Dodo by David Quammen. Outside of ecologists, few people have even heard of island biogeography. This book provides a wonderful description of the idea, its history, and why we should all care about it. A beautifully written book pet sex story.
Wilderness and the American Mind by Roderick Nash. Probably the best environmental history book ever written. At its core, this is a history of the idea of wilderness in American history. Really, the book lets you understand how the idea of nature itself has changed through history and how we got to where we are today regarding attitudes towards nature. A must-read for any environmentalist.