Category Archives: Environment
Hot Mess
Hot Mess is an informative, easy-to-understand introduction to climate change for a general audience. The “hilarious” and even “side-splitting” humor promised by the cover blurbs mostly didn’t work for me, but the book describes the problem of climate change in a refreshingly non-academic way. Continue reading
How Infrastructure Works
How Infrastructure Works is a wonderful book that looks deeply at the function, development and future of infrastructure. It might seem like a nerdy topic, but Deb Chachra writes that infrastructure is so much more than pipes and cables, dams and bridges. Infrastructure is how we care for each other. Continue reading
Climate News: American Families Claimed over $8 Billion in IRA Tax Credits in 2023
More than 3.4 million US families claimed over $8 billion in tax credits for residential clean energy and home energy efficiency upgrades under the Inflation Reduction Act in 2023, according to a new report from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) … Continue reading
Around the World in 80 Birds
Around the World in 80 Birds is just what it sounds like, a world tour seen through 80 carefully selected bird species. There’s a brief profile of each bird accompanied by wonderful illustrations. You’ll find some of your old favorites and probably discover some new favorites too. Continue reading
Climate Capitalism
Akshat Rathi makes the optimistic case that a reformed capitalism — shaped by government policy and serving the needs of society and the planet — is our best hope of tackling climate change. In Climate Capitalism he profiles key leaders who are helping to make progress happen. Continue reading
Our Fragile Moment
What can we learn from ancient episodes of climate change to help us deal with today’s climate crisis, to help us take the earliest possible off ramp from the global warming highway we’re speeding along? Renown environmental scientist Michael Mann sets out to answer that question in this book. Continue reading
Unsolicited Climate News
I’m not quite finished my latest book review so in the meantime here are some recent news reports about climate and clean energy that have caught my eye. 👎 In April, Donald Trump asked oil executives to contribute $1-billion (yes, … Continue reading
Washington State’s Climate Commitment Act Explained
In November 2024, voters in Washington State will cast ballots on Initiative 2117 which calls for repealing the state’s Climate Commitment Act (CCA). The CCA is one of seven major laws and programs Washington has enacted to fight climate change. This explainer describes the goals and features of the CCA. Continue reading
The War Below
The clean energy transition is forcing countries and communities to make very difficult choices. Weaning ourselves off fossil fuels means we need huge quantities of raw materials: lithium, cobalt, copper, nickel, aluminum and other critical minerals. The War Below explores the conflicts around mining for the materials we need to power the clean energy transition. Continue reading
A Sand County Almanac
Aldo Leopold was one of the founders of the modern environmental movement. His book A Sand County Almanac, written 75 years ago, is a key source of many pivotal concepts about ecology and the environment, especially his idea of the “land ethic.” It’s still worth reading today. Continue reading
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