Some Important New Books

Now or Never: Why we need to act now to achieve a sustainable future, by Tim Flannery. Harper Collins, 2009. A long essential essay by Tim Flannery, followed by responses from Bill McKibben, Richard Branson, Peter Singer, Fred Krupp and Peter Goldmark, Gwynne Dyer and Alanna Mitchell.

Climate Wars, by Gwynne Dyer. Random House, 2008. Gwynne is a geopolitical and military analyst, and these are his thoughts built around some worst-case scenarios of the conflicts that could break out over scarce resources, linked to climate change. Gwynne is thoroughly well-informed, and while it’s not cheery reading, it’s essential that we know the dangers.

Hot, Flat, and Crowded - Why we need a Green Revolution - and How it can Renew America, by Thomas L. Friedman. FSG, 2008. Hot, because its warming. Flat, because democracy and economic growth are happening everywhere. Crowded - because there are 75 million more of us every year. This is a big read, written in Friedman’s easy inimitable manner, spiced with important conversations with people he’s met. He presents with powerful urgency the case for ‘Code Green’ - a rapid retrofit of the US economy based on efficiency, renewables and sustainable technology. Equally valid for any country.

The Truth about Green Business, by Gil Friend. 52 clear and profound “truths’, gathered and distilled down from Gil’s many years of working in the field.

Crossing the Energy Divide: Moving from Fossil Fuel Dependence to a Clean-energy Future, by Robert and Ed Ayres, Prentice Hall 2009.

Climate Cover-Up - The Crusade to Deny Global Warming, by James Hoggan with Richard Littlemore, Greystone Books, 2009