Title

Author

Publisher

Available at SMC Library

Stars

Highest 4

Overview

Water in Plain Sight

Judith Schwartz

St.Martins Press 2016

y

**

Worldwide tour of 8 sites where locals try to solve water issues with creative solutions (e.g. cattle grazing management /beaver introduction/dew capture).

Water 4.0

David Sedlak

Yale Univ Press, 2014

y

****

Historic review (Romans!) of how we got clean drinking water and disposed of sewage and kept them separate. Discusses how to ensure potable water and how to process sewage in a new era of rising populations and decreasing water sources.

Liquid Rules

Mark Miodownik

Penguin Books 2019

y

**

The author describes the interesting properties of several liquids that he encounters on a plane trip from London to SFO. Tea, ball point pen, jet fuel, ocean, clouds, LCDs... Some interesting physics and material science facts.

The Soil Will Save Us

Kristin Ohlson

Rodale Press 2014

y

**1/2

Describes underlying scientific principles of,and provides examples of,the ability of soil to sequester atmospheric CO2. Either a hopeful outlook or rather naïve. Carbon Farming Movement.

Rain

Cynthia Barnett

Crown 2015

y

**1/2

Subtitle: a natural and cultural history. Natural part is most informative; cultural less so. Easy reader description of science. Early meteorological history interesting. Climate change effect on rainfall will be hard to predict.

Create an Oasis with Greywater

Art Ludwig

Oasis Design 6th ed. 2015

y

***1/2

This is the book you need to plumb your property for grey water use. Plumbing for Dummies. Excellent list of Resources/ Further Reading.

Dirt The Erosion of civilization

David R. Montgomery

Univ. of CA Press. 2007

y

***

Dirt is the thin crust on surface of earth surface that sustains agriculture. Soil: rock weathering and erosion. Civilizations that do not husband this resource are destined to fail: Mesopotamia, ancient Greece, Rome, China, Mesoamerica and on into modern era.

Your Water Footprint

Stephen Leahy

Firefly Books. 2014

y

****

Picture book that graphically illustrates the shocking amount of water we use everyday. Interesting facts on how much water there is and where it is.

Deep Creek

Pam Houston

WW Norton 2019

y

*

Memoir by writer who buys 120 acre ranch in Colorado Rockies

End of Doom

Ronald Bailey

St. Martins Press; Cato Institute Book 2015

y

***

A climate change skeptic who now believes in GHG-induced global warming. Summarizes lots of studies and probes them in an interesting way. Worth reading if only to get a different viewpoint than usual.

Rising

Elizabeth Rush

Milkweed Editions 2018

y

**

Polyphonic book. Author travels to areas on both coasts of USA and records reactions of locals affected by sea level rise. Good section on SF South Bay project around Alviso.

Being the Change Live Well and Spark a Climate Revolution

Peter Kalmus

New Society Publishers 2017

y

****

An astrophysicist turned NASA climate scientist describes his life-style changes upon becoming aware of the impact of anthropogenic (human-caused) activities on climate change. The book makes YOU think about how YOU contribute to the problem and how YOU can do something about it.

Are We Screwed? How a New Generation is Fighting to Survive Climate change

Geoff Dembicki

Bloomsbury 2017

y

***

Written by a Millennial about how the Millennial Generation is dealing with the existential challenge of climate change. Each chapter profiles an individual that is taking radical action, either on a personal level or on a world-wide stage to challenge “business as usual.” Seeing the issue thru the eyes of a generation who are not afraid to challenge CEOs and politicians is illuminating.

Losing Earth A Recent history

Nathaniel Rich

Farrar, Straus and Giroux 2019

y

**

Our current understanding of the forces affecting climate change were in place by 1979 (and agreed to by 97% of scientists). The personalities (mostly politicians) that “dropped the ball” are identified and the birth of climate change denial is documented.

Industrial Cowboys

David Igler

Univ. of CA Press 2005

y

***

Details the history (from 1850 to 1920) of how land in CA came to be controlled by a few “cattle barons”. Using political influence, they established the control of water access and water rights that still pervades our current system. Dense and fascinating. Miller and Lux were butchers in SF!

Trees in Paradise

Jared Farmer

WW Norton 2013

y

****

Fascinating and compelling read. Dissects CA history and social changes through the lens of 4 trees: redwoods, eucalyptus. citrus and palms.

The Uninhabitable Earth

David Wallace-Wells

Tim Duggan Books 2019

y

****

One of the cover blurbs has the best description of this brilliantly written book as a ..”willfully terrifying polemic that reads like a cross between Stephen King and Stephen Hawking”. Couldn’t put it down.

The Dreamt Land

Mark Arax

Alfred Knopf 2019

y

****

Heavily documented history of land and water use in CA. The author is a central valley native and writes knowingly about agricultural practices there.

This is the Way the World Ends

Jeff Nesbit

Thomas Dunne Books 2018

y

**

A worldwide survey of the horrible consequences of climate change on social structures and human activity. Steel yourself for a depressing list of coming disasters/wars/famines and mass migrations.

Brave New Arctic

Mark C. Serreze

Princeton University Press 2018

y

***

Univ. of Colorado Prof and Director of National Snow and Ice Data Center details changes in the Arctic over the past 3 decades. Numerous interacting elements in the Arctic system generate a complexity that makes predictions difficult. The changes have political consequences as well: thawing permafrost and loss of sea ice make the Arctic more accessible to shipping and resource extraction.

Sea Change

Mark Fischetti

Scientific American V. 321, No.2 pg 28

y

****

Five nations are using scientific data to lay claim to overlapping areas of the Arctic. Increased access a direct consequence of global warming.

The Arctic

Multiple

National Geographic 9/2019

y

***

8 nations have territorial claims to Arctic and its abundance of natural resources. Native culture will be heavily impacted. Who else is involved?? China, who describes itself as a “near-Arctic state” is building a fleet of ice breakers to open the “Polar Silk Road”!!

Energy: A Human History

Richard Rhodes

Simon & Schuster 2018

y

***

Documents energy sources/technologies thru the ages from wood to coal to oil to gas to nuclear to renewables to… Highlights the humans (often obscure) who discovered, exploited and made technological advances to these energy sources (ex. the arc welder allowed efficient pipelines). The author makes a compelling case for nuclear power (Disclosure: won Pulitzer Prize for “The Making of the Atomic Bomb”)

Carbon Capture

Howard J. Hertzog

MIT Press, 2018 Essential Knowledge Series

y

***

Heavy on acronyms and technical specs. The authors’ chemical engineering perspective/experience is enlightening, especially the technical problems of removing CO2 from the flue gases of fossil-fuel burning plants or from ambient air (DAC). And where to store? In any case, not easy or cheap to do.

The Global Warming Reader

Bill McKibben, ed.

Penguin Books 2012

y

**1/2

The subtitle says it all: “A Century of Writing About Climate Change. 36 short essays/articles/reports from Arrhenius in 1896 to many voices in 2012. A bit dated now but the early articles give historical perspective of the early warning system. James Hansen’s 1988 report to congress alone is worth reading.

Drawdown

Paul Hawken, ed.

Penguin Books 2017

y

***

A large format glossy compendium of 80 solutions to reverse global warming. Each solution gets a 2 pg description with colorful photos. The list of contributors (research fellows) is broad and extensive as are the solutions from wind turbines to repopulating the Mammoth Steppe. A lot of ideas you may never have considered, e.g. Refrigerant Management tops the list.

Dirt to Soil

Gabe Brown

Chelsea Green Publishing, 2018

y

***

A “how to” primer for turning degraded agricultural land, the result generations of yield-driven farm practices, into productive, healthy regenerative soil. Written by a ranch family in North Dakota. The key is soil carbon!!!

Eager

Ben Goldfarb

Chelsea Green Publishing, 2018

y

***

Subtitle is” The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter”. Beavers and Climate Change?? Turns out these rodents, which were almost exterminated by early trappers (think fashionable top hats) are making a come back. Introduced into degraded ranchlands they are restoring marshes and wetlands. WA, OR, and even NV and UT have reintroduction programs. CA lags behind; still considers them pests (traps/kill!!), not proficient hydrologic engineers.

Inconspicuous Consumption

Tatiana Schlossberg. (JFK’s granddaughter)

Grand Central Publishing 2019

y

**

Subtitle: “the environmental impact you don’t know you have”. A young person’s analysis of the opaque environmental costs of your lifestyle. Interesting details about how environmentally destructive the fashion industry is. Heavy on statistics; Droll writing style.

Physics for Future Presidents: the science behind the headlines

Richard A. Muller, UC Berkeley Prof.

W.W, Norton 2008

y

**

Book is based on his popular UC class for non-science majors. Discusses science concepts behind terrorists’ weapons, energy production, and nuclear weapons/plants. Section on climate change dissects the data for and against extent of human causes. That part alone is worth reading. Definitely not a fan of “An Inconvenient Truth”.

Extreme Conservation. Life at the Edges of the World

Joel Berger, Colorado State Univ. Prof.

University of Chicago Press 2018;

y

*

A narrative by a field biologist of the adaptations necessary for animals (including humans) to survive and thrive in the extreme conditions of the 3 polar regions (think Himalayas) of earth. Heavy emphasis on musk oxen.

The Wizard and the Prophet: Two Remarkable Scientists and their Dueling Visions to Shape Tomorrow’s World

Charles C. Mann

Alfred A. Knopf, 2018

y

***1/2

The premise of this book is intriguing: The visions of 2 mid-20^th century men has given rise to two distinct views to solve the environmental challenges of the 21^st century. Technology can/will solve our problems (Wizards, Norman Borlag); no, there are biological limits /carrying capacity of earth) that we cannot exceed (Prophets, William Vogt). Balanced perspective.

Snow A Scientific and Cultural Exploration

Giles Whittell

Atriaq Books, 2019

y

***

No 2 snowflakes are alike. They might look exactly alike but the dust mote that provided the nucleation site for water vapor to crystallize into a snow flake is unique. This book is full of fascinating details (plus interesting trivia, e.g. how Squaw Valley won the Olympics). The chapter on the fate of snow (and polar bears) in a warming world is sad.

The Big Thirst. The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water

Charles Fishman

Free Press, 2011

y

***

Although this book is almost 10 years old the fascinating info in it is NOT out of date. How is it that we can allow dolphins to swim in the Las Vegas desert, grow rice in parched Australia, and make young girls forego schooling because they have to walk miles to get a daily ratio of water.

The Story of More

Hope Jahren

Vintage Books 2020

Y

**

If you like statistics this book is for you. The author compares changes in food, energy, life, earth conditions from the perspective of 3 time frames: historic, the 70’s when she was born and the present. Take home message FOR FUTURE : CON SUME LESS; SHARE MORE.

The Future Earth

Eric Holthaus

Harper One 2020

Y

***

What’s required to have a future on this earth. Plans from climate gurus, economists, activists, and futurists. Easy read. What’s missing?? Political leaders that get the message.

The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis

Christiana Figueres/Tom Rivett-Carnac

Alfred A. Knopf 2020

Y

**

Authors are billed as “Architects of 2015 Paris Agreement. A list of 10 concrete actions that “each of us” must take to effect the necessary change. Best idea?? See yourself as a citizen, not a consumer.

All We Can Save
Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis

Ayana E. Johnson & Katharine K. Wilkinson, eds.

One World, NY

Y

**

Compilation of essays, poems, and thoughts by women scientists, journalists, farmer, lawyers, teachers, activists, …across generations, races and geographies. Strong on individual solutions and lifestyle changes.

Second Nature. . Scenes From a World Remade

Nathaniel Rich

MCD Farrar, Strauss and Giroux
2021

Y

**

10 stories of the current dystopian effects of climate change on the lives of ordinary people. Especially haunting is the one about the loss of bayou land in Louisiana.

How to Avoid a Climate Disaster
The subtitle is key: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need.

Bill Gates

Alfred A Knopf.
2021

Y

****

Gates is a self-identified NERD yethis analysis of thetechnical problems/ solutions to removing 51 GIGA TONs of CO2 is easy-to-comprehend. His access to world policymakers &tech innovators provides a unique perspective. An individual’s most potent weapons to fight CC: Your vote and your voice (loud)!

Pastoral Song. A Farmer’s Journey

James Rebanks

Harper Collins

Y

**

A third generation farmer in the Lake District of England describes the dilemma that small farmers face competing with factory farms. Most promising is the realization that small scale, ethical, regenerative farming is becoming fashionable.

The Last Butterflies
A scientist’s quest to save a rare and vanishing creature

Nick Haddad

Princeton University Press
2019

Y

***

Climate Change and an Insect Apocalypse: Cause or coincidence? This book is worth reading for the chapter on our very local endangered butterfly: the Bay Area Checkerspot. Gone from Jasper Ridge, Edgewood Park and San Bruno Mt.