Five books on climate action for COP28
As the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28) convenes this month, we share five Cambridge books that provide valuable insights into the urgency of the climate crisis and actionable strategies for a sustainable future.
Five Times Faster: Rethinking the Science, Economics, and Diplomacy of Climate Change
by Simon Sharpe
We need to act five times faster to avoid dangerous climate change.
Five Times Faster is an inside story from Simon Sharpe, who has spent ten years at the forefront of climate change policy and diplomacy. This provocative and engaging book sets out how we should rethink our strategies and reorganise our efforts in the fields of science, economics, and diplomacy, so that we can act fast enough to stay safe. Five Times Faster was selected as one of the Financial Times' Best Books of 2023 on the Environment.
'This book needs to be read, and its recommendations embraced, by all those seeking to make rapid progress in the fight to preserve a habitable planet.’
Legacy: How to Build the Sustainable Economy
by Dieter Helm
What would a sustainable economy look like? What would it take to live within our environmental means?
Legacy answers these and other questions, setting out the key features of the sustainable economy. It explains what it would take to properly maintain different types of capital, why polluters would have to pay, why the current generation would have to fund the necessary maintenance of our natural assets, and why we would have to save to invest. The message is a tough one: we are way off course in terms of meeting these conditions and we cannot escape the consequences. This book explains what we would have to do to mend our ways. Legacy was selected as one of the Financial Times' Best Books of 2023 in Economics.
This title is Open Access.
'Dieter Helm does not pull his punches in this forthright and powerful book. Some will assert that the revolution he seeks is impossible. Helm counters that it is inescapable.'
How to Fix a Broken Planet
by Julian Cribb
Do you want to help save human civilisation? If so, this book is for you.
How to Fix a Broken Planet describes the ten catastrophic risks that menace human civilisation and our planet, and what we can all do to overcome or mitigate them. It explains what must be done globally to avert each megathreat, and what each of us can do in our own lives to help preserve a habitable world. A must-read for anyone seeking sound practical advice on what citizens, governments, companies, and community groups can do to safeguard our future.
‘This book takes you on a chilling journey through the existential threats facing humanity. Essential reading for the 21st Century.’
The Climate Crisis
by Adam R. Aron
Why, despite all we know about the causes and harms of global heating, has so little effective action been taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and what we can do to change that?
This book explains the mechanisms and impacts of the climate crisis, traces the history and reasons behind the lack of serious effort to combat it, describes some people's ongoing scepticism and how to shift it, and motivates an urgent program of action. It argues that the pathway to stopping dangerous global heating will require a much larger mobilization of advocacy and activism to impel decision makers to abandon fossil fuels, and transition to renewable energy and electrification embedded in a political and social framework guided by justice principles. It is an excellent resource for students and researchers on the climate crisis, the need for a renewable energy transition, and the current blocks to progress.
‘The insights on social and psychological dynamics are designed to make it much more than just information: this is a how-to manual on how you can become an effective climate activist and advocate.’
Recipe for Survival: What You Can Do to Live a Healthier and More Environmentally Friendly Life
by Dana Ellis Hunnes
What can you do to improve your health and at the same time improve the health of our home planet? Do you want to be a healthier and more sustainable consumer? In this straightforward, easy-to-understand and entertaining book, dietitian and environmentalist Dr. Dana Ellis Hunnes outlines the actions we can all take.
Many people feel overwhelmed by the scope of climate change and believe that only large, sweeping changes will make any difference. Yet the choices we make every day can have effects on climate change, the oceans, the land, and other species. This book outlines the problems we are facing, and then presents ideas or 'recipes' to empower us, to help us all make a difference.
‘An action-inspiring guide to transforming our personal habits so that each of us can become a powerful change agent for a brighter, greener future.’
Cambridge is a leading publisher in the areas of climate and sustainability.
We are a signatory to the SDG Publishers Compact because we believe that aligning our work to increase knowledge and understanding of sustainability issues, and publishing research and educational materials and delivering assessments with the UN Sustainable Development Goals in mind, can make us an even more effective agent for global change.
Explore our range of titles articles across the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Written by global experts in their fields, our content ranges from popular science (highlighted above) to student textbooks and research volumes which include:
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Global Environment Outlook – GEO-6: Healthy Planet, Healthy People, Sustainable Development Report 2022 and The Science and Politics of Global Climate Change.
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