Happy Earth Day! Earth Day is a reminder about the planet we live on, about its resources and the ecological impact we do with every move we make. To remind you about how you can help the planet, not just on Earth Day but every day of the year, here are five compelling books with an environmental message to celebrate this day, covering from a variety of genres such as nonfiction to fiction.
5. No turning Back: The Extinction Scenario by Richard Ellis
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No Turning Back by Richard Ellis is a nonfiction scientific book which examines the topic of extinction. Author Ellis examines the finality of a species existence by using five periods of mass extinction to outline how a species meets its final end, including the meteorite that brought an end to the dinosaurs and humanity killing off animals such as the saber-toothed tiger, wooly mammoth, and cave bears when they crossed the Bering Land Bridge 15,000 years ago. Ellis offers a naturalistic view that is well worth the read and reminds us that no species, least of all our own, lasts forever.
4. Midworld by Alan Dean Foster
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Midworld by Alan Dean Foster tells the story of a planet called Midworld, covered entirely by a vast rainforest that’s almost a mile high and rich with alien fauna. Home to a primitive society that’s in tune with the natural world, Midworld is changed when an exploitative human company arrives and begins attempt to mine the planet for its resources while ignoring the delicate ecosystem. A pulpy page turner, this one is an obvious metaphor for destructive of delicate environments by corporations but done extremely well and the planet itself is so richly described you’ll feel like you can live there.
3. Ecotopia by Ernest Callenbach
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Ecotopia heavily influenced the green movement when it was first published in the 1970s and is just as compelling today. Ecotopia tells the story of Northern California, Oregon, and Washington separating from the United States to create their own nation. Admitting its first visitor from the outside world, a reporter who finds a utopia inside the new nation’s borders, one economically and socially viable, showing a world that could be created if humanity would let it.
2. The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert
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There have been five major mass extinctions in Earth’s history. Now, in this nonfiction novel, Elizabeth Kolbert argues we are in the midst of a sixth and one that we are responsible for. Drawing on the world’s best scientific minds and researchers, Elizabeth Kolbert presents her case very bluntly, showing species that are already perished within humanity’s lifespan and others that are on the verge of dying out. This novel very starkly illustrates that a new mass extinction is underway and we can’t stop it, as its already too late for dozens of species. This one is a must-read and shows that if we do not taking action immediately, our legacy could be the sixth extinction.
1. Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
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Silent Spring by Rachel Carson is the classic environmental novel. Published in 1962, it was first serialized in The New Yorker before being compiled as a full length novel. Gaining huge swaths of publicity and popularity, the book highlighted the extreme damage that unregulated usage of pesticides would cause if left unchecked. Carson faced ruthless backlash by chemical companies and unfortunately passed away in 1964 but her work changed the word, as sweeping changes were made to pesticides. This is a must read for anyone environmentally active and is the perfect book for Earth Day.
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