The best books to read for World Environment Day 2022

In 1972, June 5 was named World Environment Day by the UN General Assembly, and 50 years on, it’s still celebrated worldwide. This year, the World Environment Day global campaign theme is ‘Only One Earth’, highlighting the need for sustainability on a personal and societal level.

With World Environment Day just around the corner, there’s never been a better excuse to read up on all things related to the environment. Scroll on to see a variety of titles that you can celebrate World Environment Day with this year.

On this list, you’ll find a mix of fiction and nonfiction books to entertain and inspire.

Books to Celebrate World Environment Day 2022

Environmental themes in literary fiction

Blueback by Tim Winton

Abel Jackson’s world is vanishing. Living on an idyllic stretch of coast, he has plenty of friends in the sea, but as the years pass things start to change. The constant greed of humans becomes clear to Abel as the modern world comes to take claim of his patch of sea. From beloved Australian author Tim Winton, this novel is a beautiful allegory about a boy who finds his wisdom through living in harmony with all forms of life.

Echolalia by Briohny Doyle

Set in a small town in rural Australia, Echolalia weaves a tale of climate disaster and the bitter reality of adult life. As a landmark lake dries up, so too do the inner workings of one family disintegrate to near-nothingness. A story of crumbling humanity – both internal and external – Echolalia paints a bleak view of the direction we’re collectively heading.

Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy

Part thriller, part love story, Once There Were Wolves follows Inti Flynn as she and her sister reintroduce fourteen grey wolves into the remote Scottish Highlands. When a local farmer is found dead, Inti must fight to protect the wolves – the creatures she loves the most. Will her reckless attempt to heal the dying landscape and help her sister work?

Plans for a sustainable future

How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates

From the founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, comes this urgent but accessible plan for getting greenhouse gas emissions to zero in time to avoid a climate catastrophe. After decades of research on climate change, Gates has banded with a team of experts in physics, chemistry, political science and more to figure out what we can do to avoid the disaster we’re heading towards.

Our House is on Fire by Malena Ernman, Greta Thunberg, Beata Ernman, and Svante Thunberg

Based on real events in the Thunberg family, Our House is On Fire tells the story of a happy family whose life suddenly fell apart. When the eleven-year-old daughter – now known worldwide as the climate activist Greta Thunberg – refused to eat and speak, the family had to find ways to draw courage from their love for each other and our world. While the story centres around one family’s experience, it is a parable of hope in the climate emergency that faces us all.

Firestorm by Greg Mullins

Over five decades of work as a firefighter, Greg Mullins watched as weather patterns and natural disaster risks changed. Witnessing bushfires becoming bigger and more destructive, Mullins talked to scientists and compared the evidence with his own experience. The more he learned, the more it became clear: A deadly firestorm was coming. In early 2019, he tried to warn the government so that preparations could be made, but his warnings were ignored. Firestorm offers insight into the terror that is fighting a raging fire, as well as insight into the political evasion and settled science on the matter.

Climate change and the agriculture & food industry

Why you should give a f*ck about farming by Gabrielle Chan

It’s easy to think of farming as something separate from ourselves. But that’s not true. Anyone who eats or wears clothes makes daily decisions that influence farming, and it’s something that deserves more attention. As an industry at the intersection of the world’s biggest challenges around climate change, it’s time we usher in new ways of living and working on the land.

This is Vegan Propaganda by Ed Winters

Every time we eat, we have the power to radically transform the world we live in. That’s the message that vegan activist, educator, and influencer Ed Winters hopes to impart. Based on years of research, the book provides knowledge for understanding the true scale of the problems perpetuated by the ways we eat.

Toxic by Richard Flanagan

This exposé of the Tasmanian salmon farming industry is nothing short of shocking. For a long time, Tasmanian salmon has been praised for its pristine conditions, but the reality looks far different from that idealised portrayal. Burning forests in the Amazon, petrochemicals and synthetically pink-dyed flesh are all part of the dark realities of the secretive industry.

Discussing one of these at your next book club? Make a tasty vegan treat to accompany your chat. Vegan blackberry shortcake, chickpea cookie dough bites or vegan banana bread would be a welcome addition to any meet up.