News sparks interest in books on environmental issues

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The recent United Nations climate change conference and ongoing reporting have increased interest in books that deal with environmental disasters, food stability and nature in general.

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The Brantford Public Library is always adding non-fiction books to its collection to meet the interest of residents who want to go beyond the headlines to learn more about environmental sustainability and climate change.

Recent images of empty grocery shelves in British Columbia are naturally arousing people’s curiosity about food security and the impact of weather on our food systems. A terrifying and encouraging book on this subject is Amanda Little’s The Fate of Food: What Well Eat in a Bigger, Hotter, Smarter World. The 2019 book goes beyond discussions of climate change and food to cover issues of population growth, sustainability and equity.

There are also recent books from established environmentalists. Jane Goodall’s 2021 book, The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times, which was co-authored with Douglas Abrams, addresses the climate crisis and focuses on how to maintain hope.

In line with hope, Naomi Klein’s 2015 book This Changes Everything is written in a way that motivates a person to make change by highlighting the many areas that impact climate change. A movie of the same title starring Klein is available to stream on demand through the library’s Hoopla platform. This Hoopla service is available on desktop, phone or tablet through the Hoopla app and through popular streaming devices, such as Amazon’s Fire TV.

Environmentalist David Suzuki’s 2017 Just Cool It book goes beyond simply reporting on the climate crisis to offering solutions to help reduce the impact humans have on Earth.

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The 2021 book, The Climate Diet: 50 Simple Ways to Trim Your Carbon Footprint, written by Paul Greenberg, provides even more practical advice for limiting a person’s environmental impact.

A common theme in environmental non-fiction is the beauty of nature. Helen Macdonald’s collection of essays published in the book Vesper Flights does a great job of capturing both a sense of longing and urgency regarding nature and environmental changes. It is a book that will remain etched in your memory for a long time.

If you are looking for a collection of books on this topic, request a bag of books selected by library staff through the Grab and Go service. A form for this service is available in the Reading Recommendations section of the library website.

At Your Library is a weekly column provided by Brantford Public Library staff. Readers who need more information can visit www.brantfordlibrary.ca.