I got alerted to the dangers of climate change back in the late 1980s. As for so many others, it was NASA scientist James Hansen’s testimony before Congress that did it. I started reading about climate change – and its corollary, sustainability – and have never stopped!
As anyone who’s been to one of my climate presentations knows, I always include the link to my annotated list of 50-60 recent trade books on climate change and sustainability. These are books intended to inform the public, rather than highly technical academic or professional tomes. And “recent” is relative… I try to stay within the past decade, but for some specialty areas, an older classic has no recent update to take its place. I update the list every 2 months, and you can always find it here:
Book List Link https://scienceofconsequences.com/events.html
All of these books include *some* behavior, of course – how could they not? And behavior plays an especially important role because at this stage, the world has all the tech needed to successfully address the climate crisis.
Let’s take in and enjoy that good news for a moment. 🙂
The challenge, then, is the implementation of policy and behavior change, both areas of expertise for behavior analysts. The behavior change is needed on a large scale, but smaller projects add up (see my blog posts about the website Tools of Change, which describes successful community-level projects).
The books on my list cover the entire spectrum of sustainability and climate change, from broad policy, economics, and international perspectives, to impacts and solutions in targeted areas like agriculture, energy, transportation, health, organizations, biodiversity, and climate-driven human displacement. Something for everyone! In this post, I’ve chosen to highlight three books that feature behavior, and a fourth that’s a general recommendation.
Drumroll, please… and the books are:
Eric Lonergan & Corinne Sawers’ Supercharge Me: Net Zero Faster (2022, Agenda). An ambitious and hopeful policy book informed by behavioral economics, and catchily written in the form of a dialogue between the coauthors. Behavior analysts have to love the focus on EPICs, “Extreme Positive Incentives for Change,” which have worked well in places like Norway and California. Features powerful arguments for a range of incentives to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Even mentions “behavioral psychology” several times.
Johnston, Nicholas, & Parzen’s The Guide to Greening Cities (2013, Island Press). A classic. Two authors were sustainability directors for major US cities, so they know whereof they speak. Includes lots of sustainability projects, all involving some level of behavior change, while touting the need for metrics. Gets the importance of the behavioral sciences, and cites performance management several times. Includes concrete examples and ways to overcome barriers and access funding. While this book is aimed most of all at city staff, it’s an awesome resource for everyone trying to support greener cities. You will be convinced they can lead the way to a sustainable and equitable future – as indeed many have been doing.
Lloyd Alter’s Living the 1.5 Degree Lifestyle: Why Individual Climate Action Matters More Than Ever (2021, New Society). Individual consumer demand drives carbon production, of course. What sorts of behavioral goals are most likely to make a difference? Alter’s huge cuts to his family’s carbon footprint illustrate the way forward, and he takes a systematic, data-based approach. A short, readable, and thoughtful overview. With some humor, too: Don’t miss his description of his family’s attempt to eat a seasonal diet in late winter. And “don’t sweat the small stuff.”
Jeff Goodell’s The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet (2023, Little, Brown). This riveting New York Times bestseller makes the list because of its superb coverage. Goodell intersperses haunting personal stories with the science, the immense range of impacts, and the dire statistics (nearly half a million people die each year from extreme heat). There’s no direct connection with behavior analysis, but if this doesn’t motivate you, nothing will. I also loved Goodell’s 2017 book, The Water Will Come, about sea level rise.
Notably, all of these books include substantial amounts of *good* news… how we need that. Enjoy! – and spread the word. And for more great books, do take a look at my list, or other recommended climate/sustainability book lists, such as those featured on Yale Climate Connections. The YCC e-newsletter is one of my standard recommendations in my climate talks, and it frequently includes behavior change and behavioral science.
YCC Link: https://yaleclimateconnections.org/