Environment Books to Deepen Your Understanding of the Natural World

Although it’s great to go outside and directly experience the outdoors, well-written environmental books can sometimes mimic the experience. An even better option is to go outdoors and find a pleasant spot to read. In any case, books about the environment can spark your curiosity. They encourage you to ask questions and make you more aware of the interconnectedness between humans and the natural world. Which books should people purchase to fill their shelves and look forward to hours of enjoyment?

Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest by Suzanne Simard

If people think of trees, they mostly do so because they are grateful for shade on a hot day. Some consider them a future source of wood and pulp. But, as Suzanne Simard explains in this fascinating book, trees are vital parts of a complex and interdependent circle of life. 

In Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest, Simard writes in accessible language, explaining how trees communicate and adapt to their environments. The author also blends experiences from her adult life as a leading forest ecologist and her childhood as a girl growing up in a logging community in the British Columbian rainforests. 

While reading it, people will discover many similarities between human societies and those of trees. Another main takeaway is how trees are essential for many other aspects of nature. That realization helps readers understand that one at-risk part of the ecosystem could have a ripple effect on many others. 

Toxic Legacy: How the Weedkiller Glyphosate Is Destroying Our Health and the Environment by Stephanie Seneff

An unfortunate truth about many modern products designed for convenience or to solve problems is that they often have unintended consequences for the environment and the health of those living in it. Such is the case illuminated in Toxic Legacy: How the Weedkiller Glyphosate Is Destroying Our Health and the Environment. Although manufacturers insisted this gardening and agricultural product was safe, growing evidence indicates that is not the case. 

Branching out from her role as an MIT scientist to show her skills as an author, Seneff details how the active ingredient in glyphosate disrupts the human gut biome and causes unwanted health effects. It also ends up in the air and water, harming the environment. 

Hundreds of millions of people worldwide experience water scarcity. Air pollution is a similar environmental concern that adversely affects public health. These links are well-established. However, people are not always as familiar with how many products they keep around the house and use regularly could have similar effects on the planet. The outcomes could affect the health of people and animals. 

This compelling title connects the dots. It emphasizes that greater awareness is an urgent matter people must take seriously. They may eventually do that by deciding to stop using specific products. However, a good starting point is to read environment books like this one. Then, they will realize that many of the collective actions humans take have enduring consequences. 

Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet: Harnessing the Power of Mindfulness for a Regenerative World, Personal Growth, and Inner Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh

Thich Nhat Hanh is world-renowned for his meditation expertise, which urges people to become more mindful in their everyday lives, whether brushing their teeth or walking their dogs. So, it’s no surprise that he has applied that knowledge to create one of the many books about saving the environment. 

In Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet: Harnessing the Power of Mindfulness for a Regenerative World, Personal Growth, and Inner Peace, the author empowers readers by reminding them that they can individually cause collective, positive changes by altering how they interact with the world and others. He also details the importance of recognizing the interconnectedness between people and the environment. 

Another useful aspect is the way this title helps people learn to accept what they cannot control without getting discouraged. Since many environment books feature in-depth profiles of how climate change is already causing devastating impacts, any advice to help people keep balanced perspectives and not get overwhelmed is welcome and necessary. Readers also appreciate how it helps them manage climate anxiety and stay focused on what they can control rather than the aspects they cannot. 

Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard by Douglas W. Tallamy

One of the downsides of some books about saving the environment is that they seem too out of reach for everyday readers, who end up feeling discouraged about the suggested actions. However, with Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard, the author’s main point is that people can make meaningful progress by going outside and changing where they live. 

Tallamy explains how putting more native plants in one’s yard can encourage wildlife to treat it as a haven. And, because government policies cannot affect what someone does in their yard, they can treat that area as their personal environmental activism space. 

Besides supporting local ecosystems with native plants, the decision to put more of them in the backyard is an excellent way to gradually create a nature-filled haven for household members and visitors to enjoy. The more people notice the natural world where they live, the more eager they should feel to do whatever they can to protect it.

Life on Earth by David Attenborough

This is one of the bestselling environment books, and people will quickly understand why once they begin reading it. It takes them on an incredibly descriptive adventure detailing the entire range of organisms that have lived on the planet.

Readers of Life on Earth will also love the dozens of color photographs that help illustrate the concepts and make the title even more engaging. Since the title explores how the world has evolved up to now, many people will have a much greater understanding of why acting to preserve the planet must occur without delay. 

Although the book’s coverage spans millions of years of history, the writing style keeps it accessible and exciting to read, no matter if people have read environment books for most of their lives or this is the first title they have bought. 

Let Environment Books Delight and Educate

The world can be challenging and stressful at times, but fantastic books can give readers temporary relief from their circumstances and invite them to learn new things. These outstanding titles are well worth adding to your bookshelf or giving as gifts to people in your life who love learning about nature.