Favorite Books

Overview

The key insight of Gaia Theory is that the entire Earth functions as a single living super-organism. But according to James Lovelock, the theory's originator, that organism is now sick. It is running a fever born of increased atmospheric greenhouse gases. Earth will adjust to these stresses, but the human race faces a severe test. It is already too late, Lovelock says, to prevent the global climate from “flipping” into an entirely new equilibrium that will threaten civilization as we know it. But we can do much to save humanity. In the tradition of Silent Spring, this is a call to address a major threat to our collective future.

About the Author

Overview

James Lovelock's The Vanishing Face of Gaia: A Final Warning is a prophetic message for mankind from one of the most influential scientists of our age. James Lovelock's Gaia theory, the idea that our planet is a living, self-regulating system, has transformed the way we see our planet and what is now happening to it. In this book he distils a lifetime's wisdom and observation of the Earth to reveal the rate at which our climate is altering, how conventional 'green' measures are not working, and how life as we know it is going to change forever. Only Gaia, he shows, can help us fully understand this, and prepare us for the future.

About the Author

James Lovelock is the author of more than 200 scientific papers and the originator of the Gaia Hypothesis (now Gaia Theory). He has written three books on the subject: Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth, The Ages of Gaia and Gaia: The Practical Science of Planetary Medicine, as well as an autobiography, Homage to Gaia. In September 2005 Prospect magazine named him as one of the world's top 100 global public intellectuals.

Explains how senior executives and board members can incorporate ESG and climate change into business planning and operations; argues boards must consider a broad set of stakeholders and define corporate purpose; provides case studies and practical guidance.

A scientific account of extinction through evolutionary history and what it implies for humanity’s future, integrating paleontology and evolutionary biology to examine mass extinctions and human vulnerability.

A critical examination of how sustainability initiatives can fail or be undermined, focusing on organizational behaviors, incentives, and execution pitfalls that prevent sustainability efforts from delivering intended outcomes.

Presents strategies for aligning corporate value creation with ethical and social principles, focusing on how companies can integrate responsibility into core business decisions while remaining competitive.

Explains how organizations earn and maintain legitimacy with communities and stakeholders (‘social license’), and provides guidance on managing stakeholder relationships, trust, and accountability to sustain operations over time.

A critical analysis of CSR, examining its promises and shortcomings, and exploring how CSR can be used both for genuine social value and for reputation management.

Explores how societies and organizations define and pursue ‘progress’ and performance, questioning conventional metrics and arguing for more robust ways to evaluate economic and social outcomes.

A fable that translates core change-management principles into a simple story about a penguin colony forced to respond to an existential threat, illustrating leadership, urgency, coalition-building, and sustained change.

Builds the case that sustainable development and business performance can be mutually reinforcing, illustrating approaches for companies to operationalize sustainability through strategy, innovation, and governance.

Proposes seven ways to reframe economics for the 21st century, including breaking addiction to growth, redesigning finance and business to serve people, and building regenerative and distributive economies within social and planetary boundaries.

Explains common cognitive ‘instincts’ that distort how people interpret global development and risk, and uses data-driven narratives to encourage a more accurate, less dramatic worldview.

Lyric reportage and narrative nonfiction on sea-level rise transforming U.S. coastlines; follows communities from the Gulf Coast to Miami, New York City, and the Bay Area, weaving firsthand testimony with profiles of scientists and activists.

Explores how water scarcity shapes societies and geopolitics, integrating science, policy, and case studies on water stress and management.

A wide-ranging account of how energy revolutions, climate change, and geopolitics are reshaping the global order—covering shale, the low-carbon transition, and major power rivalries.

Overview:

A collection of personal, thoughtful essays (adapted and expanded from the podcast) that ‘reviews’ facets of the human-shaped planet on a five-star scale, blending humor, vulnerability, and reflection on meaning, attention, and responsibility.

About the Author:

John Green is a bestselling author and creator known for accessible, human-centered storytelling across fiction, essays, and educational media.

Written for oil and gas leaders facing massive disruptions and heightened public scrutiny; offers guidance to lead through continuous disruption and become a proactive ‘disruptor’ shaping the industry’s future.

Overview

A practical framework for organizational transformation, best known for Kotter’s eight-step process, covering urgency, coalitions, vision, execution, short-term wins, and anchoring change in culture.

About the Author

John Blewitt is an educator and writer on sustainability and sustainable development, with a focus on policy, governance, and social-environmental systems.

Overview

Argues that fossil fuels can remain part of a sustainable energy system if paired with the right policies and technologies (notably deep emissions controls such as carbon capture and storage), challenging the assumption that rapid fossil-fuel phaseout is the only viable path; the book won the 2006 Donner Prize for top Canadian public-policy book.

About the Author

Mark Jaccard is a professor in the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University and director of the Energy and Materials Research Group, focusing on energy-economy-environment policy and modelling.

Overview

A comprehensive, data-driven guide to global energy realities that examines how modern societies produce and use energy, what constraints (economic, physical, environmental) shape system choices, and how to think clearly about feasible pathways that balance rising demand with protecting the biosphere.

About the Author

Vaclav Smil is a prolific scholar of energy, environment, food systems, and technological change, known for rigorous quantitative analysis of how physical and material constraints shape societal development.

Overview

A practical, accessible guide that quantifies the carbon footprint of everyday goods and activities, helping readers build an intuitive ‘carbon instinct’ and make better decisions using life-cycle thinking (including supply-chain impacts).

About the Author

Mike Berners-Lee is a researcher and writer on carbon footprinting, a Professor in Practice at Lancaster University, and founder/director of Small World Consulting, which supports organizations in measuring and reducing greenhouse-gas impacts.

Overview

A rigorously quantitative, calculation-based assessment of energy demand and supply options that replaces slogans with arithmetic—comparing consumption, efficiency, and low-carbon generation at consistent scales to show what combinations could add up in practice.

About the Author

Sir David J.C. MacKay (1967–2016) was a British physicist and academic (University of Cambridge) who also served as Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change; he made the book freely available online to improve evidence-based energy debate.

Overview

This book focuses on how digital transformation enables sustainability outcomes in resource-intensive industries, rather than treating sustainability as a standalone reporting or policy exercise. I recommend it for its practical frameworks covering digital maturity assessment, transformation roadmaps, governance, and KPI systems, with sustainability metrics integrated into enterprise execution and data platforms.

Overview

America’s electrical grid—an engineering triumph of the twentieth century—is increasingly misaligned with twenty-first-century needs. As new energy sources scale, the grid often becomes the bottleneck. The book explores how culture, institutions, technology, and politics intersect in the ongoing transformation of electricity infrastructure.

About the Author

Gretchen Bakke holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in Cultural Anthropology. Her research focuses on the chaos and creativity that emerges during social, cultural, and technological transitions. She has spent more than a decade studying the changing culture of electricity in the United States and is an assistant professor of anthropology at McGill University.

Overview

When blackouts happen, they may surprise customers—not insiders. This book argues that “near-misses” can be profitable under certain market structures, while fragility increases. It unpacks arcane rules and governance dynamics and proposes actions that can reinforce the grid that supports the economy and daily life.

About the Author

Meredith Angwin is a chemist who led projects to lower pollution and increase reliability on the electric grid, including nitrogen oxide control for gas turbines and corrosion control in geothermal and nuclear systems. She has participated in grid oversight and served on committees supporting consumer engagement with ISO-NE.

Overview

As demand grows, electricity remains difficult to supply reliably at scale. This book ties electrification to development outcomes—women’s rights, inequality, and climate challenges—through reporting across diverse regions, and examines system requirements for dependable power in a changing world.

About the Author

Robert Bryce is the author of multiple books on energy and innovation. His work has appeared in major publications and he has delivered hundreds of invited talks. He is also a documentary producer focused on electricity and society.

Overview

This narrative follows the unraveling of PG&E through catastrophic failures and legal/political fallout, connecting deregulation, incentives, infrastructure neglect, and the rising wildfire risk that now challenges utilities across the West.

About the Author

Katherine Blunt covers renewable energy and utilities for The Wall Street Journal. Her reporting on PG&E has received multiple honors and contributed to Pulitzer-finalist work. She is based in San Francisco.

Overview

The book argues for a coherent national modernization strategy that supports affordability, reliability, security, and sustainability. It reviews the history of electrification, evolving resource mixes, and the governance web that shapes infrastructure outcomes.

About the Author

Mason Willrich is an independent energy consultant with decades of leadership experience across the electric utility industry, independent power, academia, and government. He has authored multiple books on energy and policy.

Overview

Being an engineer today means being far more than an engineer. The book argues for socially responsible engineering at scale—integrating ecological thinking, intellectual property considerations, business context, and the social impact of technology.

About the Authors

David Douglas has held senior roles in cloud computing and sustainability leadership in the technology sector, focused on eco-responsible products and environmental initiatives.

Greg Papadopoulos served as CTO/EVP R&D at Sun Microsystems, with experience spanning scalable systems and technology leadership.

John Boutelle is a long-time freelance writer who has worked with and interviewed hundreds of engineers and executives across diverse global enterprises.

This toolkit describes how extractive projects can support community development and provides 20 practical tools usable from exploration through closure and post-closure.

Overview

A practical manifesto reframing corporate engagement with society, drawing on leadership experience and research into how connected leadership can improve long-term performance.

About the Authors

John Browne served as chief executive of BP (1995–2007). Robin Nuttall is a former McKinsey principal. Tommy Stadlen is a technology entrepreneur and former consultant.

Overview

Introduces Environmental and Economic Sustainability Assessment (EESA), integrating life-cycle analysis, risk assessment, cost-benefit analysis, and sensitivity analysis to support rational sustainability decisions.

About the Author

Paul E. Hardisty is an environmental scientist and author with global experience across industries and environmental challenges.

Overview

A practical guide for managers operating in poor and politically unstable societies to analyze and improve company–community interactions so operations succeed and communities benefit.

Overview

An execution-focused roadmap for leaders to respond to environmental pressures while creating long-term growth through innovation, efficiency, and risk reduction.

Overview

Brings together interdisciplinary research on corporate citizenship and corporate responsibility, examining implications for firm theory, global governance, and public goods.

About the Editors

Andreas G. Scherer (University of Zurich) and Guido Palazzo (University of Lausanne) are scholars in business administration and business ethics.

Note

“How much energy does it take to make energy?” Uses published data and life-cycle assessment to chart energy intensities of various oils; free download (per source note).

Guidance for developing and implementing local content strategies across oil and gas projects.

Overview

Provides concrete tools for measuring and increasing social and environmental impacts using metrics and best practices that businesses can implement.

About the Authors

Marc J. Epstein is a scholar and practitioner in sustainability performance measurement and governance. Adriana Rejc Buhovac is an academic in strategic management and corporate sustainability.

Overview

Argues that the benefits of cheap, reliable energy are underweighted in public debate and that evaluating energy choices should focus on overall human well-being and resilience.

About the Author

Alex Epstein founded the Center for Industrial Progress and is a commentator on energy, ethics, and environmental philosophy.

Overview

Traces the Cognitive, Agricultural, and Scientific Revolutions and explores how shared myths, institutions, and technologies enabled large-scale cooperation and modern societies.

About the Author

Yuval Noah Harari is a historian and philosopher, author of multiple bestsellers, and cofounder of Sapienship.

Explores how partnerships are brokered in development contexts and what makes collaboration effective in complex stakeholder environments.

Overview

Explains seven sustainability strategies that can increase profits while reducing risk, supported by a simulator-style approach for executives to explore outcomes.

About the Author

Bob Willard is a former senior manager who focuses on corporate sustainability and the quantified business case for sustainability.

Overview

Builds the case that climate change is a systems problem tightly coupled to economic and political structures, and highlights movements pursuing alternatives.

About the Author

Naomi Klein is an award-winning journalist and author writing on climate, politics, and economic systems.

Overview

A follow-up to Cradle to Cradle, extending eco-effective design concepts into practical examples of products, buildings, and systems aimed at improving natural and social outcomes.

About the Authors

Michael Braungart is a scientist and founder of EPEA. William McDonough is an architect and leader in sustainable development and design.

Overview

A broad introduction to sustainable development theory and practice, updated with SDG coverage and case studies spanning global-to-local contexts.

Often referenced as the “Green Book” policy guidance to augment the EPA’s “Red Book” on risk management (per source note).

Recommends that EPA adopt a sustainability paradigm considering environmental, social, and economic impacts (with health explicitly included), plus principles to underlie policies and programs.

Good-practice guidance for designing and managing strategic community investment programs in emerging-market contexts.