Concern for the environment is inherent to cultures and societies across the world, and action on environmental damage, land rights, biodiversity, and climate change have been global concerns for many years. While much work is still needed, there are lots of examples of successful campaigning and action – often through a mix of international cooperation, political lobbying, grassroots mobilisation, and nonviolent direct action. We hold a wide variety of books on environmental action and climate change.

Environmental activism is also a truly global affair: people across the world are taking action to defend natural environments. In some countries environmental defenders are targeted by the state, corporations, armed groups, or others with an interest in continuing access to often lucrative natural resources. Learning how we can support and protect environmental defenders like Berta Caceres (a Hondruran/Lenca indigenous leader and environmental activist assassinated in 2016) is part of learning how to defend the environment. We recently added a book to the collection exploring the life and death of Berta Caceres, and will be adding more books on land and environmental defenders from the global south as part of our work to decolonise the collection.

There has also been a long history of environmental issues intersecting with other causes, including with the peace and anti-war movements. The original action of Greenpeace was to sail a dilapidated fishing boat to Amchitka Island in Alaska, where the US military was preparing to conduct a huge nuclear weapons test: the action was both a pioneering peace action and an environmental action, and we can see echoes of this action in more recent concerns about the climate impact of militarism and war on the planet.

The Collection also holds a wide range of books on the politics of climate and environmental activism – the choices we make to decarbonise our economies are not neutral choices, they are deeply and inherently political, a reflection of our priorities and values. Books like Naomi Klein’s “The Changes Everything” can help us place the monumental challenge of responding to the climate crisis in a politics grounded in solidarity and equality. giving us the language and framing we need to articulate why our response to the climate crisis needs to centre climate justice.

Talking points

1. What is your own experience or involvement with campaigning on environmental issues?
2. What environmental campaigns do you know about?
3. How does thinking about climate change make you feel?
4. What further information or understanding do you need?

Read

We have a wide selection of books about climate change and environment in the Commonweal Collection – we have included some on our Climate and Environment reading list, which you can download here.