Climate content for purpose, courage, and hope
Books, podcasts, and newsletters that inspire and renew
For me, 2025 has felt like a particularly heavy year, and I know I’m not alone. So as we head into the holiday season, I wanted to share a few recommendations — books, podcasts, and newsletters — that encourage me, make me think, introduce me to new ideas and solutions, and remind me how hope begins with action.
If you’re looking for an honest and cathartic climate read, climate scientist Kate Marvel, who guest edited Talking Climate in July, never shies away from looking the climate crisis right in the face. She’s amazing at coming up with short, pithy ways to think about climate action -- such as, “I believe we can aim for something a little bit better than ‘not doomed.’” Right?! In her recent book, “Human Nature,” Kate explores climate change through the lens of nine emotions: wonder, anger, guilt, fear, grief, surprise, pride, hope, and love.
If you enjoy real-life inspiring stories, you’ll love Michael Sheldrick’s book, “From Ideas to Impact.” It’s full of examples of how ordinary people have scaled solutions to poverty, health, climate and more to make a global difference: from the coal town reinventing itself for a sustainable future (also featured in this Talking Climate edition!) to the story of how educators and activists in Africa helped secure access to menstrual products that allowed millions more girls to stay in school.
Looking for cool science? David Baker is a physicist who studies exoplanets and guest edited Talking Climate in September. He’s written a book called “The Shortest History of Our Universe.” It spans 13.8 billion years of history in 256 pages, answering questions including “How did time begin?” and “What made life on Earth the way it is?” In it, he also discusses what the future of life on earth will look like, given that the climate is changing faster than any time in human history.
For children ages 8 to 12, I recommend “Climate Is Just the Start“ by British climate activist
. She helps young people understand the climate crisis and what they can do about it. Data scientist Hannah Ritchie wrote “Clearing the Air: A Practical Guide to Climate Optimism“ cataloguing the many reasons we have to be hopeful about the green energy transition. In “A Barrister for the Earth: Ten Cases of Hope for Our Future,” British-Peruvian barrister Monica Feria-Tinta describes the legal strategies environmentalists are adopting to stand up for nature and hold polluters to account. Fellow Canadian David Geselbracht has collected a whole series of amazing climate solution case studies in his book “Climate Hope: Stories of Action in an Age of Global Crisis.”And finally, if you prefer fiction, my favourite series this year was The Shadow Histories by H.G. Parry. It’s a re-imagining of William Wilberforce’s fight to abolish slavery, complete with vampires and dream-walkers; but the emotional core still feels amazingly relevant to climate change today: the helplessness, frustration, and persistence required to create real change. The parallels to the climate fight, from powerful forces working behind the scenes to control politicians to how much effort’s required to overcome the inertia of the economic status quo, make it an inspiring and surprisingly relevant read.
If you want a podcast that inspires, check out A Matter of Degrees by two more of my favourite climate thinkers, Leah Stokes and Katharine K. Wilkinson. “Climate change is the story of our time. We’re here to help you understand it in a deeper way — and take part in that story yourself,” they explain. Start with the latest episode, featuring Kate Marvel!
A wonderful and informative podcast is TILClimate (“Today I Learned: Climate”), from MIT, which recently wrapped its seventh season. Episodes tackle fascinating topics from advances in geothermal energy to all the resources required to produce a single tortilla chip. Each episode comes with its own “Educator Guide,” a set of questions and activities that high school and secondary educators can use in their classrooms.
Jane Goodall’s Hopecast features fascinating conversations that the conservationist had during her lifetime. I recommend starting with this episode featuring the legendary Margaret Atwood, titled “Hope is the Legacy We Build Together for a Better World.”
Looking for a bite-sized chunk of good news in your ears? Tune into Good News from Planet Earth, a five-minute podcast from Voiceover for the Planet that highlights joyful news from around our planet. From teens tackling microplastic pollution to landmine-sniffing bees, these podcasts will surprise you and boost your mood.
And did you know - Talking Climate is a podcast too, and Voiceover for the Planet’s amazing Anne Cloud is our voice? We’ve already uploaded 32 weeks of Talking Climate episodes so they are available to binge on your favorite podcast platform over the holidays.
This was the hardest section to pare down, as it feels like the number of incredible newsletters on climate change and the environment grew exponentially this year.
First, some of my favourite climate scientists have newsletters. You can stay up to date on the latest climate news with
and at The Climate Brink. At the , you can learn from six giants in the field – scientists who I’ve looked up to all my life including Ben Santer, Gary Yohe, and Kristie Ebi. And the GOAT of climate science, , periodically shares his thoughts on .Looking for inspiration and creative ways to think about climate? You’ll love
by , where she shares her musings on questions such as, “What if climate adaptation is beautiful? And, what if we we act as if we love the future?” Then there’s , where shares an exhaustive round-up of climate progress from around the world each week (ICYMI, he interviewed me last year for his newsletter), and ’s Unthinkable, a toolkit for navigating our dangerous climate reality and the eco-anxiety that comes along with that.Best writers? Wow, so many! Here are just three:
of , journalist and his brand-new , and and the amazing investigative team at Heated with their essential investigative deep dives into a wide range of topics, from how Microsoft is using its AI to help fossil companies drill more oil and gas to CBS News slashing its excellent climate reporting.Finally, best multi-platform updates? I’d have to say, Sam Bentley‘s upbeat content. He makes videos about good environmental news from around the world for TikTok and Instagram, and has a newsletter you can subscribe to here. He even published a book called “Good News, Planet Earth” that highlights sustainable solutions around the world. I got to catch up with him at Climate Week in New York and am looking forward to him guest-editing his own Talking Climate newsletter in the future!
The “what to do” this week is simple: share one of the resources in this newsletter! If you read one of the books, pass it along or recommend it to a book club. If you enjoy a podcast episode, share it with friends who love podcasts too. And if you find a newsletter you like, post it on social media, share why you appreciate it, and invite others to subscribe.
I wrote my own book, Saving Us, nearly five years ago to answer the question I’ve been asked more than any other over the past decade: What gives you hope? My answer is always the same: taking action, and hearing about others who are acting too. That’s what fuels hope. So this holiday season, take action by sharing something you learned from any of these resources above, and recommending them to others!
Looking for even more ideas? I put together a similar list two years ago with additional suggestions, and nearly two years’ worth of Talking Climate newsletters are available on Substack here.
If this collection brought you a little hope, there’s even more in my new Talking Climate videos: free clips every week, and full access for paid subscribers!
Why paid? Good question - I’d much rather everything be free. But the speaking honoraria I’ve been using to fund my tiny team for the last decade have dropped sharply this year, as many organizations are stepping back from climate. Which means that now is the time to talk even MORE about climate, not less! That’s why I’m creating new resources—videos, expert conversations, and behind-the-scenes insights—while keeping all existing content open to everyone.
So if you choose to upgrade on Substack or Patreon, please know you’re not just unlocking more content. You’re helping me keep doing this work at a time when it’s desperately needed. Thank you 💚