The best books on creating a thriving future

I like Regeneration because it is a book of science-based solutions. At a time when we are overwhelmed by global social and environmental problems and underwhelmed by ESG and sustainable business solutions, Paul Hawken continues to be the pioneering voice he has been for decades. His book, The Ecology of Commerce, was one of the books that inspired me over 30 years ago to pursue a career in sustainable business, and I use his book Drawdown in my teaching and workshops to illustrate the 100 best innovations for tackling climate change. Regeneration is aligned with the idea of thriving – as opposed to surviving – and gives practical insights into tried and tested ways to reverse the current degeneration of nature and society.

Net Positive adds to the growing movement on going beyond sustainability – doing less harm – to thriving, which is about doing good. The power of this book is that it is grounded in the leadership experience of former CEO of Unilever Paul Polman, and shares many practical insights and fascinating anecdotes on how he turned the multinational into a powerhouse for creating a better world. This is complemented by the research and additional case studies that co-author Andrew Winston brings to the table. Together, they have written a blueprint for how business can be a force for positive transformation in the world. Most crucially, it raises the bar from sustainability-as-usual to the more ambitious goal of having a positive impact.

I must confess that I didn’t start out as a Bill Gates fan. But in the wake of his Microsoft career, his proactive investments in start-up companies that could transform our society for the better started to capture my attention. When I read his book climate solutions, I became convinced of his analytical and entrepreneurial genius. He approaches climate breakdown with the pragmatic optimism of a venture capitalist. One of his most compelling insights are his “green premium” calculations for major sectors, which effectively measure the price gap between current solutions and emerging technologies. This provides a clear indication of the most appropriate investment strategies for given technologies – all with the urgent goal of halving carbon emissions by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2050. 

It’s hard to ignore the personal testimony of Sir David Attenborough, based on 70 years of exploring and documenting the natural world. Like Attenborough’s films, this is a masterpiece in storytelling and making science and nature accessible. This has been his enduring legacy. But this book is different. Here, he combines a severe warning about the breakdown in the web of life with hopeful solutions aimed at rewilding the land and oceans. His message is clear: we can turn the precipitous decline of life on earth due to human impacts; but we need to act fast and at scale. I especially like how he distills the essence in a quote that says: “in this world, a species can only thrive when everything else around it thrives too.”

Global climate and environmental problems are so overwhelming that it’s hard to get our heads – let alone our hearts and hands – around them. We feel helpless to make a positive impact. This is where I found that Tallamy’s book steps into the breach. It answers the vital question: what I can do, especially as an individual or family, to protect and restore nature? Biodiversity loss is one of the most serious existential crises we face as humanity, along with climate change. The power of Tallamy’s approach is to offer solutions that can be applied in our backyard. Our gardens can provide species under threat with a vital lifeline; an oasis in the desert of agricultural, industrial, and urban wasteland. This is a book on how to take positive action.