ABSTRACT

This unique title draws together in one volume some of the best thinking to date on the pressing social and environmental challenges we face as a society. These are the Top 50 Sustainability Books as voted for by the University of Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership's alumni network of over 3,000 senior leaders from around the world. In addition to profiles of all 50 titles, many of the authors share their most recent reflections on the state of the world and the ongoing attempts by business, government and civil society to create a more sustainable future.  Many of these authors have become household names in the environmental, social and economic justice movements – from Rachel Carson, Ralph Nader and E.F. Schumacher to Vandana Shiva, Muhammad Yunus and Al Gore. Others, such as Aldo Leopold, Thomas Berry and Manfred Max-Neef, are relatively undiscovered gems, whose work should be much more widely known.  By featuring these and other seminal thinkers, The Top 50 Sustainability Books distils a remarkable collective intelligence – one that provides devastating evidence of the problems we face as a global society, yet also inspiring examples of innovative solutions; it explores our deepest fears and our highest hopes for the future. It is a must-read for anyone who wants to tap into the wisdom of our age.

chapter |2 pages

Introduction

chapter 1|4 pages

A Sand County Almanac Aldo Leopold (1949)

chapter 2|4 pages

Silent Spring Rachel Carson (1962)

chapter 3|4 pages

Unsafe At Any Speed Ralph Nader (1965)

chapter 7|4 pages

Small Is Beautiful E.F. Schumacher (1973)

chapter 8|5 pages

Gaia James Lovelock (1979)

chapter 9|5 pages

The Turning Point Fritjof Capra (1982)

chapter 11|4 pages

The Dream of the Earth Thomas Berry (1988)

chapter 12|5 pages

A Fate Worse Than Debt Susan George (1988)

chapter 13|5 pages

Staying Alive Vandana Shiva (1989)

chapter 18|4 pages

The Ecology of Commerce Paul Hawken (1993)

chapter 19|4 pages

Maverick Ricardo Semler (1993)

chapter 21|4 pages

Biomimicry Janine M. Benyus (1997)

chapter 22|5 pages

Cannibals with Forks John Elkington (1997)

chapter 23|5 pages

The Hungry Spirit Charles Handy (1997)

chapter 24|5 pages

Banker to the Poor Muhammad Yunus (1998)

chapter 27|4 pages

False Dawn John Gray (1998)

chapter 28|4 pages

Development as Freedom Amartya Sen (1999)

chapter 29|4 pages

No Logo Naomi Klein (1999)

chapter 31|4 pages

Business as Unusual Anita Roddick (2000)

chapter 33|5 pages

The Civil Corporation Simon Zadek (2001)

chapter 34|4 pages

Fast Food Nation Eric Schlosser (2001)

chapter 38|5 pages

The Corporation Joel Bakan (2004)

chapter 44|4 pages

Collapse Jared Diamond (2005)

chapter 45|5 pages

The End of Poverty Jeffrey D. Sachs (2005)

chapter 46|5 pages

The Chaos Point Ervin Laszlo (2006)

chapter 47|5 pages

Heat George Monbiot (2006)

chapter 48|4 pages

An Inconvenient Truth Al Gore (2006)

chapter 49|5 pages

When the Rivers Run Dry Fred Pearce (2006)