Climate Voices of Colour
This booklist features memoirs and nonfiction by BIPOC environmental activists, scientists and scholars – from young emerging leaders, to visionaries who have been raising the alarm about the climate crisis for years.
Get started with these carefully selected books from the UBC Library. If you would like to find more resources on this topic look for more tips at the bottom of this page. For more help, go to Ask Us or visit a UBC Library branch.
Everything that Rises: A Climate Change Memoir
Author(s): Brianna Craft
Publication Year: 2023
In this memoir, Brianna Craft describes her work on behalf of Least Developed Countries in UN climate negotiations, and compares the power dynamics involved to experiences in her childhood home.
A Bigger Picture: My Fight to Bring a New African Voice to the Climate Crisis
Author(s): Vanessa Nakate
Publication Year: 2021
Ugandan activist Vanessa Nakate chronicles her efforts to organize youth in Africa to respond to the climate emergency, and to make the needs of the Global South visible at COP and Davos.
Unbowed: A Memoir
Author(s): Wangari Maathai
Publication Year: 2007
The life story of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of the Green Belt Movement in Africa, in which women restored indigenous forests by planting millions of trees.
The Right to be Cold: One Woman’s Story of Protecting Her Culture, the Arctic and the Whole Planet
Author(s): Sheila Watt-Cloutier
Publication Year: 2018
Sheila Watt-Cloutier tells the story of her long career advocating for environmental justice and human rights in the Arctic, and the crucial importance of mitigating climate change for the survival of Inuit culture.
Life in the City of Dirty Water: A Memoir of Healing
Author(s): Clayton Thomas-Müller
Publication Year: 2021
After a difficult youth in Winnipeg, Cree activist Clayton Thomas-Müller has worked for over 20 years as an environmental advocate in organizations including 350.org.
As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock
Author(s): Dina Gilio-Whitaker
Publication Year: 2019
Dr Gilio-Whitaker, of Colville Confederated Tribes, provides a comprehensive history of Indigenous land defence in the United States, and argues that environmental organizations should learn from the legacy of Indigenous resistance movements.
Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes through Indigenous Science
Author(s): Jessica Hernandez
Publication Year: 2022
Dr Hernandez, Zapotec and Maya Ch’orti’ environmental scientist, outlines the problem of ecocolonialism, and the reasons why environmental science and conservation must be decolonized.
Ideas to Postpone the End of the World
Author(s): Ailton Krenak
Publication Year: 2020
Three lectures by Brazilian Indigenous activist Ailton Krenak, arguing that we must reject our human-centric perspective to save our planet and ourselves.
The Nutmeg’s Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis
Author(s): Amitav Ghosh
Publication Year: 2021
Amitav Ghosh traces the origins of the climate emergency to the brutal, ongoing legacy of colonialism. Ghosh is a prolific Indian novelist who has also written another nonfiction work on climate, The Great Derangement.
Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability and Peace
Author(s): Vandana Shiva
Publication Year: 2005
A classic work by prominent Indian scientist and ecofeminist Vandana Shiva. She details her struggles against globalization and biopiracy, and her vision of a future in which all people fairly share and manage natural resources.
It’s Not That Radical: Climate Action to Transform our World
Author(s): Mikaela Loach
Publication Year: 2023
Well known activist Mikaela Loach links climate action with other crucial reforms to improve racial equality and dismantle systemic oppression. She makes the case that climate justice can and must benefit everyone.
Climate Optimism: Celebrating Systemic Change Around the World
Author(s): Zahra Biabani
Publication Year: 2023
Zahra Biabani is an eco-influencer and entrepreneur. In Climate Optimism, she highlights several recent “earth wins” to inspire hope and combat climate doomerism.
We Have a Dream: Meet 30 Young Indigenous People and People of Color Protecting the Planet
Author(s): Mya-Rose Craig; illustrated by Sabrena Khadija
Publication Year: 2022
Concise profiles of inspiring young activists by Mya-Rose Craig, aka Birdgirl. Primary audience is ages 8-12, but anyone can be uplifted by these stories.
Just Cool It: The Climate Crisis and What We Can Do: A Post-Paris Agreement Game Plan
Author(s): David Suzuki and Ian Hanington
Publication Year: 2017
Canadian icon David Suzuki and his co-author offer a richly detailed overview of the roots of the climate crisis and the urgency of pursuing solutions.