A collection of books on various transition subjects, as recommend (or warned against) by TBH members. Some of these books may be offered for lending in the Transition Library:
Peak oil
• Hubbert's Peak by Kenneth S. Deffeyes – The classic that told the world what peak oil was, in the updated edition of 2003. Everything you need to know to become a hopeless peaknik. (recommended by Doly)
• Half Gone by Jeremy Legget – Peak oil told from a British perspective. A very readable and entertaining book, but I find that Jeremy Leggett doesn't have a good sense of proportion - there are things in this book I don't agree with, that some back-of-the-envelope calculations would prove wrong, like his support for hydrogen. Having met him brieftly twice personally, I can confirm that maths isn't his strong side. Still, most of the book is about right. (Doly)
• Eyewitness Oil by John Farndon – The book about oil every teenager should have, that explains all the facts about oil including peak oil and oil alternatives, with lots of photos and a CD with clipart (Doly)
• The Reckoning by David Halberstam – Not exactly a peak oil book, but one full of facts related to it. It's about the progress of the auto industry in the USA and Japan, and how Japan took over. The book was written in 1987, and it was already obvious to the author that the small Japanese cars were the winners. (Doly)
• The Carbon War by Jeremy Leggett (Kat)
• The End of Oil by Paul Roberts – Really informative and easy to read (Kat)
• The Party's Over by Richard Heinberg – the first PO book I bought and it's very clear and accessible (synopsis here). (Stephen)
• Energy Beyond Oil by Paul Mobbs – This is not about peak oil as such, rather it examines all manner of energy use and their implications for us (synopsis here). (Stephen)
• Powerdown: Options and Actions for a Post-Carbon World by Richard Heinberg – This is the first book that really opened my eyes to Peak Oil. Comprehensive evidence of fossil fuel depletion, plus four possible ways of addressing it. It goes without saying that Richard Heinberg favours energy descent over global resource wars or hoping that we'll find a technological solution. (Simon)
Climate change
• Heat by George Monbiot – a riposte to those who accuse climate change campaigners of merely wanting to return society to the Stone Age, Monbiot provides a detailed breakdown of almost all areas of life and how we can make a combined cut in them of 90% by 2030. Except aviation, for which he starkly states there is no alternative but a drastic cut in flights. (Chris)
• Six Degrees by Mark Lynas – a sobering degree by degree analysis of how life will change on a hotter planet. (Jo)
Limits to growth – The Big Picture
• The Limits to Growth by the Club of Rome – The original classic. It's still ahead of the times in some ways, in the seventies it was so far out there it's incredible anybody got the message. They made a computer model (in the times when computers were something that only the NASA and a few other God-like powers had) with all the variables about the world that could possibly represent a limit: population, nonrenewable resources, pollution, arable land, etc. Then they ran the model and started driving conclusions. Amazing. The only book I have that I will only lend under some strong guarantee of return. (Doly)
• Limits to Growth: The 30-year update by Donella Meadows, Jorgen Randers, Dennis Meadows – The most recent update to the above, explaining the most recent developments. The understanding of the authors of the current situation of the world is quite good and the book is well worth reading. Unfortunately, their understanding of computer models hasn't advanced an inch since the seventies. But I'm currently working hard at correcting this small weakness (I'm updating the model myself with the latest data about climate change and peak oil and including economic variables). (Doly)
• The Upside of Down by Thomas Homer-Dixon – If you want an explanation of all that's happening in the world right now: climate change, peak oil, the population explosion, globalization, and more, and whether it's all going the way the Roman Empire went... I haven't ever found any other book that comes even close to this. (The original Limits to Growth is fantastic, but very outdated, and the update won't keep you awake at night because you want to know more - this book can). Can't recommend it more highly. Other books will tell you about the details, this gives you the big picture. The only fault I find in it is that it doesn't tell you much about what you can do about it. (Doly)
• Going Global – Key Questions for the 21st Century prepared by Michael Maynagh & Richard Worsley of the Tomorrow Project – a very comprehensive set of trends & scenarios about what is influencing global societies. Helps one think about the interdependency of most things. Just published. (David)
• Guardians of Power (The Myth of the Liberal media) by David Edwards and David Cromwell – I think an ability to read the media and read between its lines is absolutely crucial for anyone who is envisioning a different present and future. (Stephen)
• Globalization - A Very Short Introduction by Manfred B. Steger – Very, very good. Includes environmental aspects of globalization and shows how everything ties in together. (Jo)
• Gaian Democracies: Redefining Globalisation and People-Power by John Jopling and Roy Madron – This is only one of an amazing series of books from the Schumacher Centre. Roy Madron and John Jopling explore systems of governance that could enable us to work in harmony with our planet. Importantly, they tackle the problem of how to reconcile the values of centralised and local governments with one another. (Simon)
Sustainable cities
• Sustainable communities edited by Hugh Barton – A fantastic collection of essays on the subject of how to make neighbourhoods more sustainable. The book is British, and it contains a lot of contact information for sustainable projects in the UK that we might want to use. (Doly)
• Ecocities by Richard Register – An interesting and very readable book, with one man's vision of what ecological cities would be like. The book is full of ideas, anecdotes and drawings but has little structure. It will appeal to those wanting to get a vision or a feel for where we want to go, but anybody hoping for a structured, practical manual with detailed instructions will be disappointed. (Doly)
• The Different Drum by M. Scott Peck – Essentially, M. Scott Peck believes that rebuilding community is the most important task of human beings in the 21st century. A timely reminder of WHY we get involved in all this transition malarkey. A really clear description of what is involved in building community, and how important it is that we do so. (Simon)
Practical energy saving and general sustainability for individuals
• Converting to an Eco-Friendly home by Paul Hymers – Just what it says on the box. Good practical advice and instructions on everything from light, power and heat to waste and water. Small but not lightweight. (Doly)
• Extreme simplicity: Homesteading in the City by Christopher and Dolores Lynn Nyerges – The fascinating experiences of a couple that decided to live sustainably in Los Angeles. As you probably know, that city is nothing more than an inmense suburb, so most of the things they did aren't doable in a small flat in a city centre. Also, the weather in California is nothing like the British weather, which makes several of the ideas impracticable here. This said, there is a lot of practical advice in the book that would work almost anywhere. (Doly)
• DIY Projects in a Weekend by Albert Jackson and David Day – A good general DIY book, that includes good step-by-step instructions on how to do pretty much all of the energy-saving insulating stuff. (Doly)
• The New Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency by John Seymour – A classic. If you can, and want to get a bit of land and become a self-sufficient organic farmer, this should be your main reference book. If you are, like me, somebody who would either live in a city or find no reason to live, you will also find hope in the very informative chapters 'Energy and waste' and 'Crafts and skills'. Also 'Food from the garden', 'Food from the wild' (remember that abandoned lot?) and 'Brewing and wine-making' (assuming you can get hold of the raw materials) could be practiced in a city. (Doly)
• Green living in the Urban Jungle by Lucy Siegle – Not everybody has seen the light (or the doom and gloom). If you need to introduce sustainable living to a consumerist fashion victim, this book has all the little practical suggestions you need to give them to gradually wean them out of their dangerous habits and introduce them to the concept of simple living. Some people might feel offended by this book because some of the contents could be seen as greenwashing, but I see it as the perfect approach for some people. (Doly)
• Forgotten Household Crafts by John Seymour – An interesting review through all those skills and ways of doing things the Victorians had and now aren't done any more. Instructions are mostly general rather than detailed, and probably most of them will remain as forgotten in the future as they are now, but the pictures are wonderful and it could provide inspiration to some. If anybody is seriously interested in this book, I'd be happy to give it away. (Doly)
• The Earth Care Manual by Patrick Whitefield – review by Rob Hopkins (Stephen)
Empowerment / Heart and Soul
• Soil and Soul by Alastair McIntosh – http://www.alastairmcintosh.com/soilandsoul.htm – say no more. (Stephen)
• Only Connect - The Best of Resurgence magazine 1990-1999 (Stephen)
• Free to Be Human (Intellectual Self-Defence in an age of illusions) by David Edwards – Shows how the media filtering system distorts our understanding of many personal, ethical and spiritual issues, ensuring that we remain passive, conformist, confused and uninformed - and willing to accept the irrational values of corporate consumerism. (Stephen)
• The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight by Thom Hartmann – On the back it says "A call to consciousness combining spirituality and ecology that offers hope for the future." Which so far seems about right. It has science as well as spirituality, doom as well as hope though, so I'd say it's pretty well balanced and the writer is very passionate. (Jo)
Activism
• DIY: A Handbook for Changing Our World by the Trapese Collective – A collection of ideas and instructions for the green activist. It also contains a few instructions on how to live more sustainably, but the main focus is on activism. It's a taster to give you ideas on possible things that can be done, so you can research later the subjects you find more interesting, rather than an attempt to cover all the ground, because each of the chapters would be a whole book if the matter was covered in detail. Another good thing about the book - one of the authors, Alice Cutler, is involved with Transition Brighton. (Doly)
• Green History edited by Derek Wall – A collection of essays on environmentalism. I personally didn't find it very interesting, but other people might, and I'm willing to give it to anybody who wants it. (Doly)
Money and economy
• How to Survive without a Salary by Charles Long – If you ever dreamt of sacking your boss, or are worried about becoming unemployed in the already-beginning economic crisis brought by peak oil, and you suspect that depending on the government for unemployment or sickness benefits would be a recipe for absolute misery in tough times, this book will tell you exactly what to do. The good news is that the author has done it and it seems to work just peachy for him. The bad news is that it requires a lot of preparation if you want a good degree of security, and you probably need to own your home (whatever you use as a home), or at least be dead certain that nobody will take it away from you. (Doly)
• Living well on Practically Nothing by Edward H. Romney – A similar book to the one above, but the contents are more specific to the United States and less relevant to the UK. Still, it has a lot of interesting ideas in it that aren't found in the previous one. Also, some practical information on what worked and didn't in Great Depression for those who think it could be the way things go. (Doly)
• Nickled and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich – This book tells the story of a journalist that tried living in a few low-paid jobs in the USA to see if she could make ends meet. You may be worried about where the economy is going, and not realize that it's already quite bad for some. Something to take very much into account if you are trying to prepare for what is coming. (Doly)
• How to be Free by Tom Hodgkinson – This book is brilliant! It challenges the concept of work, consumer culture, needing money and encourages very little work, lots of fun and creativity, gardening and community. It's really quite funny too, and gives lots of historical examples of life in the past. (Kat)
• The Future of Money by Bernard Lietaer – Bernard Lietaer has studied sustainable financial systems in great depth. In this book, he presents four possible routes our society could take, and explains how we can redirect our finances to support compassion, creativity and a thriving economy. He discusses various scenarios, including the coming of the corporate epoch (be afraid) and the possibility of reshaping our financial system so that it serves people and planet. This book made an enormous impact on me when I read it. (Simon)
Fiction
• Ecotopia by Ernest Callenbach – The classic novel that told the world how an ecological society could be like. Should be compulsory reading for any Green Party member, see if they realize how conservative and narrow they've become with the years... The green philosophy of the old days was very radical (at least for the times), and they were willing to rethink all the basic political issues: employment, schools, hospitals, the whole lot. They don't seem to do that nowadays. (Doly)
Related books
