Ten of 2018's best books about climate change, conservation & the environment

At Forbes, GrrlScientist tagged ten of 2018's best books about climate change, conservation and the environment, including:

In Search of the Canary Tree: The Story of a Scientist, a Cypress, and a Changing World by Lauren E. Oakes

In this book, we accompany author and scientist, Lauren Oakes, on her journey from the classroom to the cold, wet old-growth forests of the rugged outer coast of Southeast Alaska as she conducts field studies to identify what happened to the iconic yellow cedar trees. These magnificent trees are important to native Alaskans’ way of life. The author obtained grants and devoted six years of her life to gathering data, so ultimately, her thesis was unequivocal. She was rigorous and thorough in her research, but at the same time, she is filled with despair over the cedar’s rapid retreat from its historic range and concerns about the ecological and human impacts this portends. Then, in the midst of all this emotional turmoil, her father unexpectedly dies. But her thesis cannot wait for her to properly mourn him. This remarkable, straightforward personal narrative provides a moving behind-the-scenes glimpse into the development of a young scientist as she searches for meaning and resilience in the face of great personal and global challenges. This inspirational memoir’s appeal will reach far beyond its timely and valuable lessons about climate science, social science and forest ecology; it shares much-needed hope and wonder with readers who may be searching for how to live in an increasingly devastated world.

Read about another book on the list.

The Page 99 Test: In Search of the Canary Tree.

--Marshal Zeringue