Earth science focuses on the science of the earth, air, and water. Since climate change impacts these elements profoundly, it is a large topic in earth science classrooms. Instructors in earth science that teach courses on the theme of climate, as well as other advanced material, have a chance to select textbooks that engage and inspire students to get involved with a subject that directly impacts their future. This guide features some of the best textbooks for instructors to choose from and a list of top universities that use them.

Introductory Texts on Climate Change

Instructors looking for introductory texts on climate change can find a range of books. Survey textbooks, such as the textbook from Richard Wolfson, provide information on climate change with a technical and scientific bent. There are also plenty of texts for students without a background on the topic that can act as primers or discussion texts. These are some of the best textbooks that have a general overview of the topic.

Energy, Environment, and Climate (Third Edition) by Richard Wolfson (USC, Washington University, Yale, and Northwestern)

What Is Climate Change? (What Was?) by Gail Herman (NYU, Stanford, and Washington University)

Global Climate Change and Human Health: From Science to Practice by George Luber and Jay Lemery (Brandeis and Washington University)

Strange Planet: The Sneaking, Hiding, Vibrating Creature by Nathan Pyle

Our Final Warning: Six Degrees of Climate Emergency by Mark Lynas

Letters to the Earth: Writing to a Planet in Crisis by Jackie Morris

Breaking Boundaries: The Science Behind our Planet by Johan Rockstorm and Own Gaffney

Best Earth Science Texts on the Politics of Climate Change

Texts that discuss politics and activism related to climate change are best for instructors of climate change seminar courses in earth science or public policy courses. With texts written by some of the biggest politicians, activists, and climatologists, there are several perspectives to discuss within the classroom. As a hot political topic, these earth science texts are truly interdisciplinary.

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power: Your Action Handbook to Learn the Science, Find Your Voice, and Help Solve the Climate Crisis by Al Gore

Our Only Home: A Climate Appeal to the World by the Dalai Lama

They Knew: The US Federal Governmenta€™s Fifty-Year Role in Causing the Climate Crisis by James Gustave Speth

The New Climate War: The Fight to Take Back Our Planet by Michael Mann

Best Earth Science Texts on the Economics of Climate Change

Earth science texts that examine the economic impacts of climate change are a good pick for instructors in a range of disciplines beyond just earth science, including economics, business, and political science. These texts are in courses at some of the top universities because of their deep analysis of data that connect climate change to real-world effects by some of the most well-known economists.

The Climate Casino: Risk, Uncertainty, And Economics For A Warming World by William Nordhaus

This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate by Naomi Klein

Climate Crisis and the Global Green New Deal: The Political Economy of Saving the Planet by Noam Chomsky and Robert Pollin

Best Texts for Explaining the Future of Climate Change

Instructors that need texts that describe the consequences of climate change should look for books that have in-depth analysis and plans for action. These are some of the best texts that help the students of earth science understand how climate change may change the profession.

The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming by David Wallace-Wells

The Story of More: How We Got to Climate Change and Where to Go from Here by Hope Jahren

The 100% Solution: A Plan For Solving Climate Change by Solomon Goldstein-Rose

How Are We Going to Explain This?: Our Future on a Hot Earth by Jelmer Mommers

A Bright Future: How Some Countries Have Solved Climate Change and the Rest Can Follow by Joshua Goldstein and Staffan Qvist

The Future We Choose: The Stubborn Optimist's Guide to the Climate Crisis by Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac

How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need by Bill Gates

Disasterology: Dispatches from the Frontlines of the Climate Crisis by Samantha Montano

Best Advanced Earth Science Textbooks

Outside of the prevalence of climate change in earth science classrooms, students in the discipline take a range of advanced courses. These textbooks incorporate the computational side of earth science as well as theoretical concepts.

Environmental Organic Chemistry by Rene Schwarzenbach, Philip Gschwend, and Dieter Imboden (RPI, NYU, USC, and Washington University)

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics: From Air Pollution to Climate Change by John Seinfeld and Spyros Pandis (USC and MIT)

Ecology by William Bowman and Sally Hacker (Rice University and USC)

Earth science classes that teach about climate change and other topics have a chance to create a real impact on the future of the planet. The texts instructors choose for this purpose are crucial to this endeavor.