2024 Favorite Books
Hi future ancestors,
As 2025 draws to a close, I want to share a few books that have helped my understanding of climate policy, urban development, and environmental justice. I really enjoyed the books below because they explain the world around us with such clarity that you can’t help but feel like you understand it better. They provide frameworks that connect our everyday experiences and news headlines to a deeper systemic understanding. I feel better equipped to target my efforts from these books — I hope they do the same for you.
2024 Favorite Books 📚
Short-Circuiting Policy by Leah Stokes
Stokes provides an incredibly clear exploration and explanation of clean energy policy concepts that resonated deeply with my work in the public sector. She explores key concepts, including policy feedback and how implemented policies shape future political landscapes. The concepts of policy expansion vs retrenchment and astroturfing strengthen my vocabulary in describing political progress. I was particularly struck by the concept of the “fog of enactment”, a phenomenon where interest groups and politicians are really uncertain about the consequences of enacted policies until they are implemented.
Arbitrary Lines by M. Nolan Gray
As someone involved with Urban Environmentalists LA, this book hits on the money about how our land use impacts our ability to solve the housing crisis properly (and simultaneously address climate change — Gray doesn’t touch on this much, but it’s adjacent enough to point out). His core argument is that zoning is exclusionary and designed to protect single-family housing at the expense of more affordable and sustainable options. He proposes abolishing zoning altogether, using Houston as an example. Living in LA - where the city council recently adopted a housing element without densifying single-family zones - his arguments feel especially urgent. We cannot reach our housing and climate goals without revolutionizing our approach to land use.
Before the Streetlights Come On by Heather McTeer Toney
This book stands out as my favorite exploration of environmental justice. Toney, a former mayor of Greenville, MS, and regional EPA administrator under President Obama, provides a powerful and clear narrative about climate change’s impact on Black communities in the US. Using the metaphor of streetlights as a call to action, she urges us to address the urgent need for equitable climate solutions before it’s too late. Her approach makes complex climate concepts accessible, enabling someone new to climate discussions to both understand and care deeply about these critical challenges.
What’s Next?🔜
I want to keep exploring these concepts with folks, so the Fostering Our Earth Book Club will return in 2025. This year, we read four books from January to May including:
Electrify by Saul Griffith
How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue
Climate Resilience by Kylie Flanagan
On Fire: The Burning Case for a Green New Deal by Naomi Klein
Next year, we’ll meet quarterly instead (and this is just more sustainable for me haha). We’ll be able to learn from literature that will help us take more concrete steps towards building a more sustainable future. If you’re interested in joining or have book suggestions, respond to this email!
Finally, stay tuned because the Fostering Our Earth podcast is returning in January!
Cheers,
Awoe ✌🏾