Every year on April 22, Earth Day offers a chance to take stock of our climate footprints and reflect on our relationship with the planet. But, as any committed activist will tell you, addressing the climate crisis is an ongoing commitment.
That’s why this year, Vogue asked four climate activists—Xiye Bastida, Pattie Gonia, Isaias Hernandez, and Leah Thomas—to help us compile a reading list that offers context and perspective on issues of climate, sustainability, and resistance. Explore their recommendations below.
Begin Again by Oliver Jeffers
“This is the book I would’ve loved to write because it just makes sense, but it also makes us question everything we know about how to be human. Very few times have I come across something so grounding yet inspiring. Every time I read it, I feel the spark of my activist fire go bright.” —Xiye Bastida, climate activist and Indigenous rights advocate
Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry by Camille T. Dungy
Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry
“This anthology reframes what we think of as ‘nature writing,’ centering African American poets whose relationships to land have always been shaped by resistance, survival, and care. It’s a powerful reminder that we are not separate from nature and that Black environmental storytelling has long been a vital, though often overlooked, part of climate and sustainability conversations.” —Leah Thomas, intersectional environmental activist and eco-communicator
