Post Carbon Institute is not a traditional publisher. We’re a think tank that aims to educate society about both the hard realities and most promising responses surrounding the 21st century’s interconnected sustainability crises.
Our books are produced by subject matter experts for non-specialist readers. Our authors and editors pride themselves on making complex issues understandable to lay audiences without losing rigor and depth. Best of all, being a non-profit allows us to keep our publications affordable and easily accessible so as to minimize the barriers to quality sustainability education.
We work with various partners to produce and distribute our books. For academic orders and desk copy requests, click on the links below for title-specific information. For further information or questions, contact Publications Director Daniel Lerch.
Our Renewable Future: Laying the Path for One Hundred Percent Clean Energy
Richard Heinberg David Fridley June 2016
Over the next few decades, we will see a profound energy transformation as society shifts from fossil fuels to renewable resources like solar, wind, and biomass. The transformation will entail a major shift in how we live. What might a 100% renewable future look like? What challenges will we face in this transition? And how can we make sure our new system is just and equitable?…more
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Six Foundations for Building Community Resilience
Daniel Lerch November 2015
Efforts to build community resilience often focus on growing the capacity to “bounce back” from disruptions, like those caused by climate change. But climate change is not the only crisis we face, nor is preparing for disruption the only way to build resilience. Truly robust community resilience should do more. It should engage and benefit all community members, and consider all the challenges the community faces—from rising sea levels to a lack of living wage jobs…more
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Afterburn: Society Beyond Fossil Fuels
Richard Heinberg April 2015
Climate change, along with the depletion of oil, coal, and gas, dictate that we will inevitably move away from our profound societal reliance on fossil fuels; but just how big a transformation will this be? While many policy-makers assume that renewable energy sources will provide an easy “plug-and-play” solution, author Richard Heinberg suggests instead that we are in for a wild ride: a “civilization reboot” on a scale similar to the agricultural and industrial revolutions… more
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Rebuilding the Foodshed: How to Create Local, Sustainable, and Secure Food Systems
Philip Ackerman-Leist February 2013
Foreword by Deborah Madison
Showcasing some of the most promising, replicable models for growing, processing, and distributing sustainably grown food, Rebuilding the Foodshed points readers toward the next stages of the food revolution. It also covers the full landscape of the burgeoning local-food movement, from rural to suburban to urban, and from backyard gardens to large-scale food enterprises… more
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The ENERGY Reader
Edited by Tom Butler, Daniel Lerch, & George Wuerthner October 2012
The ENERGY Reader takes an unflinching look at the systems that support our insatiable thirst for more power along with their unintended side effects. Over thirty leading thinkers on energy, society, and ecology lift the veil on the harsh realities of our pursuit of energy at any price, revealing the true costs, benefits, and limitations of all our energy options… more
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Power from the People: How to Organize, Finance, and Launch Local Energy Projects
Greg Pahl August 2012
Foreword by Van Jones
Power From the People describes how American communities can plan, finance, and produce their own local, renewable energy that is reliable, safe, and clean. Greg Pahl uses examples from around the nation and the world to explore how homeowners, co-ops, nonprofits, governments, and businesses are already putting power in the hands of local communities through distributed energy programs and energy-efficiency measures… more
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Local Dollars, Local Sense: How to Shift Your Money From Wall Street to Main Street and Achieve Real Prosperity
Michael Shuman February 2012
Foreword by Peter Buffett
Local economy pioneer Michael Shuman (Going Local, The Small-Mart Revolution) demystifies the growing realm of local investment choices—from institutional lending to investment clubs and networks, local investment funds, community ownership, direct public offerings, local stock exchanges, crowdfunding, and more… more
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The End of Growth: Adapting to Our New Economic Reality
Richard Heinberg August 2011
The End of Growth explores how the expansionary trajectory of industrial civilization is colliding with non-negotiable natural limits. Richard Heinberg goes to the heart of the ongoing financial crisis, explaining how and why it occurred, and what we must do to avert the worst potential outcomes… more
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The Post Carbon Reader
Edited by Richard Heinberg and Daniel Lerch October 2010
How do population, water, energy, food, and climate issues impact one another? What can we do to address one problem without making the others worse? The Post Carbon Reader features essays by some of the world’s most provocative thinkers on the key issues shaping our new century, from renewable energy and urban agriculture to social justice and community resilience… more
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