Island Press began with a simple idea: knowledge is power—the power to imagine a better future and find ways for getting us there. Founded in 1984, Island Press’ mission is to provide the best ideas and information to those seeking to understand and protect the environment and create solutions to its complex problems.
We elevate voices of change, shine a spotlight on crucial issues, and focus attention on sustainable solutions.
Our network of authors includes E.O. Wilson, Paul Ehrlich, Sylvia Earle, Gretchen Daily, Jan Gehl, Daniel Pauly, and many others. By working closely with experts like these, Island Press has developed a comprehensive and growing body of knowledge—vital resources for all those working to protect the environment and create healthy communities.
For most of Elizabeth Sawin's career, she was not a multisolver. Instead, she worked on a single, albeit immensely important problem: climate change. Despite tremendous effort--long hours of teaching, attending conferences, publicizing analysis--at the end of the day, she felt like she was chasing her tail. Unless people began to recognize the ......
A Place to Foster Social Connection and Promote Democracy
America is facing an epidemic of loneliness and isolation, with troubling effects on our mental and physical health. We live in one of the most divisive times in our history, one in which we tend to work, play, and associate only with people who think as we do. How do we create spaces for people to come together--to open our minds, understand our ......
Climate, Military Leadership, and the Fight for Global Security
Threat Multiplier takes us onto the battlefield and inside the Pentagon to show how the US military is confronting the biggest security risk in global history: climate change. More than thirty years ago, when Sherri Goodman became the Pentagon’s first Chief Environmental Officer, no one would have imagined this role for our armed ......
In Atlas of a Threatened Planet, award-winning book and graphic designer Esther Gonstalla digs into these questions and
many more through her attractive and easy-to-understand infographics.
A hopeful and realistic guide for everyday people wanting to help grow their local communitys impact on climate change
As unprecedented heat waves, storms of the century, and devastating fires impact cities across the country, the time to create climate resilient communities is now. While large-scale innovations in ......
Exploring the Thoughts, Memories, and Personalities of Bees
For many of us, the buzzing of a bee elicits panic. But the next time you hear that low droning sound, look closer: the bee has navigated to this particular spot for a reason using a fascinating set of tools. She may be using her sensitive olfactory organs, which provide a 3D scent map of her surroundings. She may be following visual landmarks or ......
Flooding in California. Drought and famine in the Horn of Africa. Massive fish kills in Texas and Australia. "Forever chemicals" in US drinking water. Similar headlines are sure to dominate the news in the years ahead. What is sometimes missing from the headlines, though, is an understanding that these diverse problems are related: manifestations
Shattering the Delusion That Science Underlies Our Transportation System
Thoroughly researched and compellingly written, Killed by a Traffic Engineer is the first book to uncover the lack of science behind traffic engineering, leaving readers inspired to take action and demand streets engineered for the safety of people
In the US we are nearing four million road deaths since we ......
Drawing on research and case studies from around the world, Bicycle City offers a compelling case of a car-free urban future by harnessing the post-pandemic bike boom-perfect for professionals and advocates
It took an oil crisis in the 1970s for the Dutch to realize that they simply ......
