The Limits to Growth (1972) [pdf]
I remember the first time reading this book, or rather the 30 year update -- <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.amazon.com&#x2F;Limits-Growth-Donella-H-Meadows&#x2F;dp&#x2F;193149858X" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.amazon.com&#x2F;Limits-Growth-Donella-H-Meadows&#x2F;dp&#x2F;19...</a> -- thinking, &quot;<i>this</i> is the approach to take to understand how the economy, ecology, pollution, and so on interact.&quot;<p>Everything else was just looking at elements. Technology is important, for example, but exists within a system. They looked at the system. They had to simplify and assume a lot, which the media didn&#x27;t understand (probably benign ignorance) and critics blew out of proportion (probably maliciously), but I found their approach the most meaningful.<p>Sadly, I know many people who care about the environment but don&#x27;t understand the (relatively simple) math in their approach, and many people who understand the math but don&#x27;t care about the environment, but almost no one who cares and understands. So in about a decade since reading it, I haven&#x27;t found anyone I can talk to about it meaningfully.<p>A great companion by one of the authors is Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows -- <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.amazon.com&#x2F;Thinking-Systems-Donella-H-Meadows&#x2F;dp&#x2F;1603580557" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.amazon.com&#x2F;Thinking-Systems-Donella-H-Meadows&#x2F;dp...</a>.<p>Both changed my views more than almost any other books.