The Definitive Reading List: illuminem’s Recommended Sustainability Classics

May 22 2025 · 9 min read

Corporate Sustainability · Energy Transition · Environmental Sustainability · Social Responsibility · Nature · Green Tech · Sustainable Finance · ESG · Ethical Governance

At illuminem, we're proud to share with our global community this curated selection of must-read sustainability classics. Reflecting our unique expertise as publishers of the world’s largest network of sustainability experts, these foundational texts serve as pillars for anyone committed to understand environmental sustainability and social responsibility. This collection also underpins our curated University course at HEC Paris, where these readings are requirements for the next generation of sustainability leaders.

This comprehensive collection includes foundational documents such as Pope Francis' Laudato Si', the historic moral call for integral ecology, and the Paris Agreement, the 2015 landmark treaty that continues to guide global climate policy.

Complementing these core texts are influential critiques that challenge conventional wisdom, such as Jennifer Morgan's incisive assessment of carbon offsetting and Paul Dorfman’s joint statement from nuclear leaders on reactor risks.

Readers will also explore transformative scientific frameworks like the Stockholm Resilience Center’s Planetary Boundaries and critical economic analyses like the Dasgupta Review, which redefines biodiversity as central to economic stability. Corporate sustainability and ESG practices are critically examined through iconic contributions by BlackRock’s Larry Fink and Tariq Fancy, alongside practical insights from the Founder of the UN Global Compact, Georg Kell.

illuminem’s educational ‘Carbon Academy’ provides actionable clarity on carbon markets; while articles such as The Colors of Hydrogen, Why Electric Cars Are Better than Combustion Ones_, _Blended Finance Is Like Music, and Carbon Removal is Not a Finite Resource unpack nuances of the hottest topics in the industry.

The selection ultimately highlights visionary thought leadership on energy transitions, greentech innovation, and sustainable finance—providing the diverse, holistic understanding necessary to navigate the multifaceted sustainability landscape.

The Great Classics of Sustainability

• 'Laudato Si' by Pope Francis
The most-read sustainability text in history, introducing the concept of Integral Ecology: true care for the environment isn’t just about technocratic solutions, it must include care for people, especially the most vulnerable in society.

• Former nuclear leaders: Say ‘No’ to new reactors by Paul Dorfman and the fmr. Nuclear Regulators of the US, Germany, France, and the UK
One of the most debated sustainability letters: a rare, coordinated warning from top insiders against the risks, delays, and costs of new nuclear.

• The Paris Agreement (UNFCCC)
The global climate pact signed by nearly every country in 2015 to keep global warming below 2°C above the pre-industrial era.

• Net Zero by 2050: A roadmap for the global energy sector (IEA)
The IEA’s boldest call to date: no new oil, gas, or coal fields—just a clear path to net zero built on renewables, electrification, and efficiency.

• Planetary boundaries (Stockholm Resilience Center)
The most quoted science-based framework defining Earth’s safe operating space—crossing these nine limits risks destabilizing the entire planet.

• Revealed: more than 90% of rainforest carbon offsets by biggest certifier are worthless, analysis shows (The Guardian)
2023's bombshell investigation, which shocked carbon markets with tha accusation that most forest offsets fail to deliver real climate impact, raising major questions of integrity.

• The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review (UK Government)
A landmark report reframing nature as economic infrastructure—our economies depend on ecosystems, yet treat them as invisible and disposable.

• Letter to CEO: The power of capitalism, by Larry Fink
The most influential annual letter in finance by BlackRock's CEO, urging companies to lead on ESG or risk losing investor trust.

• Offsetting is a dangerous climate lie, by Jennifer Morgan
The historic first major critique of carbon offsetting by Greenpeace (published exclusively by illuminem ahead of COP28), which sparked one of the biggest rifts among greentech and climate leaders.

• The secret diary of a ‘sustainable investor’, by Tariq Fancy
The insider exposé from BlackRock’s ex-sustainability chief, arguing that ESG often distracts from the systemic change the planet truly needs.

• Why sustainability is now the key driver of innovation (Harvard Business Review)
A defining piece in corporate sustainability—proving that going green isn’t a cost, but a catalyst for breakthrough innovation and competitive advantage.

• Alex Langer’s Advice for a Future Friend: "lentius, profundius, suavius", by Alexander Langer, re-read and reflected on by Omar Alshogre, Susan Ellicott and Angelo Bonelli
The poetic manifesto of Green Politics, calling for a "slower, deeper, gentler" world, by one of the founding fathers of European environmentalism.