The End of Energy: The Unmaking of America's Environment, Security, and Independence

  • Michael J. Graetz
MIT Press 384 pp. £22.95/$29.95 (2011)

Energy policy has failed, according to law professor Michael Graetz. Pulling no punches, he argues that we must overcome the delusion we've lived with for 40 years that power is plentiful and cheap. By accepting inappropriate pricing of gas and oil, and being unwilling to negotiate around trade embargoes and for long-term solutions such as cap and trade, he argues that politicians have been complicit in distorting the energy market since the 1970s, with consequences for us all.

Mikhail Gorbachev: Prophet of Change: From the Cold War to a Sustainable World

  • Mikhail Gorbachev
Clairview Books 344 pp. £14.99 (2011)

As he turns 80, former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev publishes a selection of his writings and speeches on policy, philosophy and the environment. Since steering the cold war thaw of the 1980s, he has dedicated himself to supporting global peace, security and social justice as head of a non-governmental organization, Green Cross International. Having put sustainability at the centre of his cause, he has garnered the respect of many environmentalists and international leaders, who add tributes in this volume.

First Contact: Scientific Breakthroughs in the Hunt for Life Beyond Earth

  • Marc Kaufman
Simon & Schuster 224 pp. $26.00 (2011)

Venturing from the mouth of an Alaskan volcano to the bone-dry Atacama desert in South America, to a hot South African mine, science writer Marc Kaufman gets to grips with the young field of astrobiology. He describes how microbes survive in the harshest conditions on Earth, suggesting that organisms might cling on in extraterrestrial places like Mars. And he interviews researchers he sees as adventurers as well as thinkers: part Carl Sagan, part Indiana Jones, part Watson and Crick.

The Techno-Human Condition

Braden R. Allenby & Daniel Sarewitz. MIT Press 192 pp. £18.95/$24.95 (2011)

In this extended essay, ethicist and engineer Braden Allenby and science-policy expert Daniel Sarewitz explore what it means to be human in an age of technological extensions. From performance-boosting hormones and cognitive enhancements to re-engineered immune systems, our bodies and minds are being pushed into new evolutionary territories. They argue that terms such as human, technological and natural are outmoded, and should be rethought within a new techno-human relationship.

Reach for the Skies: Ballooning, Birdmen and Blasting into Space

  • Richard Branson
Virgin Books 352 pp. £18 (2010/2011)

Intrepid balloonist, entrepreneur and founder of the Virgin Group, Richard Branson shares his love of aviation in his latest book. Charting the exploits of daredevil pilots and aerial technologists through the ages, from the lavish balloons of the Mongolfier brothers to the many record-breaking feats of his friend the late Steve Fossett, he heralds the risk-takers who have made everyday flying possible. He looks ahead to commercial space travel, which he hopes to establish through his own company, Virgin Galactic.