The Environment in World History

Covering the last five hundred years of global history, The Environment in World History examines the processes that have transformed the Earth and put growing pressure on natural resources. Chapters and case studies explore a wide range of issues, including: the hunting of wildlife and the loss of biodiversity in nearly every part of the globe the clearing of the world's forests and the development of strategies to halt their decline the degradation of soils, one of the most profound and unnoticed ways that humans have altered the planet the impact of urban-industrial growth and the deepening 'ecological footprints' of the world's cities the pollution of air, land and water as the 'inevitable' trade-off for continued economic growth worldwide. The Environment in World History offers a fresh environmental perspective on familiar world history narratives of imperialism and colonialism, trade and commerce, and technological progress and the advance of civilisation, and will be invaluable reading for all students of world history and environmental studies.

ISBN 041540956X   Weight (grammes) 226 ISBN13 9780415409568 (What's this?)   Published in London Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd   Series title Themes in World History Imprint Routledge   Height (mm) 234 Format Paperback   Width (mm) 156 Publication date 21 Jan 2010   Spine width (mm) 10 DEWEY 333.709   Academic level Postgraduate, Undergraduate DEWEY edition DC22   Alternative ISBN 9780415409551 Pages 136

		List of tables
1		Introduction: environment and history		1
2		The world hunt		13
3		Forests and forestry		31
4		Soils and irrigation		56
5		Cities and the environment		83
6		Conclusion: beyond the limits?		113
		Index		117

'A book like this one goes a long way to making environmental history something that any and everyone can easily grasp.' -- Reviews in History 'A must read for anyone interested in exploring the historical roots of a planetwide ecological crisis. Essential.' -- Choice 'Meticulously researched, it is sure to provide even the hardened environmental historian with some new case study, some unexpected interpretive slant or some grim statistic to mull over. Brief though it is, this is surely one of the best histories of the environment currently available.' -- Environment and History

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