Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Throughout our planet's past, events such as meteorite collisions, super volcano eruptions, and the movement of tectonic plates have conspired to make the Earth we inhabit. Given our current impacts on the Earth, have we too become a geological superpower?
In this compelling book, leading scientists Simon Lewis and Mark Maslin argue the answer is a resounding yes. The geological time within which farming, cities, and the modern world developed--called the Holocene Epoch--is over. Using the Greek words for "humans" and "recent time," scientists have named this new period the Anthropocene. Lewis and Maslin offer an accessible overview of the evidence for this view, including a start date for this period, the year 1610, when the impacts of the newly globalized economy were first felt worldwide. In doing so, they show we have entered an unstable time, with huge repercussions for our home planet and how we live.
Synopsis
A remarkable exploration of the science, history, and politics of the Anthropocene, one of the most important scientific ideas of our time, from two world-renowned experts
Meteorites, mega-volcanoes, and plate tectonics--the old forces of nature--have transformed Earth for millions of years. They are now joined by a new geological force--humans. Our actions have driven Earth into a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene. For the first time in our home planet's 4.5-billion-year history a single species is increasingly dictating Earth's future.
To some the Anthropocene symbolizes a future of superlative control of our environment. To others it is the height of hubris, the illusion of our mastery over nature. Whatever your view, just below the surface of this odd-sounding scientific word, the Anthropocene, is a heady mix of science, philosophy, and politics linked to our deepest fears and utopian visions.
Tracing our environmental impacts through time, scientists Simon Lewis and Mark Maslin reveal a new view of human history and a new outlook for the future of humanity in the unstable world we have created.
Synopsis
A remarkable exploration of the science, history, and politics of the Anthropocene, one of the most important scientific ideas of our time, from two world-renowned experts "A relentless reckoning of how we, as a species, got ourselves into the mess we're in today, . . . told with determination and in chiseled, almost literary prose."--Christoph Irmscher, Wall Street Journal
Meteorites, mega-volcanoes, and plate tectonics--the old forces of nature--have transformed Earth for millions of years. They are now joined by a new geological force--humans. Our actions have driven Earth into a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene. For the first time in our home planet's 4.5-billion-year history a single species is increasingly dictating Earth's future.
To some the Anthropocene symbolizes a future of superlative control of our environment. To others it is the height of hubris, the illusion of our mastery over nature. Whatever your view, just below the surface of this odd-sounding scientific word, the Anthropocene, is a heady mix of science, philosophy, and politics linked to our deepest fears and utopian visions.
Tracing our environmental impacts through time, scientists Simon Lewis and Mark Maslin reveal a new view of human history and a new outlook for the future of humanity in the unstable world we have created.