ABSTRACT

An Environmental History of the World is a concise history, from Ancient to Modern times, of the interaction between human societies and the other forms of life that inhabit our planet. This original work follows a chronological path through the history of mankind, in relationship to ecosystems around the world. Each chapter concentrates on a general period in human history which has been characterised by large scale changes in the relationship of human societies to the biosphere, and gives three case-studies that illustrate the significant patterns occurring at that time. Little environmental or historical knowledge is assumed from the reader in this introduction to environmental history.

chapter 1|11 pages

Introduction: history and ecology

chapter 2|18 pages

Primal harmony

chapter 3|22 pages

The great divorce of culture and nature

chapter 4|31 pages

Ideas and impacts

chapter 5|26 pages

The Middle Ages

chapter 6|32 pages

The transformation of the biosphere

chapter 7|33 pages

Exploitation and conservation

chapter 8|32 pages

Modern environmental problems

chapter 9|32 pages

Present and future

chapter 10|4 pages

A general conclusion