A Green History of the World: The Environment And the Collapse of Great Civilizations - Couverture souple

Ponting, Clive

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0140176608 ISBN 13 : 9780140176605

Editeur : Penguin, 1993

Synopsis

A study of world civilizations, from Sumeria to Ancient Egypt to the Roman Empire of pre-Columbian North America and tiny Easter Island, that argues that over and over again, human beings have built societies that have grown and prospered by exploiting the Earth's resources, only to expand to the point where those resources could no longer sustain the societies' populations, and subsequently collapse. In this context, the collapse of Rome has vital importance for our modern global civilization. Destructive environmental behaviour today takes place on a scale much greater than in previous times, and the results will be similarly multiplied. This book, calmly and sanely, argues for an increased realization of the finite nature of our resources, and the impact on our world should we continue squandering those resources.

A propos du livre

Revue de presse

"If there is a single book on the subject to engage the enthusiast, silence the cynic and enlighten the ignoramus, this is it" (Observer)

"Ponting's re-evaluation of history is an important antidote to mental troglodytism. It also makes a welcome change from the scatter-gun apocalypse-mongering which has become standard fare in green literature. With luck and foresight, and more books like this, we may yet learn our lesson" (Independent on Sunday)

"Pioneering...a book good enough to rival the best American products in the field... Clive Ponting has embraced a daunting task with commendable success" (Times Literary Supplement)

"An ambitious and thought-provoking attempt to rewrite history from an ecological standpoint" (Independent)

"Large, ambitious and often enthralling, it is a successful attempt to look at the unfolding of world history from an entirely new perspective" (Literary Review)

Présentation de l'éditeur

Like Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel, Clive Ponting's book studies the relationship between the environment and human history. It examines world civilisations from Sumeria to ancient Egypt, from Easter Island to the Roman Empire and it argues that human beings have repeatedly built societies that have grown and prospered by exploiting the Earth's resources, only to expand to the point where those resources could no longer sustain the societies' populations and cause subsequent collapse.

This new edition of Clive Ponting's international bestseller has been revised, expanded and updated. It provides not only a compelling story of how we have damaged the environment for thousands of years but also an up-to-the-minute assessment of the crisis facing the world today - and the problems that have to be addressed in the search for solutions.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Penguin
• Date d'édition: 1993
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0140176608
• ISBN 13: 9780140176605
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 448
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: Terminal Video; n.pederzini@terminaldistribuzione.com; ; Via Bruno Buozzi, 24/26,; Granarolo dell'Emilia BO,; Italie