History

A New Green History of the World

A New Green History of the World

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  • Create Date：2021-11-02 08:54:56
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Clive Ponting
  • ISBN：0099516683
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Summary

s/t: The Environment & the Collapse of Great Civilizations
Clive Ponting's original and provocative history of human civilization now in a thoroughly revised， expanded and updated edition

Years ahead of its time， Clive Ponting captivated readers with A Green History of the World， his study of great civilizations and the causes of their fall。 Using the Roman empire as its central example， this classic work reveals how overexpansion and the exhaustion of available natural resources have played key roles in the collapse of all great cultures in human history。 With an argument of urgent relevance to our modern society， A Green History of the World offers a provocative and illuminating view of human history and its relationship to the environment。

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Reviews

Jackie ，

I read this for College ECOLOGY Class。

Matthew Carr ，

I was worried when I first picked up this book for two reasons:1。 It looked rather dense and there seemed to be a lot of graphs and charts I’d have to analyze that might have gone over my head of understanding 2。 It seemed that it would either be too boring to finish or too pessimistic The first one wasn’t the case， I actually found it much easier to read than anticipated and the author did a good job of treating the reader with respect and not contempt on a possible ignorance of the subject of I was worried when I first picked up this book for two reasons:1。 It looked rather dense and there seemed to be a lot of graphs and charts I’d have to analyze that might have gone over my head of understanding 2。 It seemed that it would either be too boring to finish or too pessimistic The first one wasn’t the case， I actually found it much easier to read than anticipated and the author did a good job of treating the reader with respect and not contempt on a possible ignorance of the subject of environmental history。 The second one would be partially true。 As I read I found myself more and more fascinated with the rich history of ancient civilizations and their measures against their own environments from the usage of harsh agricultural productions and overcrowded population hubs as well as the disastrous affects of imperialism on inequality， disease， and the environment。 However with the threat of global warming and the consequences we have created I certainly got a very pessimistic outlook on our future。 。。。more

Jess Hadlow ，

Didn't finish。 Didn't finish。 。。。more

Tyron ，

I really liked the start of this book， narrating the fall of ancient civilizations from an environmentalist perspective。 But either because this book was written at a time when less people were climate-conscious， or because I'm fairly well-read on it， I didn't feel I got much new insight from the later chapters describing the contemporary situation。 Still worth a read though I really liked the start of this book， narrating the fall of ancient civilizations from an environmentalist perspective。 But either because this book was written at a time when less people were climate-conscious， or because I'm fairly well-read on it， I didn't feel I got much new insight from the later chapters describing the contemporary situation。 Still worth a read though 。。。more

Phil ，

I picked up this book just over a year ago because the title intrigued me and also because it promised a wider view of history than what I generally read。 To a very large degree， this book delivered that。 Ponting's project is to view the impact of humanity and， particularly， the advent of civilization on the world and her resources。 It is a blend of history and science which should be included on the shelves of any serious historian because it gives the wider， longue duree， view of human history I picked up this book just over a year ago because the title intrigued me and also because it promised a wider view of history than what I generally read。 To a very large degree， this book delivered that。 Ponting's project is to view the impact of humanity and， particularly， the advent of civilization on the world and her resources。 It is a blend of history and science which should be included on the shelves of any serious historian because it gives the wider， longue duree， view of human history which should form a framework to interpret wider social， economic and cultural understanding。 I should note， however， that I didn't find it easy reading。 That is， I missed the personal aspects of the history because the view is so wide here that people come out almost as an abstraction， rather than people。 However， given the subject matter， I can't see how it could be anything else。 So， very much well worth reading and useful resource for anyone thinking of the wider view of human history。 。。。more

Christianne ，

I was already deeply familiar with many of the topics discussed。 Despite this， Ponting provided fresh insight and perspectives in a highly accessible manner。 I'm not certain how it has aged， but it is a good summary of how thoroughly we've fucked ourselves。 Though some of the worst graphs I have ever seen。 Ponting， I'm sure your wife is a brilliant woman， but you should hire someone else to make your graphs。If you're looking for a book to cry yourself to sleep at night - this is the one！ I was already deeply familiar with many of the topics discussed。 Despite this， Ponting provided fresh insight and perspectives in a highly accessible manner。 I'm not certain how it has aged， but it is a good summary of how thoroughly we've fucked ourselves。 Though some of the worst graphs I have ever seen。 Ponting， I'm sure your wife is a brilliant woman， but you should hire someone else to make your graphs。If you're looking for a book to cry yourself to sleep at night - this is the one！ 。。。more

Nick Johnson ，

Great read， would have been 5 star but Clive leaked documents about the Falklands。 I will forgive but I will never forget。

Ramil ，

Bu kitabı az önce bitirdim。。 Ve de görünen o ki， türkçe yorum yapan ilk insan olma onuruna erişmiş bulunuyorum）） Kitap alıştığımız tarih kitabı değildir， aslında bir sosyal gelişmenin çevre ile iç-içe anlatıldığı bir kitap。 Ve ekonomik gelişmenin kronoloji anlatımlı bir kitabı。。İlk insanların yaratılmasından ve onların çevre ile etkileşim içerisinde yaşamasından günümüze kadar olan ekonomik gelişmeni öğreniyoruz。 Kadim imparatorluklar ve devletlerin çevreden kaynaklanan çöküşü （tabii ben buna ek Bu kitabı az önce bitirdim。。 Ve de görünen o ki， türkçe yorum yapan ilk insan olma onuruna erişmiş bulunuyorum）） Kitap alıştığımız tarih kitabı değildir， aslında bir sosyal gelişmenin çevre ile iç-içe anlatıldığı bir kitap。 Ve ekonomik gelişmenin kronoloji anlatımlı bir kitabı。。İlk insanların yaratılmasından ve onların çevre ile etkileşim içerisinde yaşamasından günümüze kadar olan ekonomik gelişmeni öğreniyoruz。 Kadim imparatorluklar ve devletlerin çevreden kaynaklanan çöküşü （tabii ben buna ekonomini de ilave edebilirim） ve son 250 yıllık zaman diliminde kapitalizmin yükselişi ve insanların çevre pahasına ekonomik gelişmesini anlatıyor bu kitap。 Lancashire-da ilk fabrikaların görülmesinden modern tüketim toplumlarının yükselişine kadar global ekonomi o kadar hızlı gelişti ki bundan önce çevreye verdiğimiz zarar devede kulak kalır。。 Tabii dünyanın ilk küreseleşme dalgasını da hesaba katmak gerekir。。 Kolumbun Hint Adalarına seyaheti ile dünya ekonomisinin globalleşmesi başladı。 Kolumb ve beraberindekiler Kuzey Amerikaya giderken kendileri ile mikroplarını da getirdiler tabii。 Amerika kıtalarının sömürgeleştirilmesi ve orada yaşayan yerlilerin hem kılıçtan geçirilmesi， hem köle olarak işletilmesi hem de bağışıklıkları olmadığı mikroplardan olmesi de bununla başlamış oldu。 O cümleden farklı kıtalarda bulunmayan hayvanların ve mikropların Avrupadan Avusturalya ve Amerika kıtalarına getirilmesi de dünya tarım ve hayvancılığının tektipleşmesi ve yerli türlerden yüzlercesinin mahvolması ile sonuçlandı。。Daha sonra İlk sanayileşme dalgası İngilterede başladı。 Evlerin üzerinin sisle örtülmesi de bununla birlikte gelmiş oldu。 Ve modern hava kirliliğinin artması da Lancashire-deki fabrikaların bacalarından yükselen sislerle başlamış oldu。 Çevreye bundan önce de çok zarar verilmişti ama sanayi devrimi bu zararları o kadar çok artırmış oldu ki geri dönüşü olmayan bir durumla karşı-karşıya bulunduk。。 On dokuzuncu yüzyıl bir çok bitki ve hayvan türünün azalmasına ve bazılarının da yok oluşuna şahitlik etdi。Yirminci Yüzyıl ise ekonomik gelişme ve çevreye verilen zararlarda artım bakımından bir önceki yüzyılı gölgede bıraktı。。 Teknolojinin hızlı yükselişi çevreyi hem kirletti hem de artan sayıda insan ölümlerine sebep oldu。 Atmosfere atılan emisyonların miktarı kat-kat artmış durumda ve yaşaığımız yirmi birinci yüzyılda giderek daha da artıyor。 Tabii bazıları çevrecilik haraketlerinin yükselişini umut vadedici ve çevre dostu teknolojilerin yükselişini olumlu karşılıyor ama kitabı okursanız bunların fark yaratmayacak umutlar olduğunu öğrenmiş olursunuz。。 Mesela， 1997 Kyoto protokolü ABD tarafından onaylanmadı （Başkan Clinton imzaladı ama Meclisin onaylamadığı bir şey kabul edilmez ve başkan Clinton bunu biliyordu）。 Adı geçen dönemde ABD dünyada çevreyi kirleten birinci ülke konumunda idi。 Bu protokolü imzalayan ülkelerin atmosferi kirletme payıysa o kadar küçük ki onların imzası hiç bir şeyi değiştiremez。 Küresel ekonominin günümüzdeki şekliyle devamı dünyamızın sonunun başlangıcı desek， yanılıyor olamayız。 Kapitalist ekonominin yaşam düzeyimizi yükselttiği doğru。 Ama zararları o kadar çok ki kapitalizmin devamı hepimizin sonu olacak。 Siyaset adamlarının， Avusturalya Başbakanının sözlerini baz alarak "çevreyi yalnız ve yalnız günümüz ekonomik gelişini sürdürerek korumalı， başka yol ola bilmez" yaklaşımı bizlere şunu gösteriyor: siyaset adamları çevreden çok onları seçen seçmenleri düşünüyor。 Seçmenlerse ekonomik gelişmeyi düşünüyor。 Ekonomik gelişme çevreye zarar vermeden sürdürüle bilmez。 Çevreye zarar vermekse hepimizi tehdit ediyor。 Yeşil ekonomi gibi süslü laflar edilebilir ama gerçekte tüm bu yaklaşımlar şimdilik anlamsız ve alakasız。Kısaca， kitap muazzam bilgi birikimine sahip ve herkesin okuması gereken bir kitap。 Herkese tavsiye ederim。 Kitap bize dünyanın ekonomik gelişmesinin nelere mal olduğunu anlatacak kendi türünde nadir bilgi hazinelerinden biri。 Şahsen okurken çok keyif aldım ve bilmediğim bir çok şey öğrenmiş bulunuyorum。 Zaten bilmediğim o kadar çox şey varki。。 。。。more

Dervla ，

This book is on such a jaw-dropping， breathtaking scale， providing such an in depth historical account of the environmental problems facing the world and attributable to human activity that it is difficult to take it all in。 The author is to be commended for both how comprehensive and how easy to understand and interesting all the information is。 Chilling。

Vanessa Fuller ，

This does not leave me feeling particularly optimistic about the future for humanity。

Yngve Skogstad ，

Rather than a history of the world seen from the perspective of plant and animal life （or some notion of Gaia）， this is the story of the impact the human species has inflicted on nature throughout its history。 It might not be exactly what the main title would suggest， but nevertheless an incredibly informative work that successfully spans a host of disciplines， yet does so in a manner that leaves a coherent and readable text。My main takeaway from the book is there never was some pristine past， w Rather than a history of the world seen from the perspective of plant and animal life （or some notion of Gaia）， this is the story of the impact the human species has inflicted on nature throughout its history。 It might not be exactly what the main title would suggest， but nevertheless an incredibly informative work that successfully spans a host of disciplines， yet does so in a manner that leaves a coherent and readable text。My main takeaway from the book is there never was some pristine past， where humanity lived in harmony with nature。 The basic historical struggle for humanity， as for most species， has been to exploit the resources of its surroundings in a way that insures its continued survival， without undermining the longer-term capacity of ecosystems to continue providing these vital resources。 Some societies have definitely been better at this than others， with hunter-gatherer societies at one end of the scale， and industrialized capitalist core-societies at the other， but the tension and the tendency to over-exploit has always been there。 Ponting points to two key transitions that brought us here: firstly the shift to agriculture， which still seems like an illogical move because it so obviously worsened people's life conditions in the sense of a less nutritious diet， new diseases and a massive increase in the required amount of labour。 The second transition was the “industrial revolution”， which has led to high-energy-use， mass-consumption societies in the global North， built on the resources and labour of the global South， organized through a （post-）colonial world system。 As civilization has “progressed” and the human population has grown， environmental problems have intensified， both in terms of their number and scope。 Some of them are ancient and recurring， like de-forestation， or soil salinization from irrigation。 Others are new， like chemical pollution， or climate change。 Whereas civilizations have collapsed from eroding their trophic base many times before in history， these were localized events often occuring on a multi-generational time scale， so that people might not be aware they were living through a civilizational collapse。 Yet the situation at the onset of another civilizational decline/collapse is that we have a perfect storm of ecological crises that are of a global scale and many of which feed into eachother。 The political and economic structures that “we” have constructed， as well as the sheer weight of numbers from a human population of seven billion people， creates a political and technological conundrum that seems unresolvable。 This is what makes our current situation totally unprecedented， and fraught territory not just for humanity， but the planet as a whole （not that I believe it could lead to a total destruction of terrestrial life， or even the eradication of the human species）。 Ponting doesn't bother giving any last call for hope in the last stages of the book， and to be honest I can't blame him。 Looking at the state of things there's no rational cause for optimism， yet I don't think that this ought to lead us to just give up and all become self-serving nihilsts。 There might not be “a world to win”， at least not in our life-time， but the principle of harm-minimization and an attempt at creating the the conditions for an ecologically regenerating and socially liberated society to spring out of the collapse of this one is what I think should guide us in this time。 Trite as it may be， I find some solace in the Gramsci-quote “pessimism of the intellect， optimism of the will”。 。。。more

Katie ，

You did that hungry！！ I loved it， every twist and turn caught me by surprise！！ I can’t wait to read more of your books。。。。

Cynda ，

Review to Follow。

Emily ，

This is history on the grand scale – going back to the big idea and changing the way we look at the world。 This is a refreshing re-telling of history – taking away the Whig legacy of history as progress and taking instead the perspective of what we have done to exploit the world， and of our capacity to drive civilisations to collapse。“From one perspective， this invention of new techniques [clothing， housing， writing]， the use of more complicated production processes and the use of more resources This is history on the grand scale – going back to the big idea and changing the way we look at the world。 This is a refreshing re-telling of history – taking away the Whig legacy of history as progress and taking instead the perspective of what we have done to exploit the world， and of our capacity to drive civilisations to collapse。“From one perspective， this invention of new techniques [clothing， housing， writing]， the use of more complicated production processes and the use of more resources， can be viewed as progress – the increasing ability of human societies to modify the environment and utilise its resources in order to meet their growing needs。 From an ecological perspective this process has a very different interpretation。 Human history can be seen as a succession of ever more complex and environmentally damaging way of meeting the same basic human needs。 There may not have been any alternative given the rise in human numbers and the impact of new technology but that does not alter the fact of the greater amount of environmental damage involved in all these processes。”I read this for five months on and off， allowing the sheer weight of the argument to sink in。 “It is not until the end of the seventeenth century that the continuous increase in scientific knowledge and the steady advance of technology。。 began to convince some thinkers that history might be a chronicle of progress rather than decay。”Ponting takes the long perspective: “There is no doubt that the world is now facing its sixth great extinction of animals and plants （the last one was 65 million years ago when the dinosaurs became extinct）。”Reminding us， though， that extinction is not an entirely modern phenomenon and that stone age American settlers “left a trail of destruction… Two thirds of the large mammals present when humans first arrived were driven to extinction。”It is extraordinary the sheer scale of what we as a species have done over a few millennia and in particular over the last 200 years:“Ecological constraints were broken by the development of agriculture。。 the last 10，000 years of history have been shaped by an agriculture-based boom that has sustained a rise in numbers from four million to over six billion。”Ponting characterises most of human history as constrained by a shortage of access to energy， desperate for animal and human power， with human power often coming cheaper than draft animals: “Humans are more efficient energy converters than animals。” Then came the great transition， to energy plenty， with all its consequences for belching carbon into the atmosphere:“Until the early nineteenth century renewable resources – human， animal， water， wind – provided nearly all the world’s energy。 Now over 85% comes from non-renewable fossil fuels。。 the transition to fossil fuels has been accompanied by a spectacular rise in energy consumption。”We are reminded how close society has often been to the vision of Malthus – constantly driving itself to the edge of population collapse:“The endemic level of inadequate diet and malnutrition for most of the people in the world was frequently turned into disaster by the outbreak of famine。。In China in the two thousand years between 108 BCE and 1910 there were 1，828 years （over 90% of the total） in which famines involved at least one province in the country。 In France between 970 and 1100 there were 60 years of famine at a time of expanding agricultural output…”He points out that other civilisations must have thought they were sustainable， but over time collapsed:…“irrigation can badly degrade the land and lead to waterlogging and salinisation as the early societies in Sumer discovered over four thousand years ago。 These effects are now found in half of the irrigated land in Syria and Iraq， a quarter of the irrigated land in the US and four fifths of the irrigated area in the Punjab。”We are reminded of the constant struggle to get beyond subsistence， bringing in energy and effort from the earth， of the practical limits to city and civilisation growth throughout much of human history:“Until the early nineteenth century nowhere in the world could more than about ten per cent of the population be employed in non agricultural activities because agricultural production was so low。”He brings you back to the norms of disease and death throughout most of human history – and the potential for a return to that as disease becomes resistant to antibiotics。 The past is piled high in sewage and you can smell the stench from his stories （although some cities in India and China did it better）。We are reminded of the limits of agricultural efficiency and increased energy efficiency in a world of population growth， increasing inequality， and a constant drive to grow to maintain employment， electability and pursue western lifestyles:“Modern industrialised agriculture is highly inefficient in energy terms。 The most energy- efficient agriculture in the world is rice growing in the paddy fields of China and SE Asia where the output of energy is about fifty times greater than input。 Other so-called primitive agricultural systems are also highly energy-efficient producing about twenty times the energy they use。 At best， modern cereal farming produces only about twice as much energy as it consumes in the form of fertilisers， pesticides， herbicides and machinery。 Modern agriculture is also becoming less energy-efficient…。Meat production in the industrialised world now consumes between two and three times the energy it produces…add the energy cost of processing and distributing food。 This takes about three times as much energy as producing the food itself。”There is an interesting debate about whether cities are sustainable – he sees them as not because their inhabitants have unsustainable lifestyles。It is very hard to believe， by the end of the book， that Western lifestyles are anything but a dangerous， critically risky theft of the earth's resources。 The idea that property is theft is not explicitly stated， but seeps out between the lines。“In its deepest sense the problem of famine stems from the change of attitude towards food that goes back to the emergence of agriculture。 Gathering and hunting groups do not regard food as something to be traded but as available to all within the group。 The problem of entitlement arose once the ownership of land and food became the norm when settled agricultural societies emerged。”Clive Ponting has a Victorian love of statistics in action。 His is almost an hommage to Chadwick:“In 1853 when the Lambeth Water Company finally moved its source of water supply further upstream away from the most polluted area， the death rate in the area it supplied rapidly fell from 130 per thousand to 37 per thousand。”In a book aiming at such an authoritative sweep of history it seems a major failing that there are no footnotes – only a rather limited and dated reading list – and one is left wondering where some fascinating statistics come from:The unsustainable dynamic of inequality - “The US contains about 5% of the world’s population yet it consumes every year about 40% of the resources used in the world。”Growth faster than the world has ever before seen - “The world in the twentieth century。。 World population x3。8。。World industrial output x35 …World energy use x12。5 …World water use x9 …World fertiliser use x342”The evils of the car （and the importance of recycling your old car） – “Car production now consumes more resources than any other industry。 It uses about 20% of world steel production， 35% of the zinc， 50% of the lead， 60% of all natural rubber and 10% of world aluminium production。 In addition over a third of the world’s oil consumption is accounted for by vehicles。” The perils of prosperity - “In Britain one in five adults is now clinically obese – a rate double that of the 1970s。 In the US… about a third of the population…”Whole economies structured round unsustainable travel - “7% of the world’s workforce is employed in the tourism industry。”Climate change already clearly observable over the twentieth century – “Warmer air is able to hold more water vapour and rainfall has increased by just under 1% a decade in the mid to high latitudes of the northern hemisphere。 The number of heavy storms has also increased – by about 4% over the twentieth century。”“Around Britain small marine animals and seaweeds have on average moved 150 km north in the last fifty years。”I have visions of thousands of PhD students slaving to contribute just one fact to this tome – and then wonder whether sometimes Ponting himself， or a research assistant， made them up on the back of an envelope as 1980s civil servants were in the habit of doing。 I longed for the references， even online， even if they were as long as the book itself。But overall， I found myself convinced by his arguments， particularly as he drew to a close in this updated 2007 version building on the IPCC report on climate change – change is happening faster than it ever did in the past， and there is no reason to believe we can keep up。 The hidden message is that in an unequal way， across the world， we are heading for population crisis and collapse， as the huge build up of population growth， the limits of energy intensive farming and higher temperatures well above the ‘safe’ two degrees coincide。 Even if in our lifetimes we appear to cope， the change built up in the environment， from accumulated greenhouse gases， and the irreversibility of much change over a century or more， will result in mass human misery。 There is no reason to believe， in the face of the evidence， that our governments and multinationals will be able to prevent it。He rejects the two degrees centigrade rise talk of world governments。 “In its Energy Outlook for 2006 the International Energy Agency forecast that the most likely scenario was a 53% increase in world energy use by 2030 and that fossil fuels would make up over 80% of that increase…carbon dioxide concentrations… would rise to…two or three times above pre-industrial levels… continued growth in the world economy。。 would imply an average temperature rise of at least 5 degrees C but perhaps twice that in high latitudes。”He reminds us that increased energy efficiency is not really the solution if it simply powers economic growth。“Many societies in the past believed that they had a sustainable way of life only to find some time later that this was not the case。 By the time they had to face the crisis， they were unable to make the social， economic and political changes necessary for survival。” 。。。more

Nemo ，

417 page is really too long and tedious to read。 And 90% of texts are examples， numbers， repeatedly， to prove a few simple judgment: 1） human history has seen two great leaps first agri second industrial/western expansion。 And along with it， ecosystem is down， new diseases， unequal third world， pollution， over population。 The whole book can be summarized by one page。 and I dont think there is anything new to know。 It is basically a good book for reference use （if you want to wrtie sth about huma 417 page is really too long and tedious to read。 And 90% of texts are examples， numbers， repeatedly， to prove a few simple judgment: 1） human history has seen two great leaps first agri second industrial/western expansion。 And along with it， ecosystem is down， new diseases， unequal third world， pollution， over population。 The whole book can be summarized by one page。 and I dont think there is anything new to know。 It is basically a good book for reference use （if you want to wrtie sth about human and environment interaction this book can be used for citing cases and numbers）。The only interesting part of the book is the beginning story of Easter Island and the big statues （what happend to the islanders who built such big statues？）， it read like a suspense story。 I will remember this book only because this story。 。。。more

DavidJsays ，

Should be listed along side Silent Spring as a cornerstone book in the environmental movement。

Greg ，

Interesting， concise， and （at times） sobering。 This book does a great job of discussing human history through the lens of basic variables like food， energy， environment， and natural resources。 High school history textbooks should focus on this information more than the characters involved in the growth of western civilization。

Tia ，

Love love loved this - as an environmentalist， I am deeply familiar with many of these topics。 Despite this， Ponting provides fresh insight and perspectives。 More thoughts to comeIf you're looking for a book to cry yourself to sleep at night - this is the one！ Love love loved this - as an environmentalist， I am deeply familiar with many of these topics。 Despite this， Ponting provides fresh insight and perspectives。 More thoughts to comeIf you're looking for a book to cry yourself to sleep at night - this is the one！ 。。。more

Lisa Knodt ，

Ponting's focus is interesting because it highlights the variety of ways in which human activity had an impact on the environment and how different societies managed to organize sustainable ressource extraction with different degrees of success。 It would however be a much more enjoyable read if the author had chosen to leave out some repetitive examples such as "between 17XX and 18XX the population of species x on the island of y declined from 678。000 to only 13。00"。 Ponting's focus is interesting because it highlights the variety of ways in which human activity had an impact on the environment and how different societies managed to organize sustainable ressource extraction with different degrees of success。 It would however be a much more enjoyable read if the author had chosen to leave out some repetitive examples such as "between 17XX and 18XX the population of species x on the island of y declined from 678。000 to only 13。00"。 。。。more

Rhys ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Clive Ponting offers a sprawling history of the world from an environmental perspective。 But don’t let the size of the book deter you - it is an engrossing read。He begins the work with a 20-page description covering roughly two-million years of human survival。 The subsequent 1% of human existence on the planet takes the remaining 400 pages。 Ponting makes his point of departure the end of the last ice age and the beginning of agriculture - what he calls the ‘first great transition。’ The transitio Clive Ponting offers a sprawling history of the world from an environmental perspective。 But don’t let the size of the book deter you - it is an engrossing read。He begins the work with a 20-page description covering roughly two-million years of human survival。 The subsequent 1% of human existence on the planet takes the remaining 400 pages。 Ponting makes his point of departure the end of the last ice age and the beginning of agriculture - what he calls the ‘first great transition。’ The transition he describes is surplus food production through the domestication of plants and animals。 The food surplus allowed for a percentage of the population to pursue other activities like art， governance， and war。 Food surplus allowed for urbanization and a growth in population。 The fixed aspect of agriculture and urbanization led to greater demands from nearby water supplies and fertile soil。 Ponting provides cautionary tales of the collapse of early civilizations due to environmental deterioration。 He also suggests that the First Great Transition was truly a transition from human subsistence as hunters and gatherers to a dependence on agriculture and the governance required to protect land and distribute food with the consequent growth of bureaucracies。 Ponting implies that it was an irreversible transition as the environment became too damaged to support large populations as hunters and gatherers。The next stage of human existence the author calls ‘the long struggle。’ The spiral of population growth and the growing demand for fertile land and fresh water to grow food represents human existence until very recently。 Ponting describes the rise and fall of populations due to available food and the impacts of disease。Interestingly， many of our major diseases originated in other species and jumped to the human population due to the domestication of animals。 “Many of the common human diseases are close relatives of animal diseases。 Smallpox is very similar to cowpox and measles is related to rinderpest （another cattle disease） and canine distemper。 Tuberculosis originated in cattle as did diphtheria。 Influenza is common to humans， pigs and birds and the common cold came from the horse。 Leprosy came from the water buffalo。 The result is that after living for almost ten thousand years in close proximity with animals， humans now share sixty-five diseases with dogs， fifty with cattle， forty-six with sheep and goats， forty-two with pigs， thirty-five with horses and twenty-six with poultry” （p。200）。 According to Ponting evidence indicates that hunters and gatherers were considerably healthier than humankind during this period。Ponting continues his green history with a long and thorough description of our growing debasement of the environment: deforestation， mining， the fur trade， whaling， overfishing， and the salination and desertification of fertile land are all covered in gory detail。 “The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that since 1945 human activities have degraded two billion hectares of land， of which 430 million hectares have been irreversibly destroyed” （p。253）。What I thought was one of the strongest aspects of Ponting’s A New Green History of the World was his ability to connect human institutions and ways of thought to our collective impact on the environment upon which we rely for existence。 He does not shrink from assessing economic systems and the resulting inequalities of access to sufficient food and clean water。 The Second Great Transition， according to Ponting， has been our exploitation of fossil energy to support ever growing populations of people （with fertilizers， pesticides， and farm machinery） with ever-growing levels of consumption （with industrialization and automation， etc。）。 Like the first great transition， the second appears irreversible as we rely on fossil energy to augment a diminishing and polluted natural environment。 He concludes: “The problem for all human societies has been to find a way of extracting from the environment their food， clothing， shelter and other goods in a way that does not render it incapable of supporting them” （p。423）。 The challenge， of course， will be to recognize the point at which this will no longer be possible ，and to find the economic and social means to respond to achieve some level of sustainability。 Ponting reminds us that: “Some societies have succeeded in finding the right balance， some have failed。” 。。。more

David Anusontarangkul ，

I thought the book was very educational about world history and what the effects of society development had on the planet。 It was interesting to see how humans managed to solve environmental problems through innovations and regulations。 However， the book was pessimistic about humans and it was depressing to read。 It emphasized how people hurt the environment no matter how society evolves。

Richard Reese ，

A New Green History of the World （2007） is the new and improved version of A Green History of the World （1991）， which was translated into 13 languages。 British historian Clive Ponting did a fantastic amount of research， and then refined it into a very readable， mind-altering 400-page book （a silver bullet cure for folks suffering from denial）。 It spans the two million year saga of our hominid ancestors， devoting most attention to the last 12，000 years， the era of thunder footprints。Ponting provi A New Green History of the World （2007） is the new and improved version of A Green History of the World （1991）， which was translated into 13 languages。 British historian Clive Ponting did a fantastic amount of research， and then refined it into a very readable， mind-altering 400-page book （a silver bullet cure for folks suffering from denial）。 It spans the two million year saga of our hominid ancestors， devoting most attention to the last 12，000 years， the era of thunder footprints。Ponting provides numerous charts displaying the skyrocketing growth of many unsustainable trends。 For example， world coal production was 10 million tons in 1800， 760 million tons in 1900， and 5 billion tons in 2000。 World oil production was 95 million tons in 1920， 294 million tons in 1940， 2。3 billion tons in 1970， and 3。8 billion tons in 2004。 Is it any wonder that the atmosphere is having convulsions？For almost the entire human journey， wood was our fuel， a renewable resource。 With the shift to agriculture and civilization， we invented forest mining， which is unsustainable。 Industries making glass， ceramics， bricks， and metals rapidly obliterated forests。 By the 1550s， regional wood shortages began limiting growth。 The English were the first to begin the shift to coal。 Coal lit the turbo thrusters for the Industrial Revolution， which accelerated the process of urbanization， and ignited two centuries of pandemonium。Until 1800， 95 percent of humans were paupers。 Ponting says， “Since the rise of settled societies some ten thousand years ago the overwhelming majority of the world’s population have lived in conditions of grinding poverty。 They have had few possessions， suffered from appalling living conditions， and have been forced to spend most of their very limited resources on finding enough food to stay alive。” European commoners often lived in crude huts with dirt floors， and no windows or chimney。 Bed was a heap of straw。 No corpse was buried in usable garments。Until 1800， most people travelled on foot。 Paupers couldn’t afford horses， or six acres （2。5 ha） of pasture to feed one。 Consequently， villages and towns remained small， close to their food supply。 Few places could afford even rudimentary sanitation services。 Village households dumped their night soil in the streets。 Almost any place was a restroom。 Fecal-oral diseases were popular， and bathing was not， especially in chilly months。 It was a wonderland for rats， fleas， flies， lice， and infectious diseases。In 1652， the council of Boston banned residents from discarding the “entrails of beasts or fowls or garbage or dead dogs or cattle or any other dead beast or stinking thing” into the streets。 In the summer of 1858， the British House of Commons abandoned its sittings because of the unbearable “Great Stink” （all raw sewage went into the Thames）。 The official residence for Britain’s prime ministers is 10 Downing Street， which didn’t have an indoor bathroom until 1908。 And so on。With urbanization， the privileged class grew — folks who could afford horses， stables， carriages， and feed。 More horses were needed to haul more goods。 As cities grew， they got too big for foot travelers， so horse-drawn buses， trolleys， cabs， and coaches came into service。 Sprawling cities gobbled up nearby farms， increasing the distance between the inner city and their source of food。 More horses were needed to haul more food over more miles。 Eventually， farmers could no longer afford to have urban manure hauled to their distant fields， so it piled up in empty places。By 1900， horses plopped 10 million tons of fragrant manure on British streets each year。 When it rained， the streets became yucky mucky smelly ponds。 In warm dry weather， the breezes carried manure dust for all to inhale。 The incredible filth attracted countless trillions of flies that took great delight in spreading typhoid。 New York City had to remove 15，000 dead horses annually。 Imagine the stench。By the early twentieth century， Britain and France each had about 3。5 million horses。 The U。S。 had 20 to 30 million， and feeding them required 88 million acres （36m ha） of farmland — about a quarter of the total。 These countries had little spare land to feed more urban horses; they were close to Peak Horses。 （Here’s an interesting stinky horse story。）In 1900， London was the world’s biggest city， with 4。5 million。 New York City was second with 2。7 million。 Their streets were jammed with slow chaotic clippity-clop traffic， close to capacity， with little room for more。 The bubble of cheap and abundant horse feed was over。 Both cities had to switch from horse power to fossil power。 By 2000， Tokyo had 26。4 million， Mexico City had 18。4 million， and Mumbai had 18 million。 They cannot shift to horse power when motor vehicle extinction approaches。Modern cities cannot function without nonrenewable fossil power。 It is needed to move folks from home to work， and from the ground floor to the thirtieth。 It moves water in， and sewage out。 It picks up the garbage and carries it to landfills。 It powers farms， ships， air travel， factories， mines， refineries， lighting， communication systems， and on and on。 The list includes everything essential for the energy-guzzling consumer lifestyle， and industrial society itself。Our global civilization is completely addicted to ever-increasing quantities of finite nonrenewable resources。 Obviously， this can only be temporary。 We’ve had a high-speed joyride of insane growth， pollution， and ecological gang rape。 We’ve invented lots of fascinating gizmos， lived like crazy， and created a monster that has an expiration date。 It will disintegrate， sooner or later。 Ponting warns that we are approaching a major crossroads。To make the coming decades even more exciting， climate change is knocking on the door， stopping by to collect our staggering karmic debts。 The Technology Fairy cannot give us the magic beans needed to remove the carbon from our emissions。 Ponting shrugs， “Global warming is the greatest threat that the world faces and finding a solution will be extremely difficult。”The Technology Fairy also appears impotent to accelerate the crop yield gains necessary for feeding the projected mob in 50 years （see Cribb and Bourne）。 Like the Green Revolution disaster， GMO crops require big inputs of fertilizers， pesticides， and irrigation — large fields， expensive seeds， rich farmers， big machines， and lots of petrol。 Industrial agriculture is getting gray and wrinkled， its best days behind it。 Ponting has no faith in biotech miracles。With the calm and objective voice of a venerable professor， Ponting lifts readers far above the intense roaring madness that we consider normal。 When we can observe the human journey from a perspective that spans thousands of years， it’s easy to see that our consumer lifestyle is an extreme deviation from the human journey。 Every student in every nation should take a class based on this book， every year。 The family of life is paying a terrible price for our ongoing ignorance of environmental history。 Few have a competent understanding of the path we have taken， or the predicaments that now threaten us。I’ve only mentioned a few of the topics in Ponting’s book。 It’s a fascinating experience。 He did not include the obligatory chapter of brilliant solutions。 His conclusion: “The course of human history over the last two centuries has produced change at a rate never before experienced and brought together a series of interlinked problems that almost defy solution because of their complexity。” Progress is wonderful， eh？ 。。。more

Michael ，

Forced me to rethink the story of civilization。 It's true that there is a lot of numbers， etc。， but if you want depth and accuracy you have to work through that kind of evidence。 Forced me to rethink the story of civilization。 It's true that there is a lot of numbers， etc。， but if you want depth and accuracy you have to work through that kind of evidence。 。。。more

Daniel ，

Oma mahukas teoses annab Clive Ponting sisuliselt ülevaate kogu inimkonna ajaloost。 Kuid see ajalugu on kirjutatud keskkonna vaatevinklist ja keskendub sellele， kuidas on läbi ajaloo kulgenud inimese side loodusega。 Mingi õnneliku juhuse läbi sattus täpselt seesama teema ka riigieksamisse， seega parim aeg selle lugemiseks sai vist just läbi， aga parem ikka hilja kui mitte kunagi。Raamatu sõnum on tegelikult väga lihtne ja sünge。 Planeet on teel hävingu poole olnud sisuliselt sellest ajast saati k Oma mahukas teoses annab Clive Ponting sisuliselt ülevaate kogu inimkonna ajaloost。 Kuid see ajalugu on kirjutatud keskkonna vaatevinklist ja keskendub sellele， kuidas on läbi ajaloo kulgenud inimese side loodusega。 Mingi õnneliku juhuse läbi sattus täpselt seesama teema ka riigieksamisse， seega parim aeg selle lugemiseks sai vist just läbi， aga parem ikka hilja kui mitte kunagi。Raamatu sõnum on tegelikult väga lihtne ja sünge。 Planeet on teel hävingu poole olnud sisuliselt sellest ajast saati kui kütid/korilased esimest korda kõpla kätte võtsid ja viimased kaks sajandit on kirstu lihtsalt eriti kõvasti kinni naelutanud。 Selle tunneli lõpus erilist valguskiirt ei paista ja mis mind natuke häiris oli see， et Ponting ei üritanud isegi ühtegi konkreetset lahendust pakkuda。 Olevikku aitas see ajalookäsitlus ehk tõesti paremini mõista， aga pattude üles loetlemine ei lahenda suurt midagi ja kusagile on ometi tarvis edasi minna。 Samas võib-olla jättis autor maintsussõnad teadlikult peale lugemata， sest ausalt öeldes ajab ka mind juba see ümar keskkonnakaitse jutt iiveldama。 Loosungid laadis "Hoiame loodust" ja "Päästame puud" lihtsalt kriibivad kõrva。 Teisest küljest tundis Ponting ennast teemas ilmselgelt koduselt ja oleks ehk suutnud mõned natuke originaalsemad lahendused välja nuputada。Ei saa öelda， et tegemist oleks siiski lihtsa lektüüriga。 Mingi hetk loetleb autor kolm lehekülge järjest lihtsalt arve ja lühendeid。 Ühest küljest vajub suu lahti Pontingu teadmiste， teisest küljest haigutuse pärast。 Fakte võib tänapäeval netiavarustest välja kaevata iga mats， kunst on need ladusaks tekstiks kokku kirjutada ja selles valdkonnas arenguruumi veel on。 Aga samas on üsna hõlbus need kuivad tekstimassiivid lihtsalt vahele jätta ja mõned lehed diagonaalselt läbi võtta。 Üht-teist andis sealt kõrva taha panna küll， kuid viiesaja lehe kohta oleks saak võinud olla ka tummisem。 Silmaring avarnes siiski lausa tuntavalt ja eks üks asi on öelda， et naftat tarbitakse rohkem kui enne ja täiesti teine tera on pühendada terve peatükk sellele， kui mitu protsenti tõusis kaevandatud toornafta hulk Suurbritannias aastatel 1980-1982。 Variandi B korral jõuab sõnum lihtsalt kohale。 Isegi kui 99% peatükist südant kõvaks tehes vahele jätta。Kas teie näiteks teadsite， et "Keskmine kass sööb tänapäeval rohkem loomaliha， kui Costa Rica elanik"， et "Kuni 20。 sajandi alguseni on igas sõjas surnud haigustesse rohkem sõdureid kui neid on hukkunud vaenlasega võideldes"， et "Tänapäeval toodab tööline Ameerikas ühe tunniga u。 sama palju， kui 1800。 aastal tootis 12h päevas töötav tööline GBs kahe nädalaga" ja nii edasi。 Ühesõnaga üht koma teist põrutavat leidub， see põnevus tuleb lihtsalt nende statistikamägede alt välja kaevata。Lisaks sellistele pubiteadmistele annab too teos kindlasti ka kamaluga persepktiivi。 Ega ta tagasi ei hoia， karmis aususes lajatab autor ikka korralikult， armu andmata。 Lajatab konkreetsete faktidega， mis annavad aimu， millise hoo ja tempoga planeedi ahistamine kestnud on ja milline hädaorg see elu enamike inimeste jaoks siiski on。 Sisuliselt tuleb välja， et küttide/korilaste elustandardile jõudmine leidis aset alles tööstusrevolutsiooni ajal ja et isegi siis jõudis selleni vaid väike valitud kõrgklass。 Samas isegi praegu elab ligi pool planeedi elanikkonnast endiselt sama viletsates tingimustes kui elati aastatuhandeid tagasi ja inimkonna kollektiivne heaolu tase on jäänud pea et samaks。 Selle pisukese arengu eest oleme me maksnud aga tohutut hinda ja viinud oma planeedi hävingu äärele。 Tekkib küsimus， et kas see ikka oli seda väärt？Ehk oleks inimkonnal kõige targem leiutada kiiremas korras ajamasin， minna tagasi põllumajanduse tekke aegadesse ja see maailma esimene kõblas lihtsalt katki murda。 Kui kõrv vastu maad panna ja hoolikalt kuulata， kuuleks see kangelane kindlasti Emake Maa kergendusohet。 。。。more

Hayat ，

One of my favorite books of all time。

Judith ，

I will never forget the lessons of Easter Island as described in this book。 The history of Easter Island is not one of lost civilisations and esoteric knowledge。 Rather it is a striking example of the dependence of human societies on their environment and of the consequences of irreversibly damaging that environment。 It is the story of a people who， starting from an extremely limited resource base， constructed one of the most advanced societies in the world for the technology they had available。 I will never forget the lessons of Easter Island as described in this book。 The history of Easter Island is not one of lost civilisations and esoteric knowledge。 Rather it is a striking example of the dependence of human societies on their environment and of the consequences of irreversibly damaging that environment。 It is the story of a people who， starting from an extremely limited resource base， constructed one of the most advanced societies in the world for the technology they had available。 However， the demands placed on the environment of the island by this development were immense。 When it could no longer withstand the pressure， the society that had been painfully built up over the previous thousand years fell with it。 This book is also interesting for everyone who want to know more about the history of stone chicken coops ;-） 。。。more

Elentarri ，

I had a great deal of trouble finishing this book。 It was just plain tedious。This book could have been interesting and so much better， but I found it boring and outdated。 I didn't learn much new "stuff"， which is the whole point of reading books like this。The first third of the book is incredibly boring and tedious （I put the book down to read 5 other books before picking it up again and forcing myself to finish it）。 The rest gets a bit better， but not much。The author selects the most common， we I had a great deal of trouble finishing this book。 It was just plain tedious。This book could have been interesting and so much better， but I found it boring and outdated。 I didn't learn much new "stuff"， which is the whole point of reading books like this。The first third of the book is incredibly boring and tedious （I put the book down to read 5 other books before picking it up again and forcing myself to finish it）。 The rest gets a bit better， but not much。The author selects the most common， well-known examples （boring， old information） for his chapters - it would have been nice to read about something else besides the usual whales and passenger pigeons。 Major gripe: The author doesn't state his references properly so I have no idea where he gets his numbers/ statistics and some of his information from。 There is a "Guide to Further Reading" but that doesn't really help very much。 This is a science book！ I expect proper references。 I also expect new references as well as old references。 Most of the "Further Reading" section lists books written in the 1980s。 All the data provided in this book doesn't go further than 2000， and this is supposed to be an updated （2007） edition of the book。 。。。more

Kent Curtis ，

Great overview of human history on earth from the perspective of resources and resource exhaustion。 Ponting's engaging and really accessible book argues that humans tend to overreach when they develop successful systems for exploiting nature to their benefit and they tend to collapse。 He identifies several instances in human history and then posits that the current practices are putting us in real danger。 Great overview of human history on earth from the perspective of resources and resource exhaustion。 Ponting's engaging and really accessible book argues that humans tend to overreach when they develop successful systems for exploiting nature to their benefit and they tend to collapse。 He identifies several instances in human history and then posits that the current practices are putting us in real danger。 。。。more

Värske Aju ，

Clive Pointing’u ülevaade inimajaloost läbi keskkonnas toimunud muudatuste。

Jenny ，

Not a great read before bed。 I learned a few things and liked a different view on our social evolution。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A New Green History of the World

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=A New Green History of the World&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,A New Green History of the World&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0