Global environmental history / Jean-Beaptiste Fressoz ... [et al.] ; translated by Krishan Kumar

Originally published in French as Introduction a l'histoire environmentale by La Decouverte, Paris.

Incl. bibliographies.

Introduction -- Chapter 1. Environmental narratives: progress, decline and vicious circles -- Chapter 2. Resources: privatizing, improving and conserving nature -- Chapter 3. Threats, regulations, environments -- Chapter 4. Commodification: appropriating and consuming nature -- Chapter 5. Environmental history of global scale -- Chapter 6. Climate and History -- Bibliography

Worldwide human societies are struggling with the disastrous effects that man's unbridled economic growth has brought to our planet. GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY is a concise account of the diverse ways in which environment has been destroyed and reshaped by man. The authors discuss the development of 'Environmental History' as a discipline and go on to document the various historical periods and phenomena where environmental damage was caused. They discuss the havoc European imperial forces created in the Americas and how the conquest of Americas by Europeans had unleashed ecological imperialism. They also discuss how environment was destroyed and reshaped during industrialization in England and France. The book discusses the environmental history of the world from the Americas to Europe to Asia and Africa. In a short span of a handful of militarily and economically powerful nations have created unimaginable damage to environment with devastating impacts. The book will act as an in-depth informative guide for researchers of environment as well as students of history, sociology, economics, world politics and is a fascinating introduction to the subject for any lay reader.