Humans on Earth: From Origins to Possible Futures [Hardcover]

This is a?wide-ranging and persuasive book written by an undisputed expert. Beginning with a broad history of the Universe, Earth, Life, and Man, it considers the origins and rise of science and technology, before moving on to discuss the present state of the world and its/our possible futures. Humans on Earth then addresses the main challenges for? social and economic development in the 21st century in the context of global? change. It presents a detailed but non-technical analysis of questions relating to climate change, our dependence on fossil fuels, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, desertification, and air, water, soil, and ocean pollution, as well as problems related to overpopulation, poverty, social and economic inequalities, and conflict potential. The three main, but largely mutually exclusive, discourses on human development and the environment are described and discussed. The main emphasis is on the risks and uncertainties of the short-term future  the next 50 to 100 years  with regard to environmental degradation and the sustainability of our growth paradigm.

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? ... a sweeping, thoughtful view of the role of humans in shaping our modern world.
Paul Epstein, Center for Health and the Global Environment, Harvard Medical School

This wide-ranging book considers the origins and rise of science and technology before moving on to discuss the state of our world and its possible futures, addressing the main challenges for social and economic development in the context of global change.With a Foreword by Paul Epstein

1. Science and Technology. From the Origins up?to the?Twenty-First Century.- 2. A Very?Brief History of the Universe, Earth,? and Life.- 3. The Contemporary Situation.- 4. The Future.- 5. Human Development and Environmental Discourses.

From the reviews:

Professor Filipe Duarte Santos, a physicist and scholar of envirl=