At the dawn of the twenty-first century, it is clear that -- for the first time since the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago -- changes of enormous ecological significance are occurring on our planet. The ozone layer is beginning to disintegrate. Since 1970 the world's forests have almost halved. A quarter of the world's fish has been depleted. We live in an age of ecocide. Seven out of ten biologists believe the world is now in the midst of the fastest mass extinction of species in the 4.5-billion-year ...
Read More
At the dawn of the twenty-first century, it is clear that -- for the first time since the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago -- changes of enormous ecological significance are occurring on our planet. The ozone layer is beginning to disintegrate. Since 1970 the world's forests have almost halved. A quarter of the world's fish has been depleted. We live in an age of ecocide. Seven out of ten biologists believe the world is now in the midst of the fastest mass extinction of species in the 4.5-billion-year history of the planet, according to a poll conducted by the American Museum of Natural History. Biodiversity loss is rated as a more serious environmental problem than the depletion of the ozone layer, global warming, or pollution and contamination. How have we come to be in this situation, and what can be done to conserve our environment for the future? Ecocide: A Short History of Mass Extinction of Species examines the facts behind the figures to offer a disturbing account of the ecological impact that the human species has on the planet. Franz Broswimmer takes the reader on a historical odyssey starting with the impact of premodern societies on the environment, through to the commercial exploitation of species and the large-scale habitat destruction that we see today. Broswimmer argues that in the open marketplace nature has been reduced to an assortment of exploitable resources. Focusing in particular on corporate-driven neoliberal forms of globalization, the industrial war economy and the massive increase in human population, he shows how we are willfully destroying our world. Highlighting important counter-movements who are working for ecological democracy, this isa truly unique book that will be of interest to anyone who cares about conserving our environment for the future.
Read Less
