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A Synopsis of CLIVE PONTING‘S A GREEN HISTORY OF THE WORLD
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With an ever-increasing awareness of the effects of global warming on climate change and the pressing need to forecast — and try to ameliorate — the consequences of humankind‘s behaviour, many books have been written in recent years about the perils of the overpopulated, warming and post-oil world. But bearing in mind Churchill‘s words, I believe that it is imperative to supplement any study of our effect on the environment with this book by Clive Ponting. As my first passion is physics, with history coming a close second, I was pleased to accept, in 2005, Andrew Ferguson‘s invitation to write a synopsis of the 1991 edition of A Green History of the World (then out of print) for the Optimum Population Trust (OPT) Journal. The synopsis was published in nine instalments from October 2005 to April 2010. It may seem odd to have written a synopsis of a 16 years old book. After all, with our fast-moving understanding of the environment and its link to population, perhaps one should be looking at more recent studies. Nevertheless, since the past cannot change - only our view of it - Ponting‘s 1991 perspective is a useful guide to the future. Indeed, in reading his book, it is instructive to recognise how the mistakes of our predecessors are being repeated today by a civilisation which should not only know better, but which ought be taking more diligent measures to prevent the catastrophe that must surely be just around the corner.
Martin Desvaux PhD CPhys MInstP - Personal Name
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English
1-59
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