Global Environmental History: An Introductory Reader

Global Environmental History introduces this rapidly developing field through a broad and thought-provoking range of expert contributions. Environmental history is a subject especially suited to global and transnational approaches and, over the course of the present generation, an increasing number of scholars have taken up the challenge that it presents. The collection begins with a series of chapters offering truly global visions; they range from reflections on the role of animals in environmental history to an overview of environmental change over the past ten millennia. Part Two switches to a sharper focus, featuring essays that characterize the distinctiveness of certain key regions such as China, Russia, West Africa, South Asia, Europe, and Latin America. The final part of the book examines different forms of modern environmentalism, ranging from the U.S. and its fascination with wilderness, to Japanese concern with human health, and on to Peru and India, where the environmental debate centres on access to resources. Global Environmental History will be an essential resource for students of Environmental History and Global History.