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Profit ― getting more out of something than you put into it ― is the original genius of homo sapiens, who learned how to unleash the energy stored in wood, exploit the land, and refashion ecosystems. As civilization developed, we found more and more ways of extracting surplus value from the earth, often deploying brutally effective methods to discipline people to do the work needed. Historian Mark Stoll explains how capitalism supercharged this process and traces its many environmental consequences. The financial innovations of medieval Italy created trade networks that, with the European discovery of the Americas, made possible vast profits and sweeping cultural changes, to the detriment of millions of slaves and indigenous Americans; the industrial age united the world in trade and led to an energy revolution that changed lives everywhere. But when efficient production left society awash in goods, a new sort of capitalism, predicated on endless individual consumption, took its place. This story of incredible ingenuity and villainy begins in the Doge's palace in medieval Venice and ends with Jeff Bezos aboard his own spacecraft. Mark Stoll's revolutionary account places environmental factors at the heart of capitalism's progress and reveals the long shadow of its terrible consequences.

From the ancient glories of Bam and Varanasi to the teeming conurbations of Tokyo and Sao Paulo, cities are amongst our greatest creations. Yet at the start of the twenty-first century, with cities now home to more than half the world's population, there is increasing concern over their unchecked expansion and the detrimental effect this is having on the planet. This unfettered growth is affecting every ecosystem on Earth, from the deepest oceans to the highest mountains, as induced climate change and ever increasing demands upon the world's resources take effect. As the pace of urbanization

The authors discuss their book on our state's human and natural history as detailed from an environmental rather than a political viewpoint.

The authors discuss their book on our state's human and natural history as detailed from an environmental rather than a political viewpoint.

The authors discuss their book on our state's human and natural history as detailed from an environmental rather than a political viewpoint.

This book is an introductory instrument to the main themes of environmental history, illustrating its development over time, methodological implications, results achieved and those still under discussion. But the overriding aspiration is to show that the doubts, methods and knowledge elaborated by environmental history have a heuristic value that is far from negligible precisely in its attitude to the most consolidated major historiography. For this reason, this book gives an overview of environmental history as it is an essential component of the basic knowledge of global history. At the same time, it introduces specific aspects which are useful both for anyone wanting to deepen his/her studies of environmental historiography and for those interested in one of the many disciplinary areas - from rural history to urban history, from the history of technology to the history of public health, etc. with which environmental history develops a dialogue

What is environmental history? It is a kind of history that seeks understanding of human beings as they have lived, worked, and thought in relationship to the rest of nature through the changes brought by time. In this new edition of his seminal student textbook, J. Donald Hughes provides a masterful overview of the thinkers, topics, and perspectives that have come to constitute the exciting discipline that is environmental history. He does so on a global scale, drawing together disparate trends from a rich variety of countries into a unified whole, illuminating trends and key themes in the process. Those already familiar with the discipline will find themselves invited to think about the subject in a new way. This new edition has been updated to reflect recent developments, trends, and new work in environmental history, as well as a brand new note on its possible future. Students and scholars new to environmental history will find the book both an indispensable guide and a rich source of inspiration for future work. J. DONALD HUGHESis John Evans Distinguished Professor of History at the University of Denver, Colorado.

In this podcast Robert Tiegs discusses his research with Jan Oosthoek on the Exploring Environmental History Podcast. It is a wide-ranging discussion, touching on the so-called nuclear option of permanently flooding the province of Holland in the late 16th century, the political/environmental impacts of the military inundations, and how Dutch society coped with the strategic floods.

The history lessons that have existed in the school curriculum generally only discuss the development of the times, occupation, the struggle for independence, and social, political, economic and cultural changes (government). All of these factors discussed are about human life and human interests. Based on these problems, in the curriculum of history subjects especially at the high school level it is necessary to add environmental education using the Ecopedagogy approach that is expected from this, students can have ecological intelligence such as empathizing with all forms of life, anticipating undesirable natural conditions, reducing natural damage, protecting cleanliness, understanding how nature supports human life, and how the symbiosis of mutualism between humans and nature if humans are able to protect it. So that through history lessons in the context of environmental education using the ecopedagogy approach can reduce environmental damage, natural damage that goes on by nature does not get better but is increasingly damaged.

Exploration in Environmental History represents four decades of writing from one of the most distinguished scholars in the field of environmental history. Samuel Hays's dedication and research is apparent in every one of these essays, four of which are published here for the first time

A recent report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) showed that toxic chemical substances are responsible for 4.9 million deaths every year, i.e. 8.9 per cent of annual deaths. This report also highlights the fact that these figures are largely underestimated, given the significant knowledge gaps. Not only is the number of deaths and diseases caused by pollutants unknown, but most of the very large number of chemical substances in circulation have not been even minimally investigated for potential toxicity.1 The first four of these five books, and certain chapters of the last one, provide important contributions to the growing historical and sociological literature on toxicants and their governance. This literature sheds light on the paradox of the increasingly massive development of (potentially) toxic chemical substances for over a century: while knowledge—especially scientific knowledge — of these substances has been continually expanding, movements denouncing them have constantly evolved, and complex regulatory systems to prevent and improve the substances' effects have been gradually developed. The books presented here provide insightful and detailed analysis of several major issues underpinning the literature on environmental chemicals. I shall present the five reviewed books focusing on four of those issues.

A study of the interplay between the environment and the peoples of the Mediterranean from earliest times. It charts the environmental challenges with case studies of the agriculture of ancient Mesopotamia, how climatic change contributed to the downfall of the Roman Empire, and the impact of dam building at Aswan