The Burning Earth: An Environmental History of the Last 500 Years

The book traces the evolution of history, the growth of humanity, the rise and fall of empires, and the impact on the environment. The book’s central theme is simple: as humanity has progressed, population has increased, and as wars have become more widespread, humans have exploited the environment for their benefit.
A theme missing in the book, is how people still lived in relative harmony with nature. Listen to the words of any elder, and you will understand their love for the earth. We have become distant from the world we inhabit.
Sunil Amarth traces large movements, and highlights how environmental exploitation has accelerated since the Industrial Revolution. He points out that, since the Industrial Revolution started, our show more attitude shifted to one where we believe we rule nature.
The book is weakest when he discusses our modern times. He does not dive into the impact that war, or AI (for instance) have – or will have – on the environment. The author stays with the old enemies like agriculture, industry, vehicular movement, plastic, etc.
Neither does Sunil Amarth talk about how our modern lifestyles have distanced us from the environment. In fact, many fear contact with nature, and this attitude can accelerate environmental degradation.
On the whole, however, the book provides an excellent, grand sweep of how humans have always had an adverse impact on the environment. show less