"An untold history of the relationship between climate and mankind"
Every so often a book comes along that makes you realise you've been peering down the wrong end of the telescope. The Earth Transformed by Peter Frankopan is such a book.
They say that history is written by the winners and the assumption therein is that the winners are human beings. Over the course of over 600 pages Frankopan comes from a different perspective, providing extensive evidence regarding the role of climate, nature, and therefore available resources in determining the paths of human history.
Historians are normally given to analysing the political, strategic or tactical choices historical leaders make which lead to major change, whereas for Frankopan this usually omits the influence of a bigger actor - namely the planet. From the Book of Genesis to the post-industrial age, Frankopan's forensic research is fascinating, global and meticulously analysed.
It's clear that the author holds the view that we are teetering on the edge of a climate catastrophe, but The Earth Transformed does not in itself catastrophise. There are terrible warnings of course, messages from the earth that things are going awry, but there are also signs of hope, advancement and enlightenment.
The future is uncertain, and the idea that there has always been climate change and we will simply adapt is a common cry from the industrialists.
In his conclusion Frankopan contrarily writes 'What history in general and this book in particular show is that there have been a great many times in the past when societies, peoples and cultures have proved unable to adapt. Indeed in some respects, the human story of progress is about batons being repeatedly dropped and picked up by others." I genuinely felt while reading The Earth Transformed that I was reading something that would one day be regarded as a key document in the study of climate change, to be read by those who picked up the baton.
From the international bestselling author of The Silk Roads comes a major history of how a changing climate has dramatically shaped the development-and demise-of civilisations across time.
| Primary Genre | History |
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From the international bestselling author of The Silk Roads comes a major history of how a changing climate has dramatically shaped the development-and demise-of civilisations across time. When we think about history, we rarely pay much attention to the most destructive floods, the worst winters, the most devastating droughts or the ways that ecosystems have changed over time.
The Earth Transformed features in the following genres: Non-Fiction Books of the Month, Recommendations, History, General and world history, Natural disasters, Historical geography, Climate change, History and Archaeology, History: specific events and topics, Earth Sciences, Geography, Environment, Planning, The environment, Pollution and threats to the environment
Paperback, Hardback. £15.29, down from the £16.99 cover price. In Stock.
The Earth Transformed was written by Peter Frankopan and published by Bloomsbury an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing (UK)
The Earth Transformed has 736 pages
£15.29, reduced from £16.99. In Stock.
