Overview

Humanity is dependent on Nature to survive, yet our society largely acts as if this is not the case. The energy that powers our very cells, the nutrients that make up our bodies, the ecosystem services that clean our water and air; these are all provided by the Nature from which we have evolved and of which we are a part. This book examines why we deny or ignore this dependence and what we can do differently to help solve the environmental crisis. Written in an accessible and engaging style, Haydn Washington provides an excellent overview of humanity’s relationship with Nature. The book looks at energy flow, nutrient cycling, ecosystem services, ecosystem collapse as well as exploring our psychological and spiritual dependency on nature. It also examines anthropocentrism and denial as causes of our unwillingness to respect our inherent dependence on the natural environment. The book concludes by bringing these issues together and providing a framework for solutions to the environmental crisis.

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9780415632577

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Reviews

'Our characteristics trace back to the forces that created the earliest simple organisms, and the physical features of our planet and other life forms have shaped the processes and traits that eventually produced modern human beings. But we biologists tend to be even more impressed by our utter dependence on the world that gave us evolutionary birth -- on Nature, which nurtures us and to which we are tightly bound. When you've finished Human Dependence on Nature you'll be impressed too -- and want to give a copy to everyone you know.' - Paul R. Ehrlich, Bing Professor of Population Studies, President, Center for Conservation Biology Department of Biology, Stanford University, California 'This book's stern and detailed message about humanity's multifaceted involvement in Earth's biosphere is vital. Are you among the many who have been reluctant to recognize how today's industrialized human load profoundly damages Earth's ecological basis for our descendants' lives? Inability to face that reality has obstructed essential change. Were we to overcome habitual denial, we might commit to protecting rather than undermining the physical, chemical, and biological qualities of this planet essential for future human life. Read this book! Enable posterity to respect us, their ancestors, for our wisdom, instead of loathing us for our obstinate fantasies.' - William R. Catton, Jr., Professor Emeritus, Sociology, Washington State University 'An illuminating and necessary discussion of humanity's absolute dependence on nature and our reluctance to accept that reality.' -- Professor Donald Spady, University of Alberta, Canada 'We are all indebted to Haydn Washington for helping us to understand in more details the complexity of our dependence on nature.' -- Lester R. Brown, President of Earth Policy Institute and author of World on the Edge.

Author Information

Haydn Washington is an environmental scientist and writer with 35 years' experience. He has worked as a plant ecologist, a CSIRO scientist, an environmental consultant, and is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Environmental Studies at the University of New South Wales, Australia. This is his fifth book on environmental issues and he is also the lead author of Climate Change Denial: Heads in the Sand (Earthscan from Routledge 2011).

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