The End of Nature
Encyclopedia
The End of Nature is a book written by Bill McKibben
, published by Anchor
in 1989. It has been called the first book on global warming
written for a general audience. McKibben had thought that simply stating the problem would provoke people to action.
as a force previously independent of human beings, but which is now directly affected by the actions of people.
He offers two paths forward: "The Defiant Reflex" or a "more humble" way of living.
said McKibben has a "mild antihuman bias" and called for specific reforms that "can actually be put into practice by real-world political systems".
Bill McKibben
William Ernest "Bill" McKibben is an American environmentalist, author, and journalist who has written extensively on the impact of global warming. He is the Schumann Distinguished Scholar at Middlebury College...
, published by Anchor
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
in 1989. It has been called the first book on global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
written for a general audience. McKibben had thought that simply stating the problem would provoke people to action.
Premise
He describes natureNature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
as a force previously independent of human beings, but which is now directly affected by the actions of people.
"If the waves crash up against the beach, eroding dunes and destroying homes, it is not the awesome power of Mother NatureMother NatureMother Nature is a common personification of nature that focuses on the life-giving and nurturing aspects of nature by embodying it in the form of the mother. Images of women representing mother earth, and mother nature, are timeless...
. It is the awesome power of Mother Nature as altered by the awesome power of man, who has overpowered in a century the processes that have been slowly evolving and changing of their own accord since the earth was born."
He offers two paths forward: "The Defiant Reflex" or a "more humble" way of living.
Reaction
The Washington MonthlyThe Washington Monthly
The Washington Monthly is a bimonthly nonprofit magazine of United States politics and government that is based in Washington, D.C.The magazine's founder is Charles Peters, who started the magazine in 1969 and continues to write the "Tilting at Windmills" column in each issue. Paul Glastris, former...
said McKibben has a "mild antihuman bias" and called for specific reforms that "can actually be put into practice by real-world political systems".