View source for World Ecological Degradation From 3000 BC To 2000 AD

'''* Book: World Ecological Degradation: Accumulation, Urbanization, and Deforestation, 3000BC-AD2000. by Sing C. Chew. AltaMira Press, 2001.'''

URL = [http://www.amazon.com/World-Ecological-Degradation-Deforestation-3000BC-AD2000/dp/0759100314/ref=pd_rhf_dp_s_cp_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=51vSQjPy4RL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_SL500_SR90%2C135_&refRID=01XQKHC84W94E36HCAT2]

=Description=

"Deforestation, soil runoff, salination and pollution, all recurrent themes of the contemporary world, but they are not new to the world. This is a sweeping review of the environmental impacts of human settlement and development worldwide over the past 5000 years. The book shows that the processes of population growth, intense resource accumulation and urbanization in ancient and modern societies almost universally bring on ecological disaster, which can often contribute to the fall of that society. It then looks at the modern European worldsystem and its impact on the environment. The author, Sing Chew, also traces the existence of environmental conservation ideas and movements over the 5000 year span, and challenges the reader to change longterm trends of ecological disaster."


=Contents=

Tereza Coni Aguiar:

"In the first chapter, “Ecological Degradation over World History,” Chew presents the
main concepts, propositions and processes that define the relationship Culture-Nature
through history: accumulation of capital, urbanization and population growth. The author
asserts that deforestation has been a consequence of the economy of civilizations for at
least 5,000 years. 

The other seven chapters are chronologically organized and discuss
different civilizations, their economic activities, political and social rules, and ecological
degradation. The book ends with the different concepts and approaches to environmental
conservation, from ancient times until the year 2000."

(https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1937&context=ccr)


=Reviews=

'''1. By Tereza Coni Aguiar:'''

"This book analyses the relationship Culture-Nature during a long period in history, from
the Bronze Age (3000 B.C.) until A.D. 2000, making a retrospective of the environmental
crisis in an extensive geographical area. The book draws important analogies among the
phenomena of ecological degradation observed in ancient and modern civilizations,
making it easier to spot similarities and differences between periods in history and also
to think about the consequences of this issue today and in the future.
Sing Chew, Professor of Sociology at Humboldt State University, makes a broad study
of the relationship of civilization, its productive processes, and nature. For him, the
relationship Culture-Nature throughout history has always been characterized by great
ecological degradation. His main point is that environmental issues are not new in our
planet. Chew innovates in adding an environmental perspective to the debate about the
rise and fall of civilizations, and he even makes predictions about the future of the planet.
For him, the history of civilizations is the history of ecological degradation."

(https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1937&context=ccr)



'''2. Provided by the publisher:'''

Sing Chew's book is an outstanding contribution to environmental history. By utilizing world systems theory and presenting the pattern of overuse of resources by many different civilizations as they attempted to grow their empires over the past five thousand years, he demonstrates that our current ecological crisis is larger in scale but not different in fundamental form from historical patterns of resource exploitation. This book should be on the 'must read' list for all students of environmental history, environmental studies, and environmental philosophy. 

- (Bill Devall, (Director, Deep Ecology Resource Center))


Where there has been surplus accumulation there has been an abuse of nature, argues Chew. It happens throughout history. It isn't new. That's his argument and it's a good one. 

- (Albert Bergesen, University of Arizona)


Sing C. Chew suggests that ecological degradation due to economic (over)exploitation was a major historical force in world history since the 3rd millennium B.C. and he has assembled an impressive collection of evidence from archaeology, ancient history and historical ecology to underpin his case. The book adds an important new perspective to world system theory, especially centre-periphery dynamics, and to explaining 'Dark Ages.' World Ecological Degradation continues in the tradition of the grand historical narrative from Eric Wolf, Alfred Crosby, William McNeill and Gunder Frank. As such it will be of great interest to social and economic history as well as ancient history and archaeology. 

- (Kristian Kristiansen, (University of Gothenburg))

[[Category:P2P_History]]
[[Category:Ecology]]
[[Category:Books]]