The End of Nature
Reissued on the tenth anniversary of its publication, this classic work on our environmental crisis features a new introduction by the author, reviewing both the progress and ground lost in the fight to save the earth.
This impassioned plea for radical and life-renewing change is today still considered a groundbreaking work in environmental studies. McKibben's argument that the survival of the globe is dependent on a fundamental, philosophical shift in the way we relate to nature is more relevant than ever. McKibben writes of our earth's environmental cataclysm, addressing such core issues as the greenhouse effect, acid rain, and the depletion of the ozone layer. His new introduction addresses some of the latest environmental issues that have risen during the 1990s. The book also includes an invaluable new appendix of facts and figures that surveys the progress of the environmental movement.
More than simply a handbook for survival or a doomsday catalog of scientific prediction, this classic, soulful lament on Nature is required reading for nature enthusiasts, activists, and concerned citizens alike.
Read an excerpt from The End of Nature
What Others Have Said About The End of Nature
"Whatever we once thought Nature was—wildness, God, a simple place free from human thumbprints, or an intricate machinery sustaining life on Earth—we have now given it a kick that will change it forever. Humanity has stepped across a threshold. In his free-ranging and provocative book, Bill McKibben explores the philosophies and technologies that have brought us here, and he shows how final a crossing we have made."
—James Gleick, author of Chaos
"McKibben's eye-opening plea . . . is likely to prove as important as Rachel Carson's classic Silent Spring or Jonathan Schell's The Fate of the Earth. The End of Nature may convert you, or it may infuriate you. But the world will never again look the same to you after you've read it."
—Cleveland Plain Dealer
"By the end of nature Mr. McKibben means the end of nature as a force independent of man . . . for a man preaching apocalypse, he speaks in a measured and civilized voice that deserves hearing."
—New York Times Book Review
"Bill McKibben's subject is the end of nature itself, which he claims humans have brought about. The subject is important, the notion is arresting, and Mr. McKibben argues convincingly."
—The Wall Street Journal
"Bill McKibben's The End of Nature deals with humanity's effect on our natural environment the same way that Jonathan Schell's Fate of the Earth presented the harsh facts of the potential nuclear destruction of life. Both books left me better informed, deeply saddened and wondering if the human species has too much natural ability to dominate (each other and our environment) without the wisdom to use such abilities for the promotion of life."
—Christine Peringer, "Peace and Environment News"
