Inheritors of the Earth

How Nature Is Thriving in an Age of Extinction

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Science, Biological Sciences, Environmental Science, Nature
Cover of the book Inheritors of the Earth by Chris D. Thomas, PublicAffairs
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Chris D. Thomas ISBN: 9781610397285
Publisher: PublicAffairs Publication: September 5, 2017
Imprint: PublicAffairs Language: English
Author: Chris D. Thomas
ISBN: 9781610397285
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Publication: September 5, 2017
Imprint: PublicAffairs
Language: English

Human activity has irreversibly changed the natural environment. But the news isn't all bad.

It's accepted wisdom today that human beings have permanently damaged the natural world, causing extinction, deforestation, pollution, and of course climate change. But in Inheritors of the Earth, biologist Chris Thomas shows that this obscures a more hopeful truth--we're also helping nature grow and change. Human cities and mass agriculture have created new places for enterprising animals and plants to live, and our activities have stimulated evolutionary change in virtually every population of living species. Most remarkably, Thomas shows, humans may well have raised the rate at which new species are formed to the highest level in the history of our planet.

Drawing on the success stories of diverse species, from the ochre-colored comma butterfly to the New Zealand pukeko, Thomas overturns the accepted story of declining biodiversity on Earth. In so doing, he questions why we resist new forms of life, and why we see ourselves as unnatural. Ultimately, he suggests that if life on Earth can recover from the asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs, it can survive the onslaughts of the technological age. This eye-opening book is a profound reexamination of the relationship between humanity and the natural world.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Human activity has irreversibly changed the natural environment. But the news isn't all bad.

It's accepted wisdom today that human beings have permanently damaged the natural world, causing extinction, deforestation, pollution, and of course climate change. But in Inheritors of the Earth, biologist Chris Thomas shows that this obscures a more hopeful truth--we're also helping nature grow and change. Human cities and mass agriculture have created new places for enterprising animals and plants to live, and our activities have stimulated evolutionary change in virtually every population of living species. Most remarkably, Thomas shows, humans may well have raised the rate at which new species are formed to the highest level in the history of our planet.

Drawing on the success stories of diverse species, from the ochre-colored comma butterfly to the New Zealand pukeko, Thomas overturns the accepted story of declining biodiversity on Earth. In so doing, he questions why we resist new forms of life, and why we see ourselves as unnatural. Ultimately, he suggests that if life on Earth can recover from the asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs, it can survive the onslaughts of the technological age. This eye-opening book is a profound reexamination of the relationship between humanity and the natural world.

More books from PublicAffairs

Cover of the book They Told Me Not to Take that Job by Chris D. Thomas
Cover of the book Blind Man's Bluff by Chris D. Thomas
Cover of the book Banker To The Poor by Chris D. Thomas
Cover of the book Backstabbing for Beginners by Chris D. Thomas
Cover of the book The Ultimate Weapon is No Weapon by Chris D. Thomas
Cover of the book The Billionaire Who Wasn't by Chris D. Thomas
Cover of the book Raising the Floor by Chris D. Thomas
Cover of the book Three Famines by Chris D. Thomas
Cover of the book Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper by Chris D. Thomas
Cover of the book The Chastening by Chris D. Thomas
Cover of the book The Vendetta by Chris D. Thomas
Cover of the book Car Crazy by Chris D. Thomas
Cover of the book Stamped from the Beginning by Chris D. Thomas
Cover of the book Everything for Everyone by Chris D. Thomas
Cover of the book Moscow, December 25, 1991 by Chris D. Thomas
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy