Environmental change and geomorphology

Meer over het boek

Helmut Jäger's textbook 'Introduction to Environmental History' opens with a stark observation about humanity's profound and lasting impact on the environment over the last millennium, surpassing the previous 1.8 million years. He emphasizes that the current environmental crisis poses a significant threat to humanity. In modern Western societies, environmental prevention is often embraced, sometimes irrationally. However, recent shifts in global politics and business have led to a rigid change in priorities, where irrational motives increasingly overshadow rational ones. This shift corresponds with a decline in meaningful discourse, replaced by entertaining events across politics, science, and media, thereby obstructing rational discussions on future environmental issues. To address these challenges, understanding environmental processes is crucial to prevent arbitrary or manipulated decisions. It is vital to question humanity's influence on the environment both historically and presently. A comprehensive understanding of the intricate processes within terrestrial ecosystems is often hindered by a lack of material fundamentals. This understanding is essential not only for assessing the current environmental state but also for predicting future changes. The reconstruction of past environments, whether natural or anthropogenic, requires a thorough examination of environmental factors, highlighting humanity's role in shaping cul