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Exploring Earth's Fate in Human Hands
Book Review
Exploring Earth's Fate in Human Hands Caitlin Kight1,*
what Vince focuses on throughout her book, is how research across these disciplines is helping us to better understand the ways in which humans have already altered the planet, to project how we are likely to continue doing so, and to suggest how we might find a balance allowing us to comfortably persist on Earth. The keyword in the book's title, ‘Anthropocene’, first appeared in the scientific literature around the middle of the 20th century but has gained traction as a method of referring to our current geological epoch – one that has been marked by increasingly intense and far-reaching human activities that have potentially taken us beyond the realm of habitat engineers and into the realm of habitat destroyers [1,2]. Given the urgency and emotional pull of this topic, it is hardly surprising that many of the themes explored in Adventures in the Anthropocene have also been addressed in other recent popular science books. These include Alan Weisman's Countdown: Our Last, Best Hope for a Future on Earth [3], Tony Juniper's What Has Nature Ever Done For Us? [4], and Elizabeth Kolbert's Pulitzer Prize-winning The Sixth Extinction [5].
Earlier this year, author Gaia Vince became the first solo female winner of the Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books, for her entry Adventures in the Anthropocene: A Journey to the Heart of the Planet We Made. Vince, a science journalist and editor with experience at a variety of high-profile publications, is definitely deserving of the prize, which was developed to recognize work allowing ‘non-specialist audiences’ to connect with scientific concepts. The scientific concepts discussed in Adventures in the Anthropocene are many and diverse, encompassing ecology, atmosphere science, chemistry, geology, agronomy, animal husbandry, and more – including even history and the social sciences. What they all have in common, and
Despite the fact that Adventures in the Anthropocene covers some familiar ground, it is still well worth reading; the concepts explored in each of the previous books are here woven together to form a more integrated, comprehensive look at the contemporary relationship between Homo sapiens and the many environments with which we interact. Vince does an excellent job providing geographical context for each of the habitats and natural features she discusses – atmosphere, mountains, rivers, farmlands, oceans, deserts, savannahs, forests, rocks, and, finally, cities. Readers are told how each of these formed as Earth developed and what their significance is both to the wider biosphere and to humans more specifically. This basic information is imperative for getting the most out of Vince's far-
reaching tour of the planet, focusing particularly on those parts of the world where anthropogenic activities have caused the most strain, but also where they are spurring the most innovation. Indeed, one of the greatest strengths of Vince's book is its balanced view of humans not only as destroyers – polluters of the sea, dismantlers of the ozone layer, killers of wildlife – but also as creative and tenacious problem solvers gifted with an intellect capable of dreaming up potential solutions to some of the greatest problems our species has ever faced. However, while she lauds the progress made thus far by the many ingenious researchers and activists she interviews throughout the book, Vince avoids becoming maudlin or suggesting that undoing our damage will be easy; she consistently points out political, social, and economic tensions that could stand in the way of making decisions that would be better for the environment in the long term. Readers with a biological background may cringe at Vince's colloquial use of ‘adapt’ and the occasional inaccuracy of discussions about whether organisms – including humans – are, or are capable of, ‘adapting’ or ‘evolving’ in the face of anthropogenic activity. There are also a handful of other spurious biological claims, such as the idea that cities represent the ‘uniquely human’ drive to organize together in dense groups (surely the Hymenoptera alone disprove this?). However, these sorts of arguable details are few and far between. By and large, readers should enjoy the opportunity to travel alongside Vince as she journeys into some of the most threatened and degraded areas on the planet and uncovers not only the changes that humans have wrought but also the incredible successes we have had in troubleshooting seemingly insurmountable ecological problems. As suggested by the fictional epilogue of Adventures in the Anthropocene, we still have many
Trends in Ecology & Evolution, February 2016, Vol. 31, No. 2
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challenges to face, but also the ability to make sure that our increasingly humanengineered planet is one on which our descendants will be capable of enjoying a comfortable and fulfilling existence. Adventures in the Anthropocene: A Journey to the Heart of the Planet We Made by Gaia Vince, Chatto & Windus, 2014. US$18.00/£10.00, hbk (448 pp.) ISBN 978-0-701-18734-7
104
1 University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn TR10 9FE, UK
*Correspondence: [email protected] (C. Kight). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2015.11.011
References 1. Steffen, W. et al. (2007) The Anthropocene: are humans now overwhelming the great forces of nature? AMBIO 36, 614–621
Trends in Ecology & Evolution, February 2016, Vol. 31, No. 2
2. Steffen, W. et al. (2011) The Anthropocene: conceptual and historical perspectives. Philos. Trans. A 369, 842–867 3. Weisman, A. (2013) Countdown: Our Last, Best Hope For a Future on Earth, Little, Brown 4. Juniper, T. (2014) What Has Nature Ever Done For Us? Synergetic Press 5. Kolbert, E. (2014) The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, Bloomsbury
Exploring Earth's Fate in Human Hands Caitlin Kight1,*
what Vince focuses on throughout her book, is how research across these disciplines is helping us to better understand the ways in which humans have already altered the planet, to project how we are likely to continue doing so, and to suggest how we might find a balance allowing us to comfortably persist on Earth. The keyword in the book's title, ‘Anthropocene’, first appeared in the scientific literature around the middle of the 20th century but has gained traction as a method of referring to our current geological epoch – one that has been marked by increasingly intense and far-reaching human activities that have potentially taken us beyond the realm of habitat engineers and into the realm of habitat destroyers [1,2]. Given the urgency and emotional pull of this topic, it is hardly surprising that many of the themes explored in Adventures in the Anthropocene have also been addressed in other recent popular science books. These include Alan Weisman's Countdown: Our Last, Best Hope for a Future on Earth [3], Tony Juniper's What Has Nature Ever Done For Us? [4], and Elizabeth Kolbert's Pulitzer Prize-winning The Sixth Extinction [5].
Earlier this year, author Gaia Vince became the first solo female winner of the Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books, for her entry Adventures in the Anthropocene: A Journey to the Heart of the Planet We Made. Vince, a science journalist and editor with experience at a variety of high-profile publications, is definitely deserving of the prize, which was developed to recognize work allowing ‘non-specialist audiences’ to connect with scientific concepts. The scientific concepts discussed in Adventures in the Anthropocene are many and diverse, encompassing ecology, atmosphere science, chemistry, geology, agronomy, animal husbandry, and more – including even history and the social sciences. What they all have in common, and
Despite the fact that Adventures in the Anthropocene covers some familiar ground, it is still well worth reading; the concepts explored in each of the previous books are here woven together to form a more integrated, comprehensive look at the contemporary relationship between Homo sapiens and the many environments with which we interact. Vince does an excellent job providing geographical context for each of the habitats and natural features she discusses – atmosphere, mountains, rivers, farmlands, oceans, deserts, savannahs, forests, rocks, and, finally, cities. Readers are told how each of these formed as Earth developed and what their significance is both to the wider biosphere and to humans more specifically. This basic information is imperative for getting the most out of Vince's far-
reaching tour of the planet, focusing particularly on those parts of the world where anthropogenic activities have caused the most strain, but also where they are spurring the most innovation. Indeed, one of the greatest strengths of Vince's book is its balanced view of humans not only as destroyers – polluters of the sea, dismantlers of the ozone layer, killers of wildlife – but also as creative and tenacious problem solvers gifted with an intellect capable of dreaming up potential solutions to some of the greatest problems our species has ever faced. However, while she lauds the progress made thus far by the many ingenious researchers and activists she interviews throughout the book, Vince avoids becoming maudlin or suggesting that undoing our damage will be easy; she consistently points out political, social, and economic tensions that could stand in the way of making decisions that would be better for the environment in the long term. Readers with a biological background may cringe at Vince's colloquial use of ‘adapt’ and the occasional inaccuracy of discussions about whether organisms – including humans – are, or are capable of, ‘adapting’ or ‘evolving’ in the face of anthropogenic activity. There are also a handful of other spurious biological claims, such as the idea that cities represent the ‘uniquely human’ drive to organize together in dense groups (surely the Hymenoptera alone disprove this?). However, these sorts of arguable details are few and far between. By and large, readers should enjoy the opportunity to travel alongside Vince as she journeys into some of the most threatened and degraded areas on the planet and uncovers not only the changes that humans have wrought but also the incredible successes we have had in troubleshooting seemingly insurmountable ecological problems. As suggested by the fictional epilogue of Adventures in the Anthropocene, we still have many
Trends in Ecology & Evolution, February 2016, Vol. 31, No. 2
103
challenges to face, but also the ability to make sure that our increasingly humanengineered planet is one on which our descendants will be capable of enjoying a comfortable and fulfilling existence. Adventures in the Anthropocene: A Journey to the Heart of the Planet We Made by Gaia Vince, Chatto & Windus, 2014. US$18.00/£10.00, hbk (448 pp.) ISBN 978-0-701-18734-7
104
1 University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn TR10 9FE, UK
*Correspondence: [email protected] (C. Kight). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2015.11.011
References 1. Steffen, W. et al. (2007) The Anthropocene: are humans now overwhelming the great forces of nature? AMBIO 36, 614–621
Trends in Ecology & Evolution, February 2016, Vol. 31, No. 2
2. Steffen, W. et al. (2011) The Anthropocene: conceptual and historical perspectives. Philos. Trans. A 369, 842–867 3. Weisman, A. (2013) Countdown: Our Last, Best Hope For a Future on Earth, Little, Brown 4. Juniper, T. (2014) What Has Nature Ever Done For Us? Synergetic Press 5. Kolbert, E. (2014) The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, Bloomsbury