Environmental History

While the relationship between man and nature has been a constant feature of the human situation, the human impact on the environment has only recently become a topic of general interest to students, as well as to scholars and professionals in disciplines across the board. This three-volume set, written by a team of international experts, provides not only broad historical coverage on how human beliefs and actions have altered the natural world, but also covers the latest developments in the field. An analysis of natural phenomena and events and their impact on human societies is also included.

Mapping the relationship between human society and the Earth, the Encyclopedia of Global Change is the first general reference guide to the impact of politics, population, economics, and technology on the planet.

Environmentalism involves hundreds of international environmental groups, thousands of national groups, and tens of thousands of local ones. It also includes hundreds of international agreements, hundreds of national environmental agencies, and countless environmental sections in other organizations--from those in multinational corporations to ones in regional and international organizations. Such environmental concepts as sustainable development, the precautionary principle, corporate social responsibility, and eco-labeling percolate from all of these sources. Every year, new ideas, refinements, policies, institutions, markets, and problems continue to enter into environmental debates and discourses, making it nearly impossible to keep abreast of the changes constantly taking place.

Human beings have been concerned about nature and their place in it for millennia. Disquiet about the consequences of human action on the natural environment date back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. The efforts of the green movement can be traced back to the nineteenth century. In this period, individuals, groups, and organizations began campaigning for the conservation and preservation of natural areas and the protection of wildlife species. Efforts to combat pollution also began. It was not until the 1960s, however, that the green movement in its more modern incarnation emerged. The green movements that arose at this time maintained the concerns with conservation, preservation, and industrial pollution held by earlier generations, but added to their agenda new issues, including justice, equality, participatory democracy, and sustainability.

The Environment Dictionaryprovides an essential source of information on all aspects of the environment. It includes all the basic scientific terms and concepts along with socio-economic, cultural, historical and political elements which impact on the environment.