Report Of The Environment In World History By Mosley Summary

Book Report of the Environment in World History by Mosley In The Environment in World History, Stephen Mosley discusses the world’s environmental history from the 1500s to present day. The topics he discusses are important but brief which is not a simple task to accomplish. This book gives the history of both the world and the environment and serves as an introduction to environmental history. It goes on further to highlights the importance of social justice, the degradation of the environment and unchanging poverty. Chapter 1 of the book gives an introduction to environment and history. The topic discusses the role that man has played in the changes that take place in environment and how man’s activities are becoming a threat to those of nature that are important for sustaining life. Citing the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment of 2005, Mosley says that the first global report on the planet’s health showed that the ecosystem services responsible for supporting life are being damaged by man’s ever increasing demands for natural resources (p.1). Also discussed is how nature activities played a role in

The clearing of the world’s forests has had the most effect on the earth’s land surface with 15 to 45 per cent being what is left from the 6 billion hectares that was there 8, 000 years ago (31). He emphasizes the importance of forest for medical uses by indigenous healers and ensuring that the planet remains habitable by providing “ecological services” (34). He also discusses the charting of the growth and development of strategies to manage and conserve the remainder of the earth’s tropical and temperate forests. He gives the example of Japan where the introduction of effective legislation and policies for the planting of trees helped the nation to restore its forests to what it is today (Mosley