All systems produce waste as part of a cycle--bacteria, humans, combustion engines, even one as large and complex as a city. To some extent, this waste can be absorbed, processed, or recycled--though never completely. In Wasted World, Rob Hengeveld reveals how a long history of human consumption has left our world drowning in this waste.This is a compelling and urgent work that traces the related histories of population growth and resource consumption. As Hengeveld explains, human life (and population growth) depends not only on mineral resources but also on energy. People first...

This book spells out the theoretical structure, methodology and philosophy of the science of autecology. The autecological approach focuses on the interactions of individual organisms (and their species-specific adaptations) with the spatio-temporal dynamics of their environment as a basis for interpreting patterns of diversity and abundance in natural systems. This organism-based approach to ecological interpretation provides a strong alternative to more traditional approaches and relates mechanistically to the underlying disciplines of anatomy, physiology, and behavior. The book includes...