Leaving Eden is a wide-ranging survey of what is arguably the greatest challenge facing humanity today: the preservation of the natural environment. Nisbet discusses the primary physical, chemical, and biological controls on the natural environment, focusing on the complex interplay between atmospheric and terrestrial elements such as the sun, the oceans, and the forests, and is concerned with the effects of human disruption of these natural systems. Integrating discussions of scientific puzzles with problems facing humanity at large, the author addresses issues such as the greenhouse effect,...

Life has shaped the Earth, and the Earth has moulded the history of life. That history, the co-evolution of our ancestors and their horne, has much to teach us about our place on the planet today. We are part of the fabric of the biosphere. As we change that fabric we would be wise to understand how our horne was built. Our planet is neither a hotel nor a colony. It is not a place which life briefly inhabits during a transient occupation. Instead, it is our horne, designed by the deeds of our ancestors and suited to our own needs. The history of life on Earth is held in the geological record,...