The big ratchet : how humanity thrives in the face of natural crisis : a biography of an ingenious species

Summary: "Our species' pervasive presence on the planet is the combined result of two powerful forces: earth's rich natural endowments and humanity's ability to manipulate nature. From our ability to control fire to our expertise in breeding palatable plants, from our capacity to ship fertilizer across the Atlantic to our skill in selectively tinkering with plant genomes, DeFries describes the ingenious manipulations of nature that have enabled humankind to nourish and flourish"--

Record details

ISBN: 9780465044979
Physical Description: print
regular print
xii, 273 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm
Publisher: New York : Basic Books, a member of the Perseus Books Group, 2014.
Copyright: ©2014.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:	Includes bibliographical references and index.
Formatted Contents Note:	A bird's-eye view -- Planetary beginnings -- Enter human ingenuity -- Conundrums of settled life -- Ratchets from afar -- Smash open the bottlenecks -- Monocultures march across the midwest -- Competition for the bounty -- The revolution goes global -- Farmer to urbanite.