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Stephen Porder

Elemental: How Five Elements Changed Earth's Past and Will Shape Our Future

Elemental: How Five Elements Changed Earth's Past and Will Shape Our Future

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  • More about Elemental: How Five Elements Changed Earth's Past and Will Shape Our Future

An ecologist explores how life itself shapes Earth using the elemental constituents we all share. Three organisms have profoundly transformed our planet over the long course of its history, and Stephen Porder focuses on five of life's essential elements: hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. He describes how single-celled cyanobacteria and plants harnessed them to proliferate across the oceans and the land, only to precipitate environmental catastrophes. He then brings us to the present, where these elements underpin the success of human civilization, and how their mismanagement threatens similarly catastrophic unintended consequences. Porder argues that if we can learn from our world-changing predecessors, we can construct a more sustainable future.

Format: Hardback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 12 September 2023
Publisher: Princeton University Press


An ecologist delves into the intricate interplay between life and Earth, examining how the fundamental elements that we all share have shaped the planet's history. While it is uncommon for life to profoundly alter Earth, three remarkable organisms have left their mark on the planet's evolution. Elemental takes readers on a journey, exploring how microbes, plants, and humans have utilized the building blocks of life to influence climate and, consequently, the course of life on Earth. Spanning from the deep geologic past to the present era of human dominance, author Stephen Porder focuses on five essential elements: hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. He traces the origins of these elements, from the early proliferation of single-celled cyanobacteria and plants to their eventual contribution to environmental catastrophes. Porder then brings us to the present, highlighting how these elements underpin human civilization's success while also emphasizing the risks associated with their mismanagement. However, Porder believes that by learning from the world-changing predecessors, we can pave the way for a more sustainable future. Through captivating storytelling and the latest scientific insights, Porder takes readers on a journey to diverse locations, including the Amazon, Hawaii, and the American Midwest. He illustrates a potential path to sustainability, informed by the constraints imposed by life's essential elements and the remarkable four-billion-year history of life on Earth.


Dimension: 216 x 140 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691177298

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