The Burning Earth: An Environmental History of the Last 500 Years

The Burning Earth is a global environmental history book that explores how the search for freedom from nature undermined the conditions for life on earth. It is written with passionate lucidity and draws on a rich diversity of primary sources to reckon with the ruins of Portuguese silver mining in Peru, British gold mining in South Africa, and oil extraction in Central Asia. It also reveals the reality of migration as a consequence of environmental harm and provides an essential new way of understanding war as an irreversible reshaping of the planet.

Format: Hardback
Length: 432 pages
Publication date: 26 September 2024
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

The Burning Earth is a stunningly written book that reveals the destructive side of progress. Amrith's writing is of the highest caliber, and his ability to navigate a vast expanse of material is truly impressive. Neel Mukherjee, a renowned New Statesman critic, praises the book as "the most readable global environmental history yet." J. R. McNeill, another esteemed historian, describes it as a "towering achievement" and a "joy to read." Jill Lepore, author of These Truths: A History of the United States, calls it "beautifully written" and "indispensable." Sven Beckert, author of Empire of Cotton, notes that it is "crucial to understanding the environmental predicaments we are in" and "perhaps to restore a distraught world." Rob Nixon, author of Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor, describes it as a "page-turner" and "written with passionate lucidity." In this groundbreaking global history of how humanity has reshaped the planet and the planet has shaped human history, Amrith skillfully intertwines the stories of environment and Empire, genocide and eco-cide, and the expansion of human freedom and its costs. He draws on a remarkable diversity of primary sources, including the ruins of Portuguese silver mining in Peru, British gold mining in South Africa, and oil extraction in Central Asia. He explores the railways and highways that brought about the expansion of empires, the impact of colonialism on indigenous peoples, and the environmental consequences of industrialization. Amrith's writing is both informative and engaging, making the book accessible to a wide audience. The Burning Earth is a must-read for anyone concerned with the state of the planet and the urgent need to address the environmental crisis.

Weight: 652g
Dimension: 165 x 243 x 38 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780241461983