Description

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An illuminating history of the forgotten concept of climatic botany that underscores how vital forests are to our future.
 
Saving the World tells the forgotten history of climatic botany, the idea that forests are essential for creating and recycling rain. Long before the specter of global warming, societies recognized that deforestation caused drastic climate shifts—as early as 1770, concerns over deforestation spurred legislation to combat human-induced climate change. Across the twentieth century, climatic botany experienced fluctuating fortunes, influenced by technological advancements and evolving meteorological theories. Remarkably, contemporary scientists are rediscovering the crucial role of forests in rainfall recycling, unaware of the long history of climatic botany. This enlightening book is essential reading for anyone passionate about conserving the world’s forests and preserving our climate for future generations.

About the Author

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Brett M. Bennett is associate professor of history at Western Sydney University, Australia, and the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. His books include Plantations and Protected Areas: A Global History of Forest Management.

Gregory A. Barton is professor of history at Western Sydney University, Australia, and the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. His books include The Global History of Organic Farming.

Praise For…

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"Saving the World . . . details the ways in which eighteenth-century initiatives against deforestation, motivated by the belief that forests recycled rain, advanced humanity’s understanding of how human actions affect climate."
— Publishers Weekly

"You might imagine no one worried much about human impacts on the climate (particularly through deforestation) before the last thirty years. Not so! This elegant and meticulously researched history excavates a fascinating record of investigations into those critical themes, traversing effortlessly from the USA and Europe to India, Africa and South America. In so doing, it provides a timely and significant reflection on contemporary discussions about both the science and the politics of climate change."
— Sir Jonathon Porritt, cofounder of Forum for the Future and author of "Hope in Hell: A Decade to Confront the Climate Emergency"