This is a history of the impact of humankind on the natural environment from earliest times to the present. The first edition has been widely adopted in universities, acclaimed both for its wide scholarship and its author's readable style. The new edition is fully revised throughout and takes account of comments and suggestions received from all over the world. It has been restructured into a form appropriate for new methods of university teaching, the diagrams have been clarified, and references and sections of further reading provided at the end of each chapter.To the underlying argument that access to energy is a crucial influence on the use and exploitation of nature, the author has now added a revealing perspective drawn from a critical understanding of the evolution of world systems. In a new and thoughtful conclusion he considers the variable rate of environmental change, the problems of prediction, and the complex issues surrounding the formulation and implementation of national and international policy