The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History
Feb 2014 · Bloomsbury Publishing
4.3star
42 reviewsreport
Ebook
336
Pages
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About this ebook
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WINNER OF THE 2015 PULITZER PRIZE FOR GENERAL NON-FICTION
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'An invaluable contribution to our understanding of present circumstances, just as the paradigm shift she calls for is sorely needed' - Al Gore, New York Times
'Compelling ... It is a disquieting tale, related with rigour and restraint by Kolbert' - Observer
'Passionate ... This is the big story of our age' - Sunday Times
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A major book about the future of the world, blending natural history, field reporting and the history of ideas and into a powerful account of the mass extinction happening today
Over the last half a billion years, there have been five mass extinctions of life on earth.
Scientists around the world are currently monitoring the sixth, predicted to be the most devastating extinction event since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs.
Elizabeth Kolbert combines brilliant field reporting, the history of ideas and the work of geologists, botanists and marine biologists to tell the gripping stories of a dozen species – including the Panamanian golden frog and the Sumatran rhino – some already gone, others at the point of vanishing.
The sixth extinction is likely to be mankind's most lasting legacy and Elizabeth Kolbert's book urgently compels us to rethink the fundamental question of what it means to be human.
WINNER OF THE 2015 PULITZER PRIZE FOR GENERAL NON-FICTION
________________
'An invaluable contribution to our understanding of present circumstances, just as the paradigm shift she calls for is sorely needed' - Al Gore, New York Times
'Compelling ... It is a disquieting tale, related with rigour and restraint by Kolbert' - Observer
'Passionate ... This is the big story of our age' - Sunday Times
________________
A major book about the future of the world, blending natural history, field reporting and the history of ideas and into a powerful account of the mass extinction happening today
Over the last half a billion years, there have been five mass extinctions of life on earth.
Scientists around the world are currently monitoring the sixth, predicted to be the most devastating extinction event since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs.
Elizabeth Kolbert combines brilliant field reporting, the history of ideas and the work of geologists, botanists and marine biologists to tell the gripping stories of a dozen species – including the Panamanian golden frog and the Sumatran rhino – some already gone, others at the point of vanishing.
The sixth extinction is likely to be mankind's most lasting legacy and Elizabeth Kolbert's book urgently compels us to rethink the fundamental question of what it means to be human.
Ratings and reviews
4.3
42 reviews
Bevy JJ Goh
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June 8, 2015
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, though it is well known that human activities had long have an impact on the world ecology and species diversity, the writer puts various facts into plain view that is difficult to overlook. I disagree that the book is heavy on science, though it is scientifically based, it is written like a good novel and should be accessible to anyone interested in this subject.
7 people found this review helpful
German Morales
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September 19, 2015
Awesome book. Anybody interested on the environment should read it
6 people found this review helpful
Paul Ditz
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September 24, 2014
A good introduction to the importance of biodiversity.
3 people found this review helpful
About the author
Elizabeth Kolbert was a New York Times reporter for fourteen years until she became a staff writer at the New Yorker in 1999. She is the author of Field Notes from a Catastrophe: A Frontline Report on Climate Change. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and children.
@ElizKolbert
@ElizKolbert
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