Biological Extinction: New Perspectives - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1108711812 ISBN 13: 9781108711814

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2019

Synopsis

The rapidly increasing human pressure on the biosphere is pushing biodiversity into the sixth mass extinction event in the history of life on Earth. The organisms being exterminated are integral working parts of our planet's life support system, and their loss is permanent. Like climate change, this irreversible loss has potentially devastating consequences for humanity. As we come to recognise the many ways in which we depend on nature, this can pave the way for a new ethic that acknowledges the importance of co-existence between humans and other species. Biological Extinction features chapters contributed by leading thinkers in diverse fields of knowledge and practice, including biology, economics, geology, archaeology, demography, architecture and intermediate technology. Drawing on examples from various socio-ecological systems, the book offers new perspectives on the urgent issue of biological extinction, proposing novel solutions to the problems that we face.

About this title

Book Description:

A must read for anyone who wants to understand why species are becoming extinct, why biodiversity matters for our wellbeing, and how we can protect the natural world on which we all depend. Leading thinkers provide new perspectives on this urgent issue, offering significant insights and novel solutions.

About the Author:

Partha Dasgupta is the Frank Ramsey Emeritus Professor of Economics at the University of Cambridge, Chair of the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, University of Cambridge, and a Fellow of St John's College, Cambridge. He was knighted in 2002 for his services to economics, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society, Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences, and Member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. He won the Volvo Environment Prize in 2002, the Blue Planet Prize in 2015 and the Tyler Prize in 2016.

Peter Raven is the President Emeritus of Missouri Botanical Garden and the George Engelmann Professor of Botany Emeritus at Washington University, St Louis. He is a Member of the National Academy of Sciences, Foreign Member of the Royal Society, and Member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. He won the Volvo Environment Prize in 1992, the International Cosmos Prize in 2003, and the National Geographic Society's Hubbard Medal in 2018.

Anna McIvor completed her Ph.D. in the Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, and has since worked as a post-doctoral research associate in the Departments of Zoology and Geography at the University of Cambridge.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1108711812
• ISBN 13: 9781108711814
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 462
• Editor: Dasgupta Partha, Raven Peter, McIvor Anna