Human Dependence on Nature: How to Help Solve the Environmental Crisis

Humanity is dependent on Nature to survive, yet our society largely acts as if this is not the case. The energy that powers our very cells, the nutrients that make up our bodies, the ecosystem services that clean our water and air; these are all provided by the Nature from which we have evolved and of which we are a part. This book examines why we deny or ignore this dependence and what we can do differently to help solve the environmental crisis.

Written in an accessible and engaging style, Haydn Washington provides an excellent overview of humanity’s relationship with Nature. The book looks at energy flow, nutrient cycling, ecosystem services, ecosystem collapse as well as exploring our psychological and spiritual dependency on nature. It also examines anthropocentrism and denial as causes of our unwillingness to respect our inherent dependence on the natural environment. The book concludes by bringing these issues together and providing a framework for solutions to the environmental crisis.

Haydn Washington is an environmental scientist and writer with 35 years' experience. He has worked as a plant ecologist, a CSIRO scientist, an environmental consultant, and is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Environmental Studies at the University of New South Wales, Australia. This is his fifth book on environmental issues and he is also the lead author of Climate Change Denial: Heads in the Sand (Earthscan from Routledge 2011).