Global Environmental History (review)

Global Environmental History, which is aimed at general readers and students, emphasizes the empirical evidence for climatic change during the past 10,000 to 12,000 years. Simmons is as concerned with humans' ideas about the planet and their place within it as he is with climatic shifts—"the interaction of the genetically determined and the culturally learned" (3).

An introductory chapter lays out some basic assumptions and summarizes the constraints and opportunities of his multidisciplinary approach. This discussion leads into a narrative account of hunter-gatherers, which ranges widely over ancient and living forager societies, exploring such issues as fire and energy relationships. Simmons shows a strong bias toward cultural ecology in this context; he places foraging societies within ecosystems that are hybrid systems of culture and nature.

From hunting and gathering, Simmons plunges into pre-industrial agriculture, again treading over familiar ground, covering everything from the earliest southwest Asian farmers to the pre-industrial world on the threshold of the Industrial Revolution in 105 breathtakingly compressed pages. Unfortunately, Simmons does not offer an extended discussion of one or two societies—for example, the Egyptians or the Maya—which would reinforce many of the important points made in this section.

At Chaper 4, Simmons changes pace, relinquishing the overwhelming details and examples of the previous chapters for a fast-moving examination of what he calls "The Second Iron Age" between 1750 and 1950. This discussion encompasses not only the growing power of the industrial state and colonial regimes but also population growth, fossil fuels, and much wider access to technology.

Chapter 5 treats the postindustrial era, exploring the cultural ecology of the world after 1950, the collapse of colonialism, the growth of world markets and globalization, and the burgeoning of environmental law—among other topics. A final chapter is concerned with "emerging themes," a rapid survey of current environmental trends, new ways of sharing information, and changing senses of identity.

Global Environmental History is clearly intended to be a textbook, but it is hardly a volume for beginners or general readers. Densely written and argued, the book presents an enormous panoply of facts, theoretical concepts, and trends, all of which speak well to the author's erudition. However, those who read it must have some knowledge of climatology, archaeology, and history. A beginner will flounder rapidly in these pages. This history will probably be most useful as a source book; its comprehensive bibliography is worth the price of admission. As a quick-fire compendium of concepts, theories, and a wide range of basic information, this book could be invaluable. As an undergraduate textbook, it is a non-starter. Nonetheless, Simmons' courage in tackling a near-impossible synthesis in a mere 271 pages is admirable. This is one of those occasions when author and publisher might have treated themselves to greater length. The result might have been a remarkable book.