Humankind, Society, and the Environment

Our world is the product of many changes. Evolutionary processes of matter and energy have altered the natural environment, and revolutionary changes created by humans have alienated man from nature and changed the relationship between them in fundamental ways. These processes, led by urbanisation and industrialisation, have also eroded natural resources, polluted the air, land, and water, reduced biodiversity, and caused climate change. All of these transformations threaten the existence of humanity as we know it and endanger the whole of nature. After years of indifference, we have reached a point where we can no longer ignore what is happening around us, and we must deal with difficult questions and complex challenges.

Humankind, Society, and the Environment reviews the changes undergone by the natural environment and by human society from the dawn of humankind up to the present day, and describes the complexity of the relationship between the two. It presents a novel approach, one that requires a reassessment of the social, environmental, and economic values that motivate us, and the balance between the various dimensions within which we live and function. This book presents changes that have occurred in matter and energy resources throughout the various evolutionary processes and revolutions since the universe was created, along with the accompanying changes in human perception of the natural environment.

The book also reviews the development of the environmental movement and of the ideology behind it, while presenting the basic models and terminology in the field. Moreover, it deals with the subject of the value – environmental, social, and economic – of the processes of production and consumption of goods and services, asking the reader to assess the effect of these processes on the natural environment and on humankind. Lastly, Humankind, Society, and the Environment calls for action leading to change, suggesting a new approach, one in which we are all take responsibility to protect the rights of nature for the benefit of future generations.

Adi Wolfson, Ph.D. (Ben-Gurion University of the Negev) is Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering at Sami Shamoon College of Engineering, Israel.