Cataclysms: An Environmental History of Humanity

Science journalist Testot’s epic, somewhat strained effort looks at the relationship between humans and the natural world over three million years. Testot focuses on seven transformative moments, beginning with the physiological revolution three million years ago that led to the creation of the Homo genus, through the cognitive, agricultural, moral, energy, and digital revolutions, and ending with the “evolutive” revolution of this century, which he believes will lead to a new species of humans. With such an extensive time frame to explore, Testot only briefly touches on most topics and uses a stream-of-consciousness style that can be both intriguing and off-putting. A chapter on industrial agriculture, for example, jumps from Fritz Haber, the scientist who discovered the process of turning nitrogen into usable fertilizer, to the worldwide demise of amphibian populations, as well as the fictional ecological catastrophe depicted in the film Blade Runner. However, Testot’s message, that humanity is quickly losing its window for averting environmental collapse and that “neoliberal ideology” is the main culprit, is crystal clear and hammered home regularly. There’s a great deal of breadth in this ambitious work, but not the depth one might hope for. (Nov.)