The diversity of life
| Title | The diversity of life |
|---|---|
| Author | Edward O. Wilson |
| Publication | Norton |
| Size | 424p |
| Language |  ENG |
| ISBN | 0393310477 |
| Topics |
Evolution (Biology) Biodiversity Extinction (Biology) |
| Notes | In this book a master scientist tells the great story of how life on earth evolved. Edward O. Wilson describes "with a lucidness that borders on poetry"* how the species of the world became diverse and why the threat to that diversity today is beyond the scope of anything we have known before. Unlike the deterioration of the physical environment, which can be halted, the loss of biodiversity is far more complex and not subject to reversal. Five enormous extinctions have struck the planet over the past 500 million years; they have required 20 to 100 million years of evolutionary repair. The sixty great spasm of extinction—the disappearance of species—is occurring now, caused this time entirely by humans. The Diversity of Life defines a new environmental ethic: it recognizes that we must rescue whole ecosystems, not only individual species; it calls for an end to conservation/development arguments; and it heralds the massive shift in priorities needed to address this frightening, and at the same time inspiring, challenge. No writer, no scientist, is more qualified than Edward O. Wilson to describe the grandeur of evolution and what is a stake. *World Watch magazine |
575
WILS 4
56779
Available
© Auroville Library |
2014-2025