Saving Life in Nature

Life is the most complex, rare, and beautiful of the wonders of the universe, and its spectacular diversity and abundance have made Earth unique. But now life is facing a crisis, caused by the growing resource use of an ever-expanding human population. Life in nature is headed toward extinction, with the forests, wetlands, animals, fish, and birds being decimated in our attempt to fulfill the wants and needs of seven billion people. Global warming is often thought to be the biggest problem facing Earth’s inhabitants, and it is certainly a huge threat to the sustainability of human civilization. However, this book is not about the sustainability of human civilization. It is about saving life in the natural world, where it is undisturbed by humans. Saving Life in Nature describes the 3.8 billion years of evolution that yielded the current life forms. It then explores how human evolution and cultural change brought a rapid growth of human population. Finally it provides both the information for us to see the problem clearly, and the inspiration for us to begin working on solving the biggest crisis on Earth.