Cover of The big ratchet
Read Time: ~4.6 hr

The big ratchet

by Ruth DeFries (2014)

About this book

"Our species' pervasive presence on the planet is the combined result of two powerful forces: earth's rich natural endowments and humanity's ability to manipulate nature. From our ability to control fire to our expertise in breeding palatable plants, from our capacity to ship fertilizer across the Atlantic to our skill in selectively tinkering with plant genomes, DeFries describes the ingenious manipulations of nature that have enabled humankind to nourish and flourish. Throughout history humans have been able to ratchet up populations, survive the hatchets that threaten the species, and pivot to a new strategy for survival"--

Setting / LocationDeep Space
Story EraModern Era
Protagonist / CoreThe big ratchet Lead Character

Readers who enjoyed this also loved

Cover of Let's Grow Tomatoes

Let's Grow Tomatoes

Jacob R. Mittleider

The best instructions available for growing tomatoes with great yields, either outside or in a greenhouse. Seedling production, transplanting, close planting, vertical growing, automatic watering, proper feeding, weeding, and pruning are all covered with hundreds of pictures to reinforce the important lessons. Careful pruning is the key to firm tomatoes of uniform size and quality. Almost everyone loves fresh vine-ripened tomatoes, but very few people are able to grow them well. This book will change all that for you, and you’ll quickly become a tomato growing expert! Let’s Grow Tomatoes is an easy reading step-by-step guide to growing tomatoes that will have you growing 5 to 10 times more in the same space, and make your garden the envy of your whole town! Follow the simple steps in this book for growing all your fruits and vegetables and you can also save many hundreds of dollars a year on your food bills. There are hundreds of graphics and pictures, clearly illustrating everything you need to know, presented logically and clearly for quick understanding.

Cover of Clean eating cookbook box set

Clean eating cookbook box set

Charity Wilson

No matter where you are at in your clean eating journey this cookbook will provide you the variety and flavor you are looking for. I mean let?s face it. We all stop eating healthy when we get bored because typically we all eat the same thing every day. Maybe it is because we think it is just easier or it might be because we just don?t have the recipes we need. Problem solved. The recipes inside will show you how delicious and easy it is to eat clean while actually liking it.

Cover of Grow your own groceries

Grow your own groceries

Linda Gray

Producing your own food is not only rewarding but - in times of economic and environmental changes - increasingly a must! Nature provides everything the human body requires to thrive, and cultivating some of those natural products in your own back garden will not only produce the best food on the planet for you and your loved ones, it is also economical, environmentally friendly and more fun than shopping. Many crops, such as herbs for example, can be produced in a relatively small space with a little pre-planning and organising, and they are perfect for enhancing the flavour of cooking, treat.

Cover of Population and the environment

Population and the environment

Bryan Cartledge

Is the human carrying capacity of our planet a matter of debate? In this book, it is. Viewpoints arising out of social concern, scientific investigation, and religious belief are brought together here to explore population issues in the twenty-first century. Topics include women as a factor in sustainable development, the roles of genetic engineering, the potential effects of climate change on food supply, the differing views of two bishops on birth control, and population and environmental crises in the former Soviet Union. This thought-provoking book opens up a subject that too often simply goes unmentioned: human population growth as a pressing environmental issue.

The big ratchet by Ruth DeFries | Literally Just Books