Planetary Overload: Global Environmental Change and the Health of the Human Species (Canto original series) [Paperback]

Anthony J. McMichael (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 29, 1995 | ISBN-10: 0521558719 | ISBN-13: 978-0521558716

The human species faces a new kind of threat to its health - perhaps to its longer-term survival. Burgeoning numbers, consumption and the spread of technology are overloading Earth's capacity to replenish and repair itself. This eloquent and alarming book examines the likely impact on human health of the ongoing degradation of the planet's ecosystems. Where most studies of these phenomena have limited their analysis to the environmental consequences, A. J. McMichael brings a broader evolutionary, biological, social and economic perspective to bear on the ecological disruptions which threaten the wellbeing of our own species. 'A book to read now, for the twenty-first century.' The Lancet 'Everyone who is concerned about leaving a negative legacy to future generations should read this book.' Ecology

Editorial Reviews

Review

'A book to read now, for the twenty-first century.' The Lancet

Book Description

Increasing population and consumption, and the spread of technology, are overloading Earth's capacity to replenish and repair itself. In this eloquent and alarming book, A. J. McMichael examines the likely impact on human health of the ongoing degradation of our planet's eco-systems.

Product Details

• Paperback: 370 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (September 29, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521558719
• ISBN-13: 978-0521558716
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,614,489 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for serious environmentalists and citizens, August 4, 2001

By 

Robert K. Musil ""Hope for a Heated Planet" (Bethesda, MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Planetary Overload: Global Environmental Change and the Health of the Human Species (Canto original series) (Paperback)

Dr.Tony McMichael, author of numerous IPCC and WHO reports on climate change, has here assembled an astounding array of information on the human species and how we have come to put our own health and the planet at risk. Designed for the general reader, though authoritative, Planetary Overload makes an ideal item for your personal bookshelf or for assignment in college classes.

McMichael is particularly good at putting human health in a social context since many current threats are on a population basis and fueled (literally) by human consumption, production, and population.

Planetary Overload presents a useful and interesting overview on human evolution, the connection between health and wealth in various countries,a section on global climate change and its direct and indirect health effects from heat, extreme weather events,the spread of infectious disease and the like. There are also startling summaries of the effects of urbanization and forest destruction, and, best of all, sane perspectives on the importance of politics and involvement for solving these growing health threats.

A brilliant synthesis of biology and medicine, economics, and politics, Planetary Overload puts McMichael in the first rank of concerned scientists and public intellectuals.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Planetary Overload, November 10, 2005

By 

T. Togwe "thembani" (Bulawayo, Zimbabwe) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Planetary Overload: Global Environmental Change and the Health of the Human Species (Paperback)

One of the few text books that I actually chose to keep from one of my college classes. A.J. McMichael makes some keen observations on the shift to the battle over resources in days present and ever increasingly so in days to come. Puts in perspective the plight of the Third World and developing nations and how the interplay of colonialism, imperialism, capitalism and other isms affect our global commons. A must for policy makers, politicians and anyone seeking answers behind some of the sensationalized TV footage we tend to see these days.

2 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Ok general reading, July 30, 2000

By 

Barmak Kusha (Bowie, MD, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Planetary Overload: Global Environmental Change and the Health of the Human Species (Canto original series) (Paperback)

This volume is interesting but it tries to cover too much. The author also makes too many unsupported claims and over-generalizations.

An ok introduction to the complex topics in this field.