The Holocene provides students, researchers and lay-readers with the
remarkable story of how the natural world has been transformed since the
end of the last Ice Age around 15,000 years ago. This period has
witnessed a shift from environmental changes determined by natural
forces to those dominated by human actions, including those of climate
and greenhouse gases. Understanding the environmental changes - both
natural and anthropogenic - that have occurred during the Holocene is of
crucial importance if we are to achieve a sustainable environmental
future.
Revised and updated to take full account of the most recent advances,
the third edition of this classic text includes substantial material on
the scientific methods that are used to reconstruct and date past
environments, as well as new concepts such as the Anthropocene. The book
is fully-illustrated, global in coverage, and contains case studies, a
glossary and more than 500 new references.