Extinctions - by Charles Frankel (Hardcover)

About the Book

"A distinguished geologist and a popular science writer Charles Frankel turns his attention in his latest book to the mass extinctions on our planet, considering what the past can tell us about the future. Explaining Earth's past mass extinctions, Frankel suggests that, each time, a decrease in biodiversity created fragile conditions that eventuated into widespread and cataclysmic disappearances. The rise of mammals led to the rise of humans, who, over the past 200,000 years, have become their own geological force, forever affecting the bio-environment, from the massacre of megafauna in the Ice Age to the impoverishment of soils and pollution of waterways and air, to the unwitting transfer of invasive species from one part of the globe to another. After a compelling account of the latest research, Frankel ends with speculations on planetary peril and whether the widespread extinctions, climate change, and loss of biodiversity that we are currently experiencing can be slowed or even reversed. His answer inspires hope and urgency. If humans can redirect and curb some of our basic behaviors (like the obsession to kill and consume other species), we might stand a chance. Still, he eloquently explains that, even if we succeed in this, our way of life and even some of our ways of being human will be transformed forever. As extinction repeatedly shows those who survive, life is not eternal."--

Book Synopsis

A compelling answer to an important question: Can past mass extinctions teach us how to avoid future planetary disaster?

On its face, the story of mass extinction on Earth is one of unavoidable disaster. Asteroid smashes into planet; goodbye dinosaurs. Planetwide crises seem to be beyond our ability to affect or evade. Extinctions argues that geological history tells an instructive story, one that offers important signs for us to consider. When the asteroid struck, Charles Frankel explains, it set off a wave of cataclysms that wore away at the global ecosystem until it all fell apart. What if there had been a way to slow or even turn back these tides? Frankel believes that the answer to this question holds the key to human survival.

Human history, from the massacre of Ice Age megafauna to today's industrial climate change, has brought the planet through another series of cataclysmic events. But the history of mass extinction together with the latest climate research, Frankel maintains, shows us a way out. If we curb our destructive habits, particularly our drive to kill and consume other species, and work instead to conserve what biodiversity remains, the Earth might yet recover. Rather than await decisive disaster, Frankel argues that we must instead take action to reimagine what it means to be human. As he eloquently explains, geological history reminds us that life is not eternal; we can disappear, or we can become something new and continue our evolutionary adventure.

Review Quotes

"An excellent, beautifully written, comprehensive review of Holocene and Recent extinctions, near-extinctions, and their causes."-- "The Quarterly Review of Biology"

"This unnerving study from science writer Frankel contextualizes the current climate crisis by comparing it to the extinction of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. . . . This is an urgent wake-up call."-- "Publishers Weekly"

"As Frankel guides us through ancient mass extinctions, we see with frightening ease our own species take charge over evolution's dog-eat-dog, trial-by-fire way of forging new life. Even before we arrive at our present bind, Frankel demonstrates, past is prologue--at least if we don't learn from it. This book provides a road map of the cruel realities of past extinctions and a warning, lest history repeat itself."--Ross Mitchell, author of 'The Next Supercontinent: Solving the Puzzle of a Future Pangea'

"This engagingly written book is a tour de force on the history and future of extinctions across the globe. Mastery of the subject matter is paired with clear appraisals of controversial topics in the field. This whirlwind tour of what we know and don't know about past and future extinctions will better arm everyone to deal with our rapidly changing world."--Susan Solomon, author of 'Solvable: How We Healed the Earth, and How We Can Do It Again'