''The End of Nature'' is a book written by Bill McKibben, published by

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

in 1989. It has been called the first book on

global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

written for a general audience. McKibben had thought that simply stating the problem would provoke people to action.

Premise

He describes

nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physics, physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomenon, phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. ...

as a force previously independent of human beings but now directly affected by the actions of people.

"If the waves crash up against the beach, eroding dunes and destroying homes, it is not the awesome power of Mother Nature. It is the awesome power of Mother Nature as altered by the awesome power of man, who has overpowered in a century the processes that have been slowly evolving and changing of their own accord since the earth was born."McKibben, p. 51

He offers two paths forward: "The Defiant Reflex" or a "more humble" way of living.

References

1989 non-fiction books 1989 in the environment Climate change books Environmental non-fiction books Random House books {{environment-book-stub