[.ca] The Holocene: An Environmental History (ISBN 0631186387)

Very Interesting:
I am by no means an expert on climatology or paleoclimatology. An actuary by trade, I enjoy reading books about evolution and prehistory. When I saw this book, I figured it would be good for a type of background reading to help me more fully understand what went on during the Holocene and how it affected humans. While it did not really make that connection, I did find it pretty interesting. He explains the different techniques of dating and why you would use them. It is facinating that the experts can determine so much information about the local environment over, say, a meter long core sample from the bottom of a lake. It didn't get too technical until the last chapter where he was discussing the impact of pollution on the environment. The last chapter sums up nicely the major developments of the last 11,000 years and also discusses why viewing nature as a static entity is not the proper way for conservationalists to look at it. All and all a good read for those interested in weather and the transformation of the earth.