Humans have long transformed the planet, scratching its surface for stones and ores, planting and harvesting crops, sparking fires for light and heat. But since the dawn of industrialisation and especially since 1950, economic, technological and demographic changes have driven rapid and ongoing shifts in patterns of pollution, human health and rising sea level and temperatures. Something New Under the Sun offers a new way to understand twentieth-century history: through environmental change. Threading lucid scientific explanations with captivating stories, J. R. McNeill’s prize-winning history chronicles humanity’s deepening imprint on the planet in an even-handed account that seeks, above all, to explain. With updated data, stories and new discussions of climate change and climate politics, this paperback edition remains the definitive account of the most urgent topic of our time.