We are surrounded by dirt, soil, or whatever you choose to name it. It is the source of our existence, providing support for our feet, crops, and cities. However, we are running out of soil, and it's not a funny issue, according to this intriguing yet disturbing book. Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations is an engrossing natural and cultural history of soil that spans ancient civilizations to present times, exploring the compelling premise that humans are — and have long been — depleting Earth's soil. Once stripped of their protecting flora and exposed to the elements, cultivated soils progressively degrade, slow enough to be overlooked in a single lifetime but quick enough to shorten civilizations' lifespans across generations.
Dirt recounts the role of soil usage and abuse in the history of Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, China, European colonisation, Central America, and the American march westward, using a rich combination of history, archaeology, and geology. As civilization after society has grown, thrived, and ploughed through a natural endowment of rich earth, we can observe how soil has formed us and how we have shaped soil. David R. Montgomery finds promise for a new agricultural revolution in the recent emergence of organic and no-till farming, which he believes can help humanity escape the destiny of earlier civilizations
One of the more interesting things I learned from my first job as a foundation inspector was that preparing a building site means carting the topsoil off to a landfill. Sometimes the fine topsoil was sold as fill for use in other projects. Completely paved, Silicon Valley won't feed anyone again for the foreseeable future.
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