Includes bibliographical references (p. [178]-205) and index.

Introduction -- Can one conceive of ecosystems without human agents? -- Human agency : individuals making a difference -- Overwhelming evidence for concern with the condition of the earth system -- Looking back and looking forward -- The study of human ecological relations -- The contemporary study of environmental issues -- The evolution of human-environment interactions -- Hunter-gatherers : setting our preferences -- How did we decide to become farmers? -- Herding and farming : an uneasy relationship -- More food for the masses -- Earth transformations in prehistory -- The archeology of environmental change -- The urban-industrial revolution and the unleashing of Prometheus -- The contemporary situation : human-dominated ecosystems -- The web of life and trophic relations : thinking ecologically -- Ecosystem productivity and net primary production -- Land use and long term disturbance -- Learning, adaptation, and information -- Mitigation and the cautionary principle -- Transforming the face of the earth : making better decisions -- Population and the environment -- Community in human evolution -- What is sacred in human evolution? -- Tragedies of the commons -- Institutions and self-organization -- Bioregionalism, deep ecology, and embedding people in nature -- Material boys and material girls -- Patterns of consumption in developed countries -- Patterns of consumption in developing countries -- A feeding frenzy and a crisis in public health -- Burning fossils fuels instead of calories -- Do we have enough material goods now? -- Resource abundance versus resource scarcity -- When less is more -- The scale of the problem and the scale of the solution -- Restoring our balance : valuing community and trust, rather than more "stuff" -- Are we happier when we have more?