ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY IN THE CONTEMPORARY AGE

The course aims to provide the basic tools (languages, skills, knowledge) to study the relationship between man and nature in a historical perspective. The twentieth century has led to a huge-scale quantitative leap in the process of exploitation of nature leading to a qualitative change and determining that local phenomena have become increasingly regional and global.

The course covers the following topics:

1) The economic and population growth, the evolution of energy systems in the long term, with particular attention to the turn eight twentieth century.

2) The historical study of the relationship between humans and environmental media: soil, air, water (desertification, erosion, salinization, pollution, ozone depletion, climate change, acid rain, rivers, lakes seas: impoverishment, dams, deviations)

3) The relationship between humans and other life forms of the Earth (deforestation migration, biodiversity)

4) The role of cities, fuels, technologies, ideas and politics of environmental change as engines.

The topics will be addressed in key eminently historical global, national and local

Required texts

- John R. MC Neil, Qualcosa di nuovo sotto il sole. Storia dell’ambiente nel secolo XX, Torino, Einaudi, 2000, 470 pp.

- Gabriella Corona, Breve storia dell’ambiente in Italia, Bologna, il Mulino, 2015, 140 pp.

One text chosen from the following

- Massimo Livi Bacci, Il pianeta stretto, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2015, 163 pp.

- Stephen Mosley, Storia globale dell’ambiente, Bologna, il Mulino, 2013, 194 pp.

- Salvatore Adorno, Simone Neri Serneri (a cura di), Industria, ambiente e territorio. Per una storia ambientale delle aree industriali in Italia, Bologna, il Mulino, 2009, 366 pp.

- Carlo Carraro, Alessandra Mazzai, Il clima che cambia. Non solo un fatto ambientale, Il Mulino 2015, 208 pp.

- Wolfgang Behringer, Storia culturale del clima dall’era glaciale al riscaldamento globale, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri, 2010, 289 pp.

Please remember that in compliance with art 171 L22.04.1941, n. 633 and its amendments, it is illegal to copy entire books or journals, only 15% of their content can be copied.

For further information on sanctions and regulations concerning photocopying please refer to the regulations on copyright (Linee Guida sulla Gestione dei Diritti d’Autore) provided by AIDRO - Associazione Italiana per i Diritti di Riproduzione delle opere dell’ingegno (the Italian Association on Copyright).

All the books listed in the programs can be consulted in the Library.