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?