Uncertain Climes - Debating Climate Change in Gilded Age America

"Drawing on the writings of scientists, foresters, surveyors, and settlers, Joseph Giacomelli shows that climate uncertainty infused Gilded Age thinking about economic growth and national development. He details a multivalent discourse on climate that infused both practical concerns and overarching political themes, not least Manifest Destiny. Giacomelli makes it clear that uncertainty drew together concerns about human-induced climate change and cultural worries about the sustainability of capitalist expansionism. A rising belief in scientific positivism was matched by a growing awareness of the illusory nature of scientific certainty; faith in society's power to improve landscapes tussled with persistent fears of environmental catastrophe"--

About the author

Joseph Giacomelli is assistant professor of environmental history at Duke Kunshan University.

Product details

• Authors: Joseph Giacomelli
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.04.2023
• EAN: 9780226824437
• ISBN: 978-0-226-82443-7
• No. of pages: 248
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History; Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Biology > Ecology; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; USA, Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900, SCIENCE / Global Warming & Climate Change, Climate Change, SCIENCE / History, HISTORY / United States / 19th Century, c 1800 to c 1900, 19th century, c 1800 to c 1899, History of Science, United States of America, USA, History of the Americas