As early as 2030 the Arctic Ocean could lose essentially all of its ice during the warmest months of the year-a radical transformation that would destroy virtually all of the Arctic ecosystems and disrupt or destroy many northern communities, if not many communities along the coastal areas of Earth. Even now concentrations of Greenhouse gases are rising dramatically - because of mankind's industry as well as human overpopulation leading to the destruction of the cycle of photosynthesis. The human of Earth seems to be leading its own extinction. Has the cycle reached its "critical mass" and now unable to be reversed? Will popular social efforts such as "Going Green" help in any way whatsoever at this point in a global evolutionary crisis? In only a few - perhaps two - generations of the human race might we know the answers to whether the human race will have a planet capable of sustaining life without ever leaving this world.

An Anthropogenic Table of Elements provides a contemporary rethinking of Dmitri Mendeleev's periodic table of elements, bringing together "elemental" stories to reflect on everyday life in the Anthropocene. Concise and engaging, this book provides stories of scale, toxicity, and temporality that extrapolate on ideas surrounding ethics, politics, and materiality that are fundamental to this contemporary moment. Examining elemental objects and forces, including carbon, mould, cheese, ice, and viruses, the contributors question what elemental forms are still waiting to emerge and what political possibilities of justice and environmental reparation they might usher into the world. Bringing together anthropologists, historians, and media studies scholars, this book tests a range of possible ways to tabulate and narrate the elemental as a way to bring into view fresh discussion on material constitutions and, thereby, new ethical stances, responsibilities, and power relations. In doing so, An Anthropogenic Table of Elements demonstrates through elementality that even the smallest and humblest stories are capable of powerful effects and vast journeys across time and space.

In this comprehensive study, Kenneth Morgan provides an authoritative account of European exploration and discovery in Australia. The book presents a detailed chronological overview of European interests in the Australian continent, from initial speculations about the 'Great Southern Land' to the major hydrographic expeditions of the 19th century. In particular, he analyses the early crossings of the Dutch in the 17th century, the exploits of English 'buccaneer adventurer' William Dampier, the famous voyages of James Cook and Matthew Flinders, and the little-known French annexation of Australia in 1772. Introducing new findings and drawing on the latest in historiographical research, this book situates developments in navigation, nautical astronomy and cartography within the broader contexts of imperial, colonial, and maritime history.