Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West by Sara Dant

The Insights to Conservation Book Club presents Losing Eden. Please join us to discuss this book with the author. Light refreshments will be served. You don’t need to read the book to join the discussion.

“In a lively and accessible narrative, the text discusses the key events and topics in the environmental history of the American West, from the Beringia migration, Columbian Exchange, and federal territorial acquisition to post-WWII expansion, resource exploitation, and current climate change issues. It is structured around three important themes: balancing economic success and ecological destruction; avoiding “the tragedy of the commons;” and achieving sustainability.”

“This broad arc of deep history reveals how the relationship between humans and the natural environment in the West has evolved over time. As Dant concludes, the complex symbiotic relationship between humans and the environment demonstrates that there is no “pristine myth” to which we should strive to return; the West as “Eden” has always been a false illusion and it is time to lose it once and for all.”