offers a concise introduction to this key topic in the study of the environment, geography, and earth science. Illustrated throughout, each chapter provides a broad spectrum of international case studies and further reading guides. Introductory chapters examine the theories of environmental change and provide a summary of Earth history. The records of environmnetal change are then explained, as revealed by data from various archives such as ocean sediment, ice core, terrestrial deposits such as glacial moraines and lake sediments, tree rings, and historical and meteorological records. Final chapters detail the changes that have occured in high, middle and low lattitudes, and the book concludes with a critical assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current understanding. An extensive bibliography will also prove invaluable to those studying in this area.