Saleem H. Ali

Soil to Foil tells the extraordinary story of an element that rules our daily lives. Saleem H. Ali reveals its pivotal role in the histories of scientific inquiry and technological innovation as well as its importance to broader conversations on sustainability.

"Aluminum—who knew? In Saleem H. Ali’s capable hands, the metal becomes the vehicle for an engrossing and enlightening explanation of how our world works—and how it might work much better." 

Bill McKibben, Right Livelihood Award-winning environmental author and Schumann Distinguished Scholar in Residence at Middlebury College

 

The Covid-19 Pandemic has brought forth global anxiety about linkages between the environment and society at a fundamental structural level. Earthly Order: How Natural Laws Define Human Life provides an accessible exposition of the latest foundational knowledge on how natural and social systems science can inform planetary crises. Humanity has either tried to conquer or capitulate to natural order, whereas we should be seeking to understand latent structures and patterns that permeate all systems and develop an "earthly order," that is socially functional and sustainable.

NOW ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIOBOOK!

A pioneering exploration of human wants and needs and the natural resources we consume.

Would the world be a better place if human societies were somehow able to curb their desires for material goods? Saleem Ali's pioneering book links human wants and needs by providing a natural history of consumption and materialism with scientific detail and humanistic nuance. It argues that simply disavowing consumption of materials is not likely to help in planning for a resource-scarce future, given global inequality, development imperatives, and our goals for a democratic global society.