At the Ends of the Earth: A History Of The Polar Regions

This work is a natural and human history of the two polar regions from prehistory through centuries of European exploration to issues involving cold war politics, oil and gas drilling, tourism, and global warming. It addresses the history of the Arctic and Antarctic. The focus is on human encounters with the regions and impacts of those encounters, both direct and indirect. The text describes the great explorations, the hunting of economically valuable species, current interests in protection vs. further exploitation, differences and similarities in the development of the regions, for example, that form major chapters in the histories of these two regions.

The polar regions of the earth have several things in common: coldness, remoteness, and abundant natural resources. They are also very different from each other. As Kieran Mulvaney writes, "Penguins live in the Antarctic; polar bears live in the Arctic. It is an easy distinction to remember, but it is just one of many." The Arctic is comparatively lush and heavily populated, with some 40 mammal species and hundreds of plant species to Antarctica's zero and two, respectively. The Arctic is heavily traveled, its waters plied by container ships and oil tankers, its roads full of trucks and pleasure vehicles; even with ecotourism and scientific expeditions, Antarctica remains little visited. And, whereas Antarctica has been largely protected by international convention from exploitation, pressures are mounting to develop further the Arctic's abundant stores of fossil fuels and other resources.

In At the Ends of the Earth, Mulvaney, an environmental journalist and resident of Alaska, chronicles the history of polar exploration from ancient times to the present--a history that concentrates on the quest for the fabled Northwest Passage, as well as on the international race to claim the poles. To this history, he adds well-reasoned arguments for why the poles, north and south, matter--why, that is, they merit continued and even expanded protection in a time of scarcity. He argues in particular for "a reduction in the drilling for fossil fuels in the Arctic, reducing the risk of pollution and putting the brakes on global warming." Timely and sometimes controversial, Mulvaney's book is a solid addition to the literature of exploration and environmentalism alike. --Gregory McNamee