Oddly, it seems that humanity’s greatest achievements— skyscrapers, statues, etc.— are the least permanent, while trash, plastic, and oil— the detritus of civilization— are the most permanent. It is hard to picture the world without concrete mazes and metal highrises. Although no one currently living has ever seen the earth as it was thousands or even hundreds of years ago, it is not an impossible thing to imagine. People feel this sort of primal nostalgia for something that we know we have lost, even though most of us have never seen it. When Weisman describes his visit to the Bialowieza Puszcza, he says that although he has never seen a forest as complete as that one, it didn't feel strange to him; rather, it felt recognizable.
Weisman tries to touch upon this feeling throughout the book. While the things that he describes will happen to our planet are far-reaching and not likely to happen any time soon, it is easy to picture these things happening. And this provokes a profound response to the reader because it is something happen right in their very own home. This book makes for a thoughtful, sometimes depressing, but always fascinating read, and I am looking forward to reading more.