Revive Eden: Green Sahara Now

Mehr zum Buch

Six thousand years ago, the Sahara was a lush region, but climate changes have transformed it into a vast desert. While Earth's precession has been cited as a primary cause of these shifts, this book argues that it merely triggers transitions, with the water cycle's stability being the main factor. This stability is influenced by the complex interactions between precipitation, evaporation, surface conditions, and atmospheric circulation. Approximately 5700 years ago, the Green Sahara began to decline, starting with the Great Chotts Basin, which lies in the rain shadow of the Atlas Mountains. The disruption of the water cycle in this area led to the rapid drying of the Great Chott Lakes and the activation of desert formation. This process spread east and south, akin to a wildfire, resulting in desertification across North Africa, West Asia, and the Mediterranean—trends that have persisted into modern times. The book explores how this transformation has influenced significant historical events, including the rise and fall of Mesopotamia and Egypt, and the shifting of civilizations across the Mediterranean and Atlantic. Supported by archaeological and paleoclimate data, it also draws parallels with desertification in Northwest China, offering insights and potential methods for reviving deserts in both Northwest China and Australia, as well as restoring the Sahara to its former greenery.