This concise modern survey examines the many recent interdisciplinary developments in the study of the environmental changes of the last 3 million years. It is the third edition of a well-received book which has been substantially revised to incorporate the great volume of new literature and to provide an up-to-date analysis of this increasingly important topic. The basic outline has been retained but a great deal of new information has been incorporated. The most heavily revised sections are those dealing with techniques for environmental reconstruction, glaciation in lower latitudes and the southern hemisphere, climatic changes in the twentieth century, and the causes in environmental change. These are supported by many new illustrations, new guides to further reading, and a substantially expanded bibliography. This book is intended for first- and second-year undergraduate students at university and polytechnic taking courses in physical geography, archaeology or the life sciences. Particularly relevant for courses in geomorphology or Quaternary studies.