Geomorphologist, Environmental Author
Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations
Prof. David Montgomery has discovered that the roughly 3 foot-deep skin of our planet is being slowly eroded away, and we are in danger of suffering the same fate as the fallen empires of Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece, and Rome.
Montgomery is the author of ‘Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations,’ which makes the case that we are using up Earth’s soil. Once bare of protective vegetation and exposed to wind and rain through agriculture, cultivated soils erode bit by bit, faster than they can be naturally replenished. The erosion is slow enough to be ignored in a single lifetime but fast enough over centuries to limit the lifespan of civilizations. In this engaging lecture, Montgomery traces the role of soil use and abuse in the history of societies, from Mesopotamia to European colonialism and the American push westward. He explores how soil has shaped us and we have shaped soil.
Soil erosion should be seen as a threat to our planet as serious as climate change, contends Montgomery. Civilizations don’t disappear overnight. They don’t choose to fail. More often they falter and then decline as their soil disappears over generations. Although historians are prone to credit the end of civilizations to discrete events like climate changes, wars, or natural disasters, the effects of soil erosion on ancient societies were profound. Happily, the recent rise of organic and no-till farming brings hope for a new agricultural revolution that might help us avoid the fate of previous civilizations.
David R. Montgomery is a professor of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington, studying geomorphology, the evolution of landscapes. In 2008 he received a 2008 MacArthur ‘genius’ award. He has received two Washington State Book awards, one for ‘King of Fish: The Thousand-Year Run of Salmon ‘in 2004, and for ‘Dirt:The Erosion of Civilizations’ in 2008. His research interests range from the co-evolution of the Pacific salmon and the topography of the Pacific Northwest to the environmental history of Puget Sound rivers, interactions among climate, tectonics, and erosion in shaping mountain ranges, giant glacial floods in eastern Tibet and northeastern India, Martian geomorphology, and the role of agricultural soil erosion in the longevity of human societies.
The Response
“Dr. Montgomery’s lecture was able to touch upon issues that are not only pertinent but relative to our environment and community. The students and staff present were extremely impressed with his lecture–wrapping Sustainability, Geology, Anthropology, Ecology, History and Agriculture into one compelling and easy to understand lecture is an incredible feat! I highly recommend Dr. Montgomery for an incredibly in-depth and comprehensive talk for anyone!”
Kat Kaszpurenko
Union Programming Coordinator
Fort Lewis College
“David’s talk presented a deeply well reasoned explanation of how topsoil has affected human civilizations and how it will determine our future. Judging by the collection of conversations afterwards, he clearly got the audience thinking and sparked a valuable interdisciplinary dialogue at University of British Columbia.”
Justin Ritchie
AMS Sustainability Coordinator
University of British Columbia
“Thanks for a fabulous lecture! Dave Montgomery is a rare breed of public speaker, who can engage a diverse audience at all levels and from multiple disciplines, with passion and wit.”
Candice Goucher
Professor of History
Washington State University Vancouver
“Horticulture Nova Scotia represents a small province, but agriculture is a large part of its rural economy. In mounting our annual Congress on the single topic of soil, we wanted to have a keynote speaker who would not only show the big picture on the importance of handling soil in agricultural communities, but someone who could speak our farmer’s language. We were very privileged to have Dr. Montgomery. We often hear our farmers complain that speakers only know how to speak to other scientists. There was no such opinion voiced for Dr. Montgomery. There was nothing but praise on his down to earth (no pun intended) approach and the big bonus was that they really got what he was saying. There was much discussion over lunch that day. Also appreciated was the fact that he took the time to interact with participants at a book signing after the presentation. Please extend my heartfelt thanks to Dr. Montgomery for taking the time to care about a small section of our country.”
Donna Crawford
Administrative Coordinator
Horticulture Nova Scotia
“With a scientist’s rigor, a historian’s curiosity and an environmentalist’s passion, Montgomery is unsettling accepted wisdom about both local and global environmental change by exploring the ecological consequences of a wide range of Earth surface processes.”
2008 MacArthur Foundation ‘Genius’ Award statement
