Yale Historian Sunil Amrith Wins British Academy Book Prize for Groundbreaking Climate Crisis Research

Sunil Amrith, Professor of History at Yale University, has been awarded the prestigious British Academy Book Prize for his work "The Burning Earth: An Environmental History of the Last 500 Years." This acclaimed non-fiction book earned him the coveted 25,000-pound award at a ceremony held at the British Academy in London.

Born in Kenya to South Indian parents and raised in Singapore, the 46-year-old historian completed his education at the University of Cambridge in England. His winning book has been praised by judges as essential reading for understanding the current climate crisis.

During his acceptance speech via video link from the US, Amrith addressed perceptions about his book: "I've sometimes been asked whether 'The Burning Earth' is a bleak book. There's no doubt it details a great deal of harm and suffering, both human and environmental, and it shows that the two were almost always interlinked. But in the end, what I'd like to read from the book is a sense that many parts brought us to this point of time."

He continued, "So there were also many paths not taken, ideas that have been forgotten, movements that may have failed but have left a lasting legacy, technologies that were humbler and more sustainable. And perhaps we can find, in returning to those paths not taken, seeds of inspiration for a more hopeful and less violent way of living together on this planet, which we share with each other and with so much other life that we depend on."

Professor Rebecca Earle, chair of the judging panel, described the winning work as "a magisterial account of the interconnections between human history and environmental transformation" that is "vivid in detail and beautifully written – important reading for anyone seeking to understand the origins of today's climate crisis."

Earle further noted: "Amrith is a remarkable scholar whose global perspective reveals the impact of the environment on human history, as well as our impact on the environment. In fact, as he shows, it's not really possible to separate these two."

The British Academy highlighted that Amrith's groundbreaking global environmental history draws on meticulous research to demonstrate how colonization, industrialization, and changing human settlement patterns have shaped the modern world and fueled our current climate crisis. The book takes readers on an epic journey across continents and centuries—from the conquest of the Americas to British gold mining in South Africa, from the Black Death to World War II—offering fresh perspectives on humanity's planetary impact.

Professor Susan J. Smith, President of the British Academy, commended the work: "This fresh look at the interplay of human history with the shape of the earth combines rigorous research with page-turning prose. It is precisely the combination of evidence-informed insight, well-honed ideas, and great writing that we are proud to celebrate through our annual international book prize."

The shortlist included five other notable works, each receiving 1,000 pounds: "The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World" by William Dalrymple; "The Baton and The Cross: Russia's Church from Pagans to Putin" by Lucy Ash; "Africonomics: A History of Western Ignorance" by Bronwen Everill; "Sick of It: The Global Fight for Women's Health" by Sophie Harman; and "Sound Tracks: A Musical Detective Story" by Graeme Lawson.

Established in 2013, the British Academy Book Prize celebrates exceptional non-fiction writing grounded in humanities and social sciences research. The prize is open to authors of any nationality writing in any language, provided their work is available in English and published in the UK.