Continuous increase of greenhouse gases, endangered species, droughts, rising sea levels and oil tankers burning in the sea. These are only excerpts of alarming signs that point to the slow death of the Earth. From the first shot fired from a rifle in 1313 to the 1983 business year, Horst Wilhelmsen lists all the major technological advances that have subsequently contributed to climate change. The focus is on the development of the German economy and how it was influenced by historical achievements such as the invention of the steam engine, the first metal aircraft or the birth of the computer. Faith and the church as well as conventional agriculture also come under criticism.