UK
Yale University historian Professor Sunil Amrith has been named the winner of the 2025 British Academy Book Prize for his groundbreaking work, The Burning Earth: An Environmental History of the Last 500 Years.
The judges praised the book as “magisterial” and “beautifully written,” adding that it “exemplifies the spirit of the prize: to deepen understanding of our world.” With this win, Amrith becomes the 13th recipient of the prestigious non-fiction award, which honors works that seek truth and reason in complex global contexts.
A Panoramic History of Humanity and the Planet
In The Burning Earth, Professor Amrith offers a sweeping exploration of how human ambition has reshaped the planet over the last five centuries — and how environmental forces, in turn, have influenced human history. His narrative spans continents and centuries, tracing connections from Portuguese silver mines in Peru to British gold fields in South Africa, and from colonial railways to oil pipelines in Central Asia.
Transitioning seamlessly across time and geography, the book reveals how colonization, industrialization, and migration collectively fueled the modern climate crisis.
A Scholar with a Global Perspective
At just 47, Sunil Amrith serves as the Renu and Anand Dhawan Professor of History at Yale University, holding a secondary appointment at the Yale School of the Environment. He also serves as Yale’s Vice Provost for International Affairs.
Before joining Yale, he was the inaugural Mehra Family Professor of South Asian Studies at Harvard University, where he co-directed the Joint Center for History and Economics. Earlier, he taught at Birkbeck College, University of London.
Born in Nairobi and raised in Singapore, Amrith earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Cambridge.
Judges Applaud Insight and Relevance
Announcing the award at a ceremony at the British Academy in London, Professor Rebecca Earle FBA, Chair of the judging panel, said:
“The Burning Earth is a magisterial account of the interconnections between human history and environmental transformation. It is vivid in detail and beautifully written — essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the origins of today’s climate crisis.”
Professor Susan J. Smith, President of the British Academy, added:
