Early history Earth has existed for an estimated 4.6 billion
years Homo sapiens have been on earth only about 60,000 years Until
about 12,000 years ago men were mostly hunter-gatherers.
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Major Cultural Changes Agricultural revolution Industrial
revolution Information and globalization revolution
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Hunter-gatherers Survived by eating edible wild plants,
fishing, hunting, and scavenging meat killed by other animals Lived
in small bands Were nomads They discovered: Which plants and
animals could be eaten and used as medicine Where to find water How
plant availability changed throughout the year How game animals
migrated
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Advanced hunter gatherers Used more advanced tools and fire
Contributed to the extinction of some animals (saber-toothed tiger)
Altered distribution of plants by carrying seeds OVERALL IMPACT ON
THE ENVIRONMENT WAS LOW DUE TO: Small population Low resource
use/person Migration allowed ecosystem to repair itself Lack of
technology
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Agricultural revolution 10,000-12,000 years ago Also called
Neolithic revolution Gradual shift from nomads to settling in
agricultural communities Domesticated animals and cultivated wild
plants
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Slash-and- burn cultivation Clear forest (mainly in the
tropics) Burn vegetation and underbrush This adds nutrients to the
soil which is often nutrient poor Led to Shifting cultivation
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3 Harvesting for 2 to 5 years 1 Clearing and burning vegetation
2 Planting 4 Allowing to revegetate 10 to 30 years
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Most early farmers practiced SUSTAINABLE CULTIVATION Had little
impact on the environment because: Depended on human muscle power
and crude tools Low population size and density Land was available
for movement to other areas
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The Industrial Revolution
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Began in England Based on dependence on coal (nonrenewable
fossil fuel) rather than renewable wood Invention of the steam
engine Switched from small-scale localized production to
large-scale production of machine-made goods. Movement from rural
to cities Often very bad living and working conditions
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Resulted in: Fossil-fuel powered farm machinery New
plant-breeding techniques increasing yield per acre More reliable
food supply Longer life spans Increase in population size
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Information and Globalization Revolution Many new technologies
telephone, computers, tv, etc Automated data bases Remote sensing
satellites
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Positively Helps us understand earth, economics, etc. Allows
use of remote sensing satellites Enables use to develop computer
models Can reduce pollution and environmental degredation
Negatively: Information overload Confusion and a sense of
hopelessness Increases environmental degradation and decrease in
cultural diversity
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History of United States Tribal Era Occupied by indigenous
people, called Indians now called Native Americans Had a fairly low
environmental impact
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Frontier Era (1607-1890) Began with European colonists settling
North America Had a FRONTEIR ENVIRONMENTAL WORLDVIEW The wilderness
was there to be conquered and cleared. Kill the dangerous animals
and Native Americans
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Conservation Era (1870-1930) Concern over resource use; Federal
governments responsibility to protect public lands. (Forest Reserve
Act 1891) Public health initiatives Environmental restoration
projects
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Important Figures of the Conservation Era Henry David Thoreau
John Muir Theodore Roosevelt Alice Hamilton Franklin Roosevelt
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Environmental Era (1960 -2000) The environmental movement The
science of ecology Spaceship Earth worldview: caretakers of the
planet 1980s:anti-environmental movement 1990s: environmental
awareness
Slide 20
Important Figures in Environmental Era Rachel Carson (Silent
Spring 1962) Richard Nixon: EPA, ESA Jimmy Carter: DOE, Superfund
Ronald Reagan: anti-env. Bill Clinton: env. concerns a priority
George W. Bush: drilling in ANWAR Barack Obama: few laws, okd
offshore drilling in VA.
