History of Environmental

Science

History of Environmental Science

Three “revolutions” are significant in the development of environmental science

1.Agricultural Revolution

2.Industrial-Medical Revolution

3.Information-Globalization Revolution

History of Environmental Science:Agricultural RevolutionGradual move from nomadic

lifestyle of hunter-gatherers to the farming of domesticated animals and plants

Started about 10,000 years ago

Led to human population growth

Can you explain why???

History of Environmental Science:ancient civilizations Ancient Rome – limited

awareness of (or commitment to) environmental dangers and threats

Example: lead poisoning among upper class resulted from lead-based food containers

Example: unregulated deforestation and soil erosion may have contributed to the civilization’s downfall

History of Environmental Scienceancient civilizations Ancient Greeks – some awareness

Example: Greeks deforested much of Greece but also solar power when wood became scarce

History of Environmental Scienceancient civilizations Ancient China, India, Peru – awareness of many

environmental issues

Example: used soil conservation methods to protect against erosion

History of Environmental Science:In U.S., Tribal era

From about 10,000 years ago to era of European exploration

hunter/gatherers, some farming

Small environmental impact due to small population size and lifestyle

History of Environmental Science:500-1500 A.D.

Middle Ages to Renaissance – beginning of awareness of public health issues but sanitation and regulation of use of resources very limited

Example: plague devastated Europe but led to beginning of public health systems

Deforestation of much of Europe occurred during this time – led to use of coal

Frontier Era in the U.S.

1607-1890

Expansion of European influence across North America

Clearing land, increasing use of resources, land granted by government

History of Environmental Science:mid1700s - mid1800sBeginning of Industrial-Medical RevolutionAge of Enlightenment (approx. 1650-1800)– science progresses; thus, society’s awareness of environmental issues increased but new technologies led to pollution and other problemsExample: Ben Franklin fought against water pollution in Philadelphia (1739)Example: Industry pollutes air

and water through use of coal,

other fossil fuels (London was

notorious for dirty air)

History of Environmental Science:mid1700s - mid1800s Thomas Malthus (1766-1834) – British

scholar, published essays on economics, human population growth (first edition 1798)

Believed that human populations would eventually be kept in check by famine, disease because populations grow exponentially, but food supply does not

In contrast to popular view that human populations were moving toward perfection and a Utopian society

Dr. John Snow (1854) – first to recognize a pattern in an epidemic and link it to the environment – contaminated water from one pump led to spread of cholera

Germ theory developed in 1861

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Snow-cholera-map-1.jpg

History of Environmental Science:Early Conservation Era in U.S. 1832-1960Yellowstone established as the first US National Park (1872)

Concern about the environment in the US was voiced in the mid 1800s by people such as Henry David Thoreau

“Alas! how little does the memory

of these human inhabitants enhance

the beauty of the landscape!”

Henry David Thoreau

History of Environmental Science1880-1920 Progressive Era – reform in U.S.

was happening in many fields, thus improving conditions for humans (slums, prisons, etc.) and the environment

Teddy Roosevelt – conservationist, as president had a huge impact in setting aside natural areas

Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir, Yosemite, 1903

History of Environmental Science1880-1920 However, much of the preservation system

was based upon utilitarian conservation-the preserving of resources so they can provide homes and jobs for people.

John Muir was a geologist, author and founder of the Sierra Club (1892). Muir argued that nature deserved to exist for its own sake, regardless of its usefulness to us.

His view was called altruistic preservation-emphasizing the fundamental right of other organisms to exist and to pursue their own interests.

20th Century: A Century of Growth

The inventions of the twentieth century had a remarkable effect on daily life. They also had a devastating effect on the environment. Human population grew tremendously.

History of Environmental Science:1920-1940 Growing awareness of the effects of man-made threats to

health and the environment, yet society continues to develop, use products and methods that are dangerous

Examples: Use of poisonous lead in gasoline

Use of carcinogenic radium to make glow-in-the-dark clock faces - Women painting clocks with radium would sometimes put the brush in their mouth to fix the brush into a point. Many women developed cancer

Dr. Alice Hamilton – fought against the use of leaded gasoline; fought for the “Radium Girls” who filed a lawsuit (1920s)

American Dust Bowl, 1930s American Dust Bowl 1930s – due to poor

agricultural practices: too many people trying to farm in areas not suited for the crops they were raising

Then a severe drought occurred, native grasses were gone, soil erosion was severe

One outcome was the establishment of the Soil Conservation Service, 1935

(renamed the Natural Resources

Conservation Service, 1994)

Machinery buried in dust near Dallas, North Dakota, in 1935. Credit: USDA.

http://hnn.us/articles/lessons-dust-bowl

History of Environmental Science:1940-1960

1940s: Increasing scientific knowledge produces some things with negative environmental impact: nuclear weapons, DDT and other pesticides, synthetic materials such as plastics that are not biodegradable

Aldo Leopold –

wrote Sand County Almanac, published in 1948, shortly after his death

Wrote about the ethical responsibility humans have to take care of the earth – the “land ethic”

Link to fact sheet on “The Land Ethic” http://www.aldoleopold.org/AldoLeopold/LandEthic.pdf

Information-Globalization Revolution Starting in 1950 but especially from 1970 Development of technology to gain access to

more information on a global scale Computers, internet, phones, remote-sensing

satellites Effects are personal, cultural, environmental –

what does this mean?

History of Environmental Science:Environmental Era 1960s-present Awakening of U.S. public to

many environmental issues Publication of Silent Spring

(1962) by Rachel Carson helps propel the modern environmental movement, raised awareness of dangers of pesticides and other chemicals

Garrett Hardin (ecologist) – wrote essay “Tragedy of the Commons” in 1969

History of Environmental Science:Environmental Era 1960s-presentPaul Ehrlich – ecologist, 1970s, I=PAT, wrote Population Bomb, which made dire predictions about the effects of overpopulation

Environmental Impact – Equation developed in the 1970s by Paul Ehrlich, Barry Commoner, John Holdren: I=PAT

Fig. 1-13 p. 15

History of Environmental Science: 1960s-1980s

Certain crises cause people to “think twice”, including

nuclear accidents (Three Mile Island 1979, Chernobyl 1986)

an extended nationwide energy shortage (1970s)

Exxon Valdez oil spill (1989)

Increased regulation of air and water pollution 1970s: The Environmental Decade – passage of Clean

Air Act, Clean Water Act (Public service commerical http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4ozVMxzNAA)

History of Environmental Science:1960s-1980s

More environmental activism (e.g.,Greenpeace) Earth Day (April 22) was started in 1970 Lois Gibbs – mom who fought for community of

Love Canal that was built on a toxic waste dump (1978)

Other Names to Know

E.O. Wilson – “Mr. Biodiversity”, biologist concerned with loss of biodiversity

Jane Goodall – ground-breaking research on chimps over 45 years, conservationist

Ronald Reagan – president 1980s, “sagebrush rebel” emphasized economic development, opposed by many environmental groups

History of Environmental Science: 1990s-present Environmentalism grows in the U.S. but many recognize the economic cost of being “green”; political factions debate issues worldwide

Continued heavy dependence on fossil fuels causes environmental problems Global warming is supported by scientific

evidence (IPCC reports, 2007 Nobel Peace Prize to IPCC and Al Gore), but is still hotly debated

Largest U.S. oil spill occurs in 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico

Developing countries have less money to protect

the environment and still face issues such as leaded gasoline

The Future - ???

Green consumers Energy efficiency (e.g., CAFE

standards) New technology (e.g., “clean coal”) International cooperation

Growing population Poverty Increasing standard of living