Environmental History: Learning from the Past

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Environmental History Learning from the Past
G. Tyler Millers Living in the Environment 14th
Edition Chapter 2
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What you will learn in this chapter?

• How hunter-gatherer societies, agricultural
  societies, and industrialized societies impacted
  the environment. What will the impact be of
  todays globalization and information society?
• What are the major phases in the history of land
  and wildlife conservation, public health, and
  environmental protection in the US.

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Key Concepts

• Three Major Revolutionsin Human Culture

U.S. Environmental History

• Tribal and Frontier Era

• Early Conservation Era

• The Environmental Era

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Cultural Changes and the Environment
Hunter-Gatherer Culture

• Hunter-gatherers modern humans (homo sapiens
  sapiens) have existed about the last 60,000
  years. Until 12,000 years ago we were mostly
  hunter-gatherers.

• Nomadic seasonal movement lived in small
• who worked together to find food and survive.

• Usually limited environmental impact very little
  environmental impact because they moved around in
  such small groups.

Life expectancy 30-40 years, needed to
constantly move looking for food, water and
shelter.
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Hunter-Gatherer Culture

• Often survived by being experts on the land and
  their natural surroundings.
• Advanced hunter-gatherers had a greater
  environmental impact with tools and fire.

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Cultural Changes and the Environment The
Agricultural Revolution

• Agriculture about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago
  (end of last ice age) agricultural settlements
  began to spring up. Domesticating wild plants and
  animals.
• Quality of Life people lived longer and better
  lives with a more consistent food supply.
• Environmental Impact was not large. Their
  dependence on human muscle power and crude tools
  while they cultivated small areas.

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Slash and Burn Cultivation
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The Agricultural Revolution Increased Impact on
Environment

• Slash and Burn did destroy local environment, but
  was usually very small and had a limited impact.
• Still a problem
• in some parts
• of developing
• World. (Amazon)

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The Agricultural Revolution Trade offs from page
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Cultural Changes and the Environment The
Industrial-Medical Revolution

• Industrial Revolution (mid-1700s)
• began in England and spread to US in the 1800s
• people lived longer and healthier
• environmental degradation increased
• factory towns sprung up, less people needed to
  farm

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The Industrial-Medical Revolution A shift to
nonrenewable resources

• A shift took place where humans moved from
  relying on wood and flowing water to a dependence
  on machines run by nonrenewable fossil fuels
  (first coal, then later oil and natural gas)

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The Industrial-Medical Revolution Dramatic
Increase in Environmental Impact

• Factory towns grew polluted, noisy and very
  hazardous. (air pollution, water pollution,
  toxics)
• Coal smoke filled cities.
• Fossil fuels powered larger farm machines for
  larger farms.

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The Industrial-Medical Revolution Trade Offs
page 23
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Cultural Changes and the Environment The
Information/Globalization Revolution

• Information Revolution Since the 1950s we have
  moved towards technologies to share information
  rapidly on a global scale.
• Global access to information can help us
  understand and respond to environmental problems,
  but can lead to information overload.
• What will it mean for future environmental
  protections? Global Environmental Problems

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The Information/Globalization Revolution Trade
Offs Page 24
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Environmental History of the United States The
Tribal Eras

• Tribal Era Native Americans

• Native Americans caused some extinctions, but
  generally were low-impact hunter-gather or
  agricultural societies

• Frontier Environmental Worldview European
  Settlement (1607-1890)

• Significant impact as wilderness frontier was
  tamed

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Environmental History of the United States The
Tribal Era, Native Americans

• During the tribal era (prior to 1600s for last
  10,000 years)
• 5-10 million people
• Hunter-gatherers
• Small agriculture
• Mostly a deep respect for the land and low
  environmental impact.
• No land ownership

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Environmental History of the United States The
Frontier Era

• 1607-1890 European settlers
• Viewed continent as having limitless resources
• Wilderness was to be tamed
• Urged people to spread across land
• Frontier CLOSED in 1890

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Sections 1 and 2 Review

• What major human cultural changes have taken
  place and how have they impacted the environment?
• Describe hunter-gather, agricultural, industrial,
  and globalization societies. List several trade
  offs of each.
• When did humans begin to shift away from
  renewable resources?
• Describe slash and burn techniques.
• How did the impact on the US environment shift
  from tribal to frontier times. Describe both
  eras.

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Chapter 2 Sections 3,4 Key Ideas

• What are the major phases in the history of land
  and wildlife conservation, public health, and
  environmental protections in the United States.
• Who were some of the main individuals who
  affected environmental policy in the US over the
  last 2 centuries?

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Environmental History of the United States The
Early Conservation Era

• 1832-1870 as the frontier of US was getting
  crowded the Early Conservation Era began.

California Gold Rush
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Environmental History of the United States The
Early Conservation Era

• Period 1832-1960

• Concern over resource use

• Preservation of public lands

• Public health initiatives

• Environmental restoration projects

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Environmental History of the United States The
Early Conservation Era

• Concern over resource use a few people began to
  warn we were degrading the environment.
• Water quality in cities declined as forests cut
  down upstream
• Frontier became crowded with people moving
  westward.

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Environmental History of the United States The
Early Conservation Era

• Preservation of public lands between 1870 and
  1930 newly formed citizen groups and the
  government began to protect our nations natural
  resources.
• Forest Preservation Act of 1891
• 1905 Antiquities Act
• 1890 Yosemite
• National Park
• 1916 National Park
• Service Act

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Important Figures During The Early Conservation
Era

• Henry David Thoreau an American writer who was
  alarmed by the loss of wild places in the
  northeastern US. (1817-62)

• George Perkins Marsh a scientist and member of
  Congress helped legislators see need for resource
  conservation. Questioned whether our nations
  resources were inexhaustible. (1801-1882)

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Important Figures During The Early Conservation
Era

• John Muir (1838-1914)
• Geologist, writer, inventor
• Founder of the Sierra Club
• Spent years lobbying to protect land
• Help get Yosemite National Park created.

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Important Figures During The Early Conservation
Era

• Theodore Roosevelt his term in office 1901-1909
  called the Golden Age of Conservation.
• Most environmentalists view Teddy Roosevelt as
  the best environmental President.

• Gifford Pinchot (1865-1946) was first head of
  the US Forest Service, which was created in 1905
  to manage and protect forests.

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Important Figures During The Early Conservation
Era

• During the economic depression of the 1930s the
  government bought land and hired workers to
  restore degraded environment, build dams for
  electricity.
• World Wars and post economic
• boom little changed in
• environmental protections.

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Environmental History of the United States The
Environmental Era

• Period 1960-Today the modern environmental
  movement began and more citizens urged government
  to improve environmental quality. Environmental
  Awakening.

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Environmental History of the United States The
Environmental Era

• The environmental movement citizens began to
  organize in the 1960s and 1970s to demand
  political leaders protect public health and
  environment. (1964 Wilderness Act)

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Environmental History of the United States The
Environmental Era

• Rachel Carson (1907-1964)
• Documented the pollution in the air, water and
  wildlife from DDT pesticide.
• Created a wake-up call that environment was in
  danger.

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Environmental History of the United States The
Environmental Era

• The science of ecology between 1965 and 1970 the
  science of ecology emerged awakening people to
  the interconnections among population growth,
  resource use and pollution.

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Environmental History of the United States The
Environmental Era

• Spaceship Earth Worldview 1969 Apollo Mission to
  moon sent back pictures of earth floating in the
  black void of space. Reminded everyone of the
  need to protect our home.

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Environmental Era 1970s
April 20, 1970 First Earth Day 1970 Environmental
Protection Agency Created 1973 Endangered Species
Act 1977 Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act 1980
Superfund Law
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Environmental History of the United States The
Environmental Era

• 1980s backlash against environmentalism
• An anti-environmental movement formed to weaken
  or do away with many environmental laws passed in
  the 1960s and 1970s.

• Ronald Reagan advocated less environmental
  regulations, appointed industry members to key
  posts and cut funding for EPA.

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Environmental History of the United States The
Environmental Era

• 1990s environmental awareness since the
  1990s environmentalist have spent most of their
  time trying to fight any weakening of
  environmental laws passed in the 1960s and 1970s.

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Chapter 2 Sections 3,4,5 Review

• Describe the early conservation era.
• List and describe several key individuals who
  impacted the environmental movement.
• Who was Rachel Carson and John Muir?
• When was the Golden Age of Conservation?
• What happened between 1832-1870?
• What happened during the 1960s and 1970s?
• What is the spaceship earth worldview?
• List some important milestones of the 1970s.
• What has been going on with the environmental
  movement since the 1980s and 1990s?