Environmental History: Learning from the Past

1. Environmental History: Learning from the Past G. Tyler Miller’s Living in the Environment 14th Edition Chapter 2

2. 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 today’s 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.

3. Key Concepts • Three Major “Revolutions”in Human Culture U.S. Environmental History • Tribal and Frontier Era • Early Conservation Era • The Environmental Era

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. Slash and Burn Cultivation

8. 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)

9. The Agricultural Revolution: Trade offs from page 23

10. Cultural Changes and the Environment: The Industrial-Medical Revolution • Industrial Revolution (mid-1700’s): • 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

11. 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)

12. 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.

13. The Industrial-Medical Revolution: Trade Offs page 23

14. 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

15. The Information/Globalization Revolution: Trade Offs Page 24

16. 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”

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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.

21. 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?

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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.

25. 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 nation’s natural resources. • Forest Preservation Act of 1891 • 1905 Antiquities Act • 1890 Yosemite National Park • 1916 National Park Service Act

26. 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 nation’s resources were inexhaustible. (1801-1882)

27. 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.

28. 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.

29. 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.

30. 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.

31. 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)

32. 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.

33. 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.

34. 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.

35. 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

36. Environmental History of the United States: The Environmental Era • 1980’s: 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.

37. Environmental History of the United States: The Environmental Era • 1990’s: 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.

38. 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?