Supplement 5 History

1. Supplement 5 History The Big Bang!

2. Time Line A. Important Events 1. Earth was formed 4.6 billion years ago. 2. Homo Sapiens began as a species 60,000 years ago. 3. Agriculture began 12,000 years ago 4. The Industrial Revolution began 275 years ago

3. Earliest Humans B.Hunter-gatherer a. nomadic b. 3 energy sources

4. Hunter-Gatherer cont. c. as their technology improved they had more impact on nature 1) killed more animals = more waste 2) improved plant growth 3) contributed to extinctions? (saber tooth tiger, mammoth, unicorn) 4) spread distribution of plants What is “technology”?

5. Hunter-Gatherer cont. d. environmental impact was minimal Why?

6. Agricultural Revolution C. Agricultural Revolution a. early techniques 1) slash and burn cultivation 2) shifting cultivation a. example of sustainable farming practice b. Why did it work back then?

7. Agricultural Revolution 3) development of plow and irrigation

8. Consequences of move from hunting-gathering to farming • energy use per person increased as yield increased • population increased • c. farm fields became larger and water use increased • d. people acquired more personal property

9. Consequences • yield per field increased so not everyone had to farm and people specialized • cities grew

10. Consequences cont. • leaders emerged with conquering armies • 1) army leaders = rulers • organized societies with assigned • jobs • h. wild plants and animals (Nature) became weeds and predators

11. 4. Environmental consequences a. as pop. grew, food and wood needs grew so more land was cleared and forests cut down 1) habitats of many plants and animals were destroyed or significantly altered b. cleared land was left unprotected leading to: erosion, salt accumulation from irrigation, causing fertile land to turn into desert

12. c. as cities grew: 1) technology increased and consumption of nonrenewable resources increased 2) increased mining degraded more land 3) increased production of goods increased amount of pollution 4) increased pop density concentrated sewage and waste leading to air and water pollution and spread of disease 5) attitude toward nature changed from working with it (hunter gatherer) to conquering it (farmer, shepherd)

13. D. Industrial Revolution 1. began in England in mid 1700’s, with invention of the steam engine (Watt) 2. greatly increased: production of goods, transportation and and per capita energy consumption

14. 3. beginning a. England cut down most of its forests b. coal was discovered as a substitute c. rain water entered mines, steam engine was invented to pump it out

15. d. other uses of the steam engine were developed that led to factories e. factory jobs drew rural people and cities grew even more f. soot and ashfrom coal covered everything (Mary Poppins) 1)respiratory diseasebecame a problem

16. D. Industrial Revolution cont. 4. farming technology improved a. machinery b. inorganic fertilizers c. improved crop hybrids d. increased pop, less farmers needed, urban pop goes up

17. 5. World War 1 a. big step in mechanical technology (assembly lines) b. industrialized countries became established

18. E. Use of Resources in America1400-1960 1. Frontier Worldview a. Native Americans were primarily hunter/gatherers b. European settlers assumed that natural resources in America were limitless

19. E. Use of Resources in America1400-1960 c. Frontier worldview 1) conserving resources was thought not to be necessary because once resources were depleted in one area, a settler could just move farther west to a new area rich in resources

20. Use of Resources 1400-1960 cont. 2) much waste of natural resources took place a. in mid 1800’s some people became aware of the problem and voiced their opinion but they were ignored (Thoreau, Marsh)

21. E. Use of Resources in America1400-1960 b. in late 1800’s, problems became more apparent 1) air pollution from coal burning 2) water pollution from manure and garbage effluent 3) yellow fever, typhoid fever and cholera spread quickly 4) government and private groups began to get involved

22. Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) a. 1st environmentalist president b. established 1st federal wildlife refuge in 1903 (Pelican Island) c. In 1905, U.S. Forest Service was established d. In 1905, the Audubon Society was established e. In 1906, Antiquities Act was passed

23. 1910-1960 a. In 1916, the National Park system was established b. In the early 1900’s most cities established health boards

24. 1910-1960 c. After World War 1, economy was good 1) government began giving mining, drilling and grazing rights to private industry on public land to stimulate the economy 2) eventually, gov began to sell off large tracts of land

25. 1910-1960 Franklin Roosevelt (Depression)1) bought back much land 1) many important agencies were established among the most important were:

26. 1910-1960 a) the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was created in 1933 to provide jobs - planted trees, slowed erosion, protected wildlife - built the Hoover Dam for jobs, irrigation and electricity - Bombay Hook NWR, too

27. d. Franklin Roosevelt (Depression) cont. b) The Soil Conservation Service (now NRCS) was established in 1933 c) in 1940, the Fish and Wildlife Service was formed to manage the National Wildlife Refuge System and protect endangered species

28. 1940’s and 1950’s 1) World War 2 and the subsequent recovery from it dominated these years, little was done by the government environmentally. 2) untreated waste from new sewer systems was among the growing modern problems

29. 1940’s and 1950’s 3) most people ignored the warnings of problems arising from the post war economic boom 4) however, vaccination became widespread, better waste treatment and health education programs all contributed to less disease

30. 1940’s and 1950’s 5) the chemical industry underwent explosive growth during and after the war a) massive amounts of chemical waste was simply buried b) pesticides, fertilizers and solvents became very sophisticated and widely used but their impact on humans wasn’t well understood

31. Modern Environmentalism 1. In 1962, Rachel Carson published Silent Spring 2. In 1964, Congress passed the Wilderness Act which established the National Wilderness System 3. In the late 1960’s, ecology became an important field of study a. Paul Ehrlich, Barry Commoner and Garrett Hardin became noted scientists

32. Modern Environmentalism cont. 4. Several incidents focus attention: a. rivers of foam from detergents were photographed frequently b. In 1969, the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland burned for 8 days c. Lake Erie became so polluted that almost no fish lived in it

33. Modern Environmentalism cont. d. an oil leak in California coated beaches e. the California Condor, peregrine falcon, whooping crane, grizzly bear and bald eagle became threatened by affects of pollution and loss of habitat

34. 1960’s cont. In 1968 Apollo 8 landed on the moon and produced the famous photo of earth from space. This event lead to the “space ship earth worldview”.

35. During 1970’s, environmentalism became mainstream a. 1st Earth Day was in Spring of 1970 1) 20 million people in 2,000 communities 2) goal was to force a change in attitude (like Vietnam War protest) b. EPA established in 1970 by Richard Nixon

36. During 1970’s, environmentalism became mainstream c. the Oil Embargo by the OPEC countries took place in 1973-1974 1) oil exports to US were cut off 2) oil prices rose drastically and long lines occurred at gas stations

37. 1970’s cont. d. the Sagebrush rebellion 1) logging and mining companies, loggers, ranch owners and politicians tried to get around the law

38. 1970’s cont. e. Jimmy Carter established the Department of Energy 1) Carter tried to encourage development of renewable energy 2) supported establishment of the Superfund to clean up major toxic waste sites like Love Canal in New York near Niagara Falls

39. 1980’s f. Ronald Reagan was a Sagebrush rebel 1) repealed tax incentives for using less energy 2) appointed antienvironmnetalists to leadership positions in many environmental agencies

40. Reagan cont 3) cut federal funding for development of renewable energy 4) lowered gas mileage standards 5) lessened air and water quality standards 6) embraced “wise-use movement”

41. 1980-1990’s g. George Bush (1st) continued Reagan’s trend 1) did not attend the Rio Earth Conference and refused to sign any agreements

42. 1980-1990’s h. Bill Clinton 1) was a disappointment to many environmental groups 2) Used Antiquities Act to prevent development in West 2) Al Gore wrote influential book: Earth in the Balance

43. 2000’s George W Bush Advocated for fossil fuels and nuclear energy Withdrew from Kyoto treaty *In 2007, the IPCC issued a report stating that human activities are highly likely (90-99% probability) to have caused observed atmospheric warming.