APES Chapter #2

1. APES Chapter #2 Environmental History: Learning from the Past

2. Cultural Changes and the EnvironmentHuman History • Homo sapiens have been on Earth 160,000 years • Until 12,000 years ago we were hunter-gatherers, moving as we needed for food

3. Cultural Changes and the EnvironmentThree Cultural Changes • Agricultural revolution • Began 10-12,000 yrs ago • Industrial revolution • 175 years ago • Information and globalization revolution • 50 years ago

4. Cultural Changes and the EnvironmentThree Cultural Changes • Have ↑ our impact on environment in three ways • More energy and technology • Increased food production • Expansion of human population • Increase in resource use

5. Cultural Changes and the EnvironmentHunters-Gatherers • Most of our existence • Collect edible plants, fish, hunt • Lived in small nomadic bands • Worked together to survive • Population grew slowly • Small environmental impact • South Africa: San, Khwe, Sho, Bushmen, and Basarwa • Australia: Spinifex people

6. Cultural Changes and the EnvironmentHunters-Gatherers • Small environmental impact due to: • Understanding of natural surrounding • Low population • Low resource use • Migration to allow reparation • Lack of technology

7. Cultural Changes and the EnvironmentAgricultural Revolution • Agricultural Revolution- • Began 10-12,000 years ago • H-G  settled, agricultural communities • Plant cultivation developed • Slash and burn/shifting cultivation • Sustainable • Grew food for subsistence • Little impact on the environment-no machinery

8. Clearing and burning vegetation Allowing to revegetate 10 to 30 years 1 4 2 3 Planting Harvesting for 2 to 5 years

9. Agricultural Revolution Good News Bad News Destruction of wildlife habitats from clearing forests and grasslands More food Supported a larger population Killing of wild animals feeding on grass or crops Longer life expectancy Fertile land turned into desert by livestock overgrazing Higher standard of living for many people Soil eroded streams and lakes Formation of villages, towns, and cities Towns and cities concentrated wastes and pollution and increased spread of diseases Towns and cities served as centers for trade, government,and religion Increase in armed conflict and slavery over ownership of land and water resources

10. Cultural Changes and the EnvironmentIndustrial/Medical Revolution • Industrial/Medical Revolution- • Began in England in 1700’s • U.S. in 1800’s • Huge shift in culture

11. Cultural Changes and the EnvironmentIndustrial/Medical Revolution • Cultural shifts • Renewable (wood, water)  nonrenewable • Localized goods large scale, machine made • Rural  urban • Increased crop yields/acre w/ farm machinery • Population ↑ sharply • Environmental impact ↑

12. Trade-Offs Industrial-Medical Revolution Good News Bad News Increased air pollution Mass production of useful and affordable products Increased water pollution Higher standard of living for many Increased waste pollution Greatly increased agricultural production Soil depletion and degradation Lower infant mortality Groundwater depletion Longer life expectancy Increased urbanization Habitat destruction and degradation Lower rate of population growth Biodiversity depletion

13. Cultural Changes and the EnvironmentInformation and Global Revolution • Information and Global Revolution- • 1950’s • New technology to gain rapid access to global info • TV • Telephone • Satellites • Computers • Did You Know?

14. Trade-Offs Information-Globalization Revolution Good News Bad News Computer-generated models and maps of the earth’s environmental systems Information overload can cause confusion and sense of hopelessness Remote-sensing satellite surveys of the world’s environmental systems Globalized economy can increase environmental degradation by homogenizing the earth’s surface Ability to respond to environmental problems more effectively and rapidly Globalized economy can decrease cultural diversity

15. Environmental History of the US4 Eras • The environmental history of the US can be divided into 4 eras: • Tribal • Frontier • Early conservation • Environmental

16. Environmental History of the USTribal Era • Tribal Era- • Native Americans • 10,000 years before European settlement • H-G • Slash and burn/shifting cultivation • Small population • Low environmental impact

17. Environmental History of the USFrontier Era • Frontier Era- • Early 1600’s—European settlement • Frontier environmental worldview—vast and inexhaustible resources • Tribes and land conquered • Publicprivate land • Government declared frontier officially closed in 1890

18. Environmental History of the USEarly Conservation Era1832-1870 • Early Conservation Era- • Alarm at resource depletion • Urged part of unspoiled wilderness be protected as legacy to future generations • Thoreau (Life in the Woods) and other writers addressed these issues but not taken seriously • Active role of government increases • Environmental change within democracies involves voicing opinions through elected officials, legislation, budgeting, and lobbying by special interest groups.

19. Environmental History of the USEarly Conservation Era1870-1930 • Actions ↑ role of government and private citizens in resource conservation • 1891-Forest Reserve Act established federal government as responsible for protecting public lands • 1892-John Muir founded Sierra Club and led preservationist movement • 1890-Yosemite National Park

20. Environmental History of the USEarly Conservation Era1870-1930 cont…. • Theodore Roosevelt 1901-1908 • Established wildlife reserves and tripled size of national reserve • President given power to designate public land as federal wildlife reserves • 1905-US Forest Service • 1906-Antiquities Act President can protect areas on federal lands as national monuments (Grand Canyon) • “Golden Age of Conservation”

21. Environmental History of the USEarly Conservation Era1870-1930 cont…. • 1916-National Park Service Act creates National Park System • President Hoover wanted to return or sell federal lands but the Great Depression left people unable to do business GOOD THING!!

22. Environmental History of the USEarly Conservation Era1930-1960 • Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) • 1933-Civil Conservation Corp (CCC) • 2 million people employed • Restore degraded environment, built dams, etc. • 1940’s and 50’s had little change

23. Types of Environmental Laws • Some of the key types of environmental protection laws in the United States (see Appendix in book): • Setting pollution standards (e.g, Clean Air Act) • Cleanup and restoration ("Superfund Act" = Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act) • Screening substances for safety (e.g., Toxic Substances Control Act) • Requiring environmental impact assessment (e.g., National Environmental Policy Act) • Protecting ecosystems, resources, and species (e.g., Endangered Species Act) • Encouraging resource conservation (e.g., National Energy Act)

24. Policy in the United States Primary forces involved in making environmental policy at the federal level in the United States.

25. Environmental Groups • Various mainstream environmental groups actively influence environmental policy in the United States • Nature Conservancy works to evaluate, purchase, and protect critical habitat; • Sierra Club works to focus public attention on key environmental issues, especially with respect to land management and protection; • National Wildlife Federation, National Audubon Society, and World Wildlife Fund focus attention on wildlife conservation; • Worldwatch Institute serves as a think tank and research center to compile and communicate environmental information; • Greenpeace focuses public attention by activism.

26. Environmental Groups • Recently experienced declined membership and reduced budgets • “Group of 10" largest U.S. environmental organizations depend heavily on corporate donations • 6,000+ grassroots organizations address issues of concern to citizens, focused locally, regionally, or on a specific issue. • Anti-environmental groups focus on weakening or repealing existing environmental laws.

27. Environmental History of the USEnvironmental Era1960’s • Environmental Era- • Citizens began modern environmental movement • 1962-Rachel Carson published Silent Spring about pesticide effects • 1963-Clean Air Act • 1964 Wilderness Act protecting tracts of land in the Wilderness System • 1968-Garrett Hardin • 1969-Spaceship Earth worldview

28. Environmental History of the USEnvironmental Era1970’s • Environmental decade • 1970-1st Earth Day • Nixon • 1970-EPA established • 1973-Endagered Species Act • 1978-Bureau of Land Management started to manage public lands through Federal Land Policy and Management Act • “Sagebrush rebellion”

29. Environmental History of the USEnvironmental Era1970’s cont….. • Jimmy Carter • 1977-Department of Energy (DOE) to reduce dependence on foreign oil • 1977-Clean Water Act • 1980-Superfund created in response to Love Canal to clean up abandoned hazardous waste • Tripled land in National Wilderness system and doubled land in the National Park System

30. Environmental History of the USEnvironmental Era1980’s • Anti-environmental movement formed to weaken laws of 60’s and 70’s • Ronald Reagan • Increased private energy, mineral development and timber cutting • Funding for environmental resources cut • The “wise use” movement formed to weaken government over environmental issues

31. Environmental History of the USEnvironmental Era1990-2004 cont…. • George Bush Sr. • Weakened protections on almost as much public lands as Teddy Roosevelt protected • Increase fossil fuel use • Relaxation on air and water quality standards • 1992 attended the United Nations Conference, Earth Summit, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to discuss environmental issues

32. Environmental History of the USEnvironmental Era1990-2004 • Clinton protected more public lands as national monuments than any other Pres. • 1997-Kyoto Japan 161 nations met to negotiate a treaty to decrease emissions and slow climate change • Environmentalists countering claims climate change and ozone depletion are hoaxes

33. Environmental History of the USEnvironmental Era1990-2004 • George Bush Jr • Just like dad • Withdrew US totally from Kyoto treaty • We’ll see what’s next! • Frontline’s Hot Politics