The History Of The Human
Population
Cultural Changes
Hunting & Gathering Societies
gathering of edible plants and hunting
and fishing
normally composed of 50 or fewer people
who worked together to get enough food
to survive
3/4 of Homo sapiens existence (about
30,000 years)
Cultural Changes
Energy Sources
sunlight captured by plants
fire
own muscle power
Cultural Changes
Population Growth Controls
Social Practices
sexual intercourse abstention
herbal contraceptives
abortion
late marriage
prolonged breast feeding
High Infant Mortality
Average Life Expectancy of 30 years
Cultural Changes
populations grew very slowly
their environmental impact was limited
and localized due to…
small populations
nomadism
dependence on their own muscle power to
modify the environment
Cultural Changes
Agricultural Revolution
10,000 to 12,000 years ago
involved the gradual move towards
settled agricultural communities, where
people learned to domesticate wild
animals and culture plants
may have been the result of climate
changes which forced humans to adapt
or become extinct
Cultural Changes
Early Agricultural Techniques
Subsistence Farming
growth of only enough food to feed themselves
Slash and Burn Cultivation
clearing of small patches of forest by cutting
down vegetation and then burning the underbrush
ashes fertilized the nutrient poor soils
Cultural Changes
Shifting Cultivation
abandoning a garden after several years of use
(nutrient depletion) and then moving to a new
patch
abandoned areas remain unusable for 10-30 years
before soil becomes fertile enough to grow more
crops
resulted in sustainable agriculture
these early techniques had little impact on
the environment due to…
dependence on muscle power
crude stone and stick tools
Cultural Changes
Advances
Metal Plow
pulled by domesticated animals
allowed…
cultivation of larger plots
cultivation of fertile grasslands
Irrigation
Allowed increased crop output
Cultural Changes
Significant Effects
increase in average energy use per person
through use of domesticated animals
increase in birth rates over death rates
caused increase in population, mainly due to
stable food supply
cultivation of larger fields and use of
irrigation systems
Cultural Changes
Significant Changes (cont.)
accumulation of material goods by people
development of surplus food supply
urbanization became practical
increase in societal conflict due to value of
economic resources (land and water)
decrease in survival of wild plants and
animals due to competition with
domesticated forms
Cultural Changes
Industrial Revolution
began in England in mid 1700’s
involved a shift from dependence on
renewable wood and flowing water as
energy sources to nonrenewable fossil
fuels
multiplied energy consumption per capita
gave humans more power to shape the
Earth
Cultural Changes
Characteristics of Industrial Societies
higher production and consumption of goods
greater dependence on nonrenewable
resources
increased use of synthetic chemicals and
materials
huge increase in the amount of energy used
per person
Cultural Changes
Benefits of Industrial Societies
creation and mass production on many useful
and economically affordable goods
sharp increase in the average agricultural
production per person
lower infant mortality and higher average
life expectancy
decrease in population growth rate
better health, birth control methods,
education, average income, old-age security
Worldviews
Definition
how individuals think the world works
what they think their role is the world
should be
what they believe is right and wrong
behavior (ethics)
How We Think About Earth
Historical Worldviews of North
America
Frontier Worldview
hostile wilderness needs to be conquered
and cleared as fast as possible
believe there will always be more
view of European colonists
Frontier Worldview
Historical Worldviews of North
America
Life Centered Worldview
respect for land and organisms
part of and work with nature
view of native Americans
Life Centered
Modern Worldviews
Human Centered / Planetary
Management
humans, as the planet’s dominant and
most important species, can and should
manage the planet mostly for their own
benefit
other species have only instrumental
value
Modern Worldviews
Basic Beliefs
humans are the most important species, and are apart
from and in charge of the rest of nature
there is always more, and it is all for us
economic growth is good, and more is better, and
potential growth is limitless
a healthy environment is related to a healthy economy
our success depends on how well we understand,
control, manage the planet for our benefit
Modern Worldviews
Variations of this view:
No Problem
Free-Market School
Responsible Planetary Management /
Enlightened Self Interest
Spaceship Earth
Stewardship
Modern Worldviews
Life Centered / Biocentric
believe all species have an inherent right
to live and flourish or at least struggle
to exist (evolve)
Biocentric
Modern Worldviews
Earth-wisdom Worldview
Beliefs
nature exists for all species, not just humans, and
we are not separate from or in charge of it
there is not always more and it is not all for us
some economic growth is good, other growth is
harmful
a healthy economy depends on a healthy
environment
our success depends on learning to cooperate with
each other and nature rather than trying to
dominate and manage
Earth Wisdom