APES Chapter #2
Environmental History: Learning from the Past
Cultural Changes and the Environment
Human History
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Cultural Changes and the Environment
Three Cultural Changes
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Cultural Changes and the Environment
Three Cultural Changes
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Cultural Changes and the Environment
Hunters-Gatherers
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Cultural Changes and the Environment
Hunters-Gatherers
Small environmental impact due to:
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Cultural Changes and the Environment
Agricultural Revolution
Agricultural Revolution
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Cultural Changes and the Environment
Industrial/Medical Revolution
Industrial/Medical Revolution
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Cultural Changes and the Environment
Industrial/Medical Revolution
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Cultural Changes and the Environment
Information and Global Revolution
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and Global Revolution-
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Environmental History of the
United States 4 Eras
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The environmental history of the US can be divided into 4 eras:
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Tribal
Era-
Environmental History of the US
Tribal Era
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Frontier
Era-
Environmental History of the US
Frontier Era
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Early
Environmental History of the US
Early Conservation Era
1832-1870
Conservation Era-
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Environmental History of the US
Early Conservation Era
1870-1930
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Environmental History of the US
Early Conservation Era 1870-1930 cont….
Theodore
Roosevelt _________________________
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1906-Antiquities Act President
“Golden Age of Conservation”
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Environmental History of the US
Early Conservation Era
1870-1930 cont….
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GOOD THING!!
Environmental History of the US
Early Conservation Era
1930-1960
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Environmental History of the US
Environmental Era
1960’s
Environmental Era
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1962-Rachel Carson published Silent Spring about pesticide effects
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Environmental History of the US
Environmental Era 1970’s
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1970-1st Earth Day
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“Sagebrush rebellion”
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Jimmy Carter
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Environmental History of the US
Environmental Era 1980’s
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Environmental History of the US
Environmental Era 1990-2004 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
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Environmental History of the US
Environmental Era 1990-2004
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George Bush Jr
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Just like dad
Environmental History of the US
Environmental Era 1990-2004
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We’ll see what’s next!
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Frontline’s Hot Politics
1. Describe the impact of one specific piece of national environmental legislation in your
own bioregion.
2. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between biocentric preservation
and utilitarian conservation.
3. Describe the environmental impact of an environmental “incident” (fire, hazardous
materials spill, ecosystem disruption- either natural or man-made) in your bioregion.
How has this incident affected the local economy?
4. If you were a member of Congress, what legislation would you introduce to deal with
each of these problems?
a. Toxic materials from a major sanitary landfill are polluting rural drinking water
wells.
b. Acid rain from a coal-burning power plant in a nearby state is harming the trees in
your state. Loggers and foresters are upset.
c. Oceanfront property is at risk from sea-level rise caused by global warming.
4. Following the 2010 oil platform collapse and associated oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico,
Congress began considering new laws regulating deep-ocean oil drilling. Do you think
command and control or incentive-based regulations would be more effective? Explain
5. Explain how environmental taxes can be revenue neutral.