APES Chapter #2
Environmental History:
Learning from the Past
Cultural Changes and the
Environment
Human History
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Homo sapiens have been
on Earth 160,000 years
Until 12,000 years ago we
were hunter-gatherers,
moving as we needed for
food
Cultural Changes and the
Environment
Three Cultural Changes

Agricultural revolution
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Industrial revolution
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Began 10-12,000 yrs ago
150 years ago
Information and globalization revolution

50 years ago
Cultural Changes and the
Environment
Three Cultural Changes

Have increased our impact on
environment in several ways
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More energy and technology
Increased food production
Expansion of human population
Increase in resource use
Cultural Changes and the
Environment
Hunters-Gatherers
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Most of our existence
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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
Cultural Changes and the
Environment
Hunters-Gatherers
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Small environmental impact
due to:
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Understanding of natural
surrounding
Low population
Low resource use
Migration to allow reparation
Lack of technology
Cultural Changes and the
Environment
Agricultural Revolution

Agricultural Revolution
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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
1
4
Clearing
and burning
vegetation
2
Allowing
to revegetate
10 to 30 years
3
Planting
Harvesting for
2 to 5 years
Agricultural Revolution
Good News
More food
Supported a larger population
Longer life expectancy
Higher standard of living for
many people
Bad News
Destruction of wildlife habitats
from clearing forests and
grasslands
Killing of wild animals feeding on
grass or crops
Fertile land turned into desert
by livestock overgrazing
Soil eroded streams and lakes
Formation of villages, towns,
and cities
Towns and cities served as
centers for trade, government,
and religion
Towns and cities concentrated
wastes and pollution and
increased spread of diseases
Increase in armed
conflict and slavery
over ownership of land
and water resources
Cultural Changes and the
Environment
Industrial/Medical Revolution

Industrial/Medical
Revolution
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Began in England in
1700’s
U.S. in 1800’s
Huge shift in culture
Cultural Changes and the
Environment
Industrial/Medical Revolution
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Cultural shifts
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Renewable (wood, water)  nonrenewable
Localized goods large scale, machine made
Rural  urban
Increased crop yields/acre w/ farm machinery
Population ↑ sharply
Environmental impact ↑
Trade-Offs
Industrial-Medical Revolution
Good News
Mass production of useful and
affordable products
Higher standard of living for
many
Greatly increased agricultural
production
Bad News
Increased air pollution
Increased water pollution
Increased waste pollution
Soil depletion and degradation
Lower infant mortality
Longer life expectancy
Increased urbanization
Groundwater depletion
Habitat destruction and degradation
Lower rate of population growth
Biodiversity depletion
Cultural Changes and the
Environment
Information and Global Revolution
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Information and Global Revolution
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1950’s
New technology to gain rapid access to global info
 TV
 Telephone
 Satellites
 Computers
Did You Know?
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
Environmental History of the
United States
4 Eras

The environmental history of the US can be
divided into 4 eras:
 Tribal
 Frontier
 Early conservation
 Environmental
Environmental History of the US
Tribal Era
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Tribal Era
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Native Americans
10,000 years before
European settlement
Hunter Gatherers
Slash and burn/shifting
cultivation
Small population
Low environmental impact
Environmental History of the US
Frontier Era
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Frontier Era
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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
Environmental History of the US
Early Conservation Era
1832-1870
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Early Conservation Era
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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.
Environmental History of the US
Early Conservation Era
1870-1930
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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
Environmental History of the US
Early Conservation Era
1870-1930 cont….
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Theodore Roosevelt 1901-1908
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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”
Environmental History of the US
Early Conservation Era
1870-1930 cont….
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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!!
Environmental History of the US
Early Conservation Era
1930-1960

Franklin D. Roosevelt
(FDR)
1933-Civil Conservation
Corp (CCC)
 2 million people
employed
 Restore degraded
environment, built dams,
etc.
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1940’s and 50’s had little
change
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)
Policy in the United States
Primary forces
involved in
making
environmental
policy at the
federal level in
the United States.
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;
Environmental Groups
• Worldwatch Institute serves as a think tank
and research center to compile and communicate
environmental information;
• Greenpeace focuses public attention by activism.
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.
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Environmental History of the US
Environmental Era
1960’s
Environmental Era
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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
Environmental History of the US
Environmental Era
1970’s
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Environmental decade
1970-1st Earth Day
Nixon
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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”
Environmental History of the US
Environmental Era
1970’s cont…..
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Jimmy Carter
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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
Environmental History of the US
Environmental Era
1980’s
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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
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
Environmental History of the US
Environmental Era
1990-2004
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Clinton protected more public
lands as national monuments
than any other President.
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
Environmental History of the US
Environmental Era
1990-2004
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George Bush Jr
 Just like dad
 Withdrew US totally
from Kyoto treaty
We’ll see what’s next!
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