Environmental Science
Name: ______________________________
Chapter 1: Science and the Environment
Goal: The student will describe the major environmental effects of hunter-gathers, the agricultural revolution,
and the Industrial Revolution.
Vocabulary:
1. Agriculture -
Chapter 1.2: Understanding Our Environment
Our Environment Through Time
Environmental change is not a modern issue. Wherever humans have hunted, grown food or settled, they have
changed the environment. (ex: NYC now stands where Native Americans hunted game and gathered food).
This change has occurred over the past 300 years. Moreover, the 21st century is a crucial time in human history;
a time to find solutions that will allow people all over our planet to live in clean, healthy environments and have
all the resources they need for a good life.
Hunter-Gatherers
For most of history, people were hunter-gatherers (obtain food by collecting plants and by hunting wild animals
or scavenging). Early group of hunter-gatherers were small and migrated to find food that came ripe during
certain times of the year. Some people in New Guinea and in the rain forests of South America are considered
hunter-gatherers even today.
Early Native American tribes affected the grassland areas by setting fire to the prairies in order to prevent the
growth of trees. They kept the areas as open grasslands so they could hunt bison. In addition, hunter-gatherers
groups probably helped to spread plant species to areas where those plants did not grow originally.
Some large mammal species (giant sloths, giant bison, mastodons, cave bears and saber-toothed cats) may have
become extinct due to the overhunting of the hunter-gatherers and the rapid climate change in North America.
The Agricultural Revolution
Eventually, hunter-gatherer groups starting collecting plant seeds and started domesticating some of the
animals. The practice of agriculture (the practice of growing, breeding and caring for plants and animals)
started in many different parts of the world as a result of these practices over 10,000 years ago. This
“agricultural revolution” had a dramatic impact on human societies and their environment. It allowed human
populations to grow at unprecedented rates. Humans began to concentrate in smaller areas, putting increased
pressure on local environments. This agricultural revolution also changed the food we eat. Most of the food we
eat today descended from wild plants. At harvest, farmers would collect the seeds from plants that produced the
most desirable traits and would plant them the next year.
Farming was replacing grasslands, forests and wetlands. One of the earliest ways to clear the land was to ‘slash
and burn’ the areas. This practice led to soil loss, floods and water shortages. People were practicing poor
farming methods and left the area unable to support growth. This caused widespread environmental effects
when the soil became water-logged and contaminated by salts.
The Industrial Revolution
For almost 10,000 years the tools of human societies were powered by humans or animals. In the middle
1700’s, the onset of the Industrial Revolution changed this pattern. People moved from using animal muscle to
power the machinery to using running water and fossil fuels (coal, oil). This shift greatly increased the
efficiency of agriculture, industry and transportation.
Large scale production of goods became less expensive than handmade goods, farm machinery reduced the
amount of human labor on farms, and fewer people grew their own food, thus increasing populations in urban
areas. Food and goods were transported cheaply across great distance by way of motorized vehicles.
Improving Quality of Life
The Industrial Revolution introduced many positive changes. They made life easier for us but in return, many
of the problems that exist today are a result of the Industrial Revolution. The invention of the light bulbs
improved our quality of life, agricultural productivity increased, sanitation, nutrition and medical care vastly
improved. With every improvement, environmental issues were introduced (pollution, habitat loss).
In the 1900’s, modern societies started using artificial substances in place of raw animal and plant products (ex:
plastics, pesticides, fertilizers).
Lesson Reflection:
Complete the graphic organizer by providing the characteristics and the effect on the environment
created by the hunter-gatherers, the agricultural revolution and the Industrial Revolution.
Assessment:
1. Explain how hunter-gathers affected the environment in which they lived.
2. Describe the major environmental effects of the agricultural revolution and the Industrial Revolution.
Active Reading: Understanding Our Environment
Lesson Extension (Technology/Application/Connection to Real World):
The Story of Stuff video w/handout