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
1.
2.
3.
4.
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
1.
2.
3.
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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

Small environmental impact
due to:
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Understanding of
environment
Low population
Low resource use
Migration to allow reparation
Lack of technology
Cultural Changes and the
Environment
Agricultural Revolution

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Began 10-12,000 years ago
H-G  settled & created agricultural
communities
Plant cultivation developed
 Slash and burn/shifting
cultivation
 Sustainable: grow food enough for
living; want resources available
for future generations!
 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
Pick 3 examples of
each to ADD to your
notes! 
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

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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

Cultural shifts
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Renewable (wood, water)  nonrenewable
Localized goods large scale, machine made
Rural (country living)  urban (city-living)
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
Pick 2 examples of
each to ADD to your
notes! 
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

Information and Global Revolution

1950’s
New technology to gain rapid access to global info
 TV
 Telephone
 Satellites
 Computers
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:
1. Tribal
2. Frontier
3. Early conservation
4. Environmental
Environmental History of the US
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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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
Conservation Era
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Conservation Era (1832-1960)
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Concern over resource use
Preservation of public land
Public health initiatives
Environmental restoration projects
Environmental History of the US
Environmental Era

Environmental Era
(1960-2010)
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Science of Ecology
1980’s: antienvironmental
movement
1990’s:
environmental
awareness

George Perkins Marsh

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A scientist and member of congress
Questioned the idea that resources were
inexhaustible
Created resource conservation principles
we still use today
Example: We will conserve forests, so
we can use them later—wood, etc.
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John Muir
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Founded the Sierra Club
Preservation
Preserve areas for aesthetics (beauty of
nature!)
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Theodore Roosevelt
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Conservationists whose term in office was
known as the “Golden Age of
Conservation”.
Designated the Grand Canyon as one of the
first 16 national parks.
More than tripled the size of the national
forest reserves.

Rachel Carson

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Wrote the book “Silent Spring” about
the dangers of pesticides.
Contributed to the ban of DDT
Environmental Challenges of
the 21st Century
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The threat of climate
change
Growing water shortages
Continuing population
growth
Continuing biodiversity loss
Continuing poverty
Topography Song-Rules

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT4Fx
KyE7QQ