Environmental History
Ancient Civilizations
and Their Collapse
• Norse Greenland Civilization – Vikings settled
a small area located next to water and
covered with vegetation. Three factors led to
their collapse. Deforestation, overgrazing, and
removing turf for insolation.
Ancient Civilizations
and Their Collapse
• Sumerian Civilization – 4000 B.C. highly
advanced Sumerian civilization settled in the
flood plains of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
in present day Iraq. Discovered long term
irrigation leads to soil salinization. Poor
underground drainage slowly raised the water
table to the surface and evaporation left salts
that sharply reduced crop productivity.
• Iceland – Settlers in the late 9th and 10th century destroyed most of the
vegetation for settlements, soil erosion became prevalent and volcanic soils
take a long time to build up. Settlers noticed what was occurring and took
corrective actions to save the vegetation and conserve the soil. Stopped
raising ecologically harmful pigs and goats, estimated how many sheep the
grasslands could sustain and divided the allotted quotas among
themselves. They learned to fish, how to tap into hot springs and heated
rock formations for geothermal power, and how to use hydroelectric
power. Iceland is now one of the leaders in Environmental Sustainability.
U.S. Environmental History
• Divided into four eras
– Tribal Era: 5-10 million tribal people occupied North America
10,000 years before European Settlers. Had low impact ways of
life because of their low numbers and low resource use per
person.
– Frontier Era: (1607-1890) frontier environmental world view,
wilderness should be conquered and managed for human use.
Public land given away to private interest like railroads, schools,
mining and timber companies, homesteaders etc.
– Early conservation Era: (1832-1870) people became aware of
resource depletion. Advocates such as Henry David Thoreau and
George Perkins Marsh
– Conservation Era: (1870-Present) political battle between
conservationists and private energy and resource companies.
Economy vs. Conservation/Health
1870-1930
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1870 – First wildlife refuge established at Lake Merritt, California.
1872- Yellowstone National Park, American Forestry Association, American Public Health Association formed.
1880 – Killer fog in London kills 700 people
1890 – Frontier is closed. Yosemite National Park established.
1891 – Forest Reserve Act (Pres. Can set aside forest reserves.)
1892 – Sierra Club (John Muir) Killer fog in London kills 1,000 people
1893 – remaining American Bison given refuge in Yellowstone National Park
1900 – Lacey Act bans interstate shipment of birds killed in violation of state laws.
1902 – Reclamation Act promotes irrigation and water development projects in the west.
1903 – 1st National Wildlife refuge established at Pelican Island, Florida.
1904 – Child Lead Poisoning linked to lead-based paints.
1905 – US Forest Service, Audubon Society created.
1906 – Antiquities Act allows president to set aside areas on federal lands as national monuments. Pure Food and
Drug Act enacted.
1908 – Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius “increased emissions from burning fossil fuels will lead to global
warming.
1911 – Weeks Act allows Forest Service to purchase land at headwaters of navigable streams as part of national
Forest System.
1912 – Public Health Service Act authorizes government investigation of water pollution.
1915 – Ecologists form Ecological Society of America.
1916 – National Park Service Act creates National Park System and National Park Service.
1918 - Migratory Bird Act restricts hunting of Migratory birds.
1920-1927 – Public health boards established in most cities
1930-1960
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1933 – Civilian Conservation Corps established
1934 – Taylor Grazing Act regulates livestock grazing on public lands. Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act requires
federal license for duck hunters, with funds used for waterfowl refuges. Dust Bowl storms begin in Midwest.
1935 – Soil Conservation Act creates Soil Erosion Service. Wilderness Society founded.
1937 – Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act levies federal tax on gun and ammunition sales, with funds used for
wildlife research and protection. Term greenhouse effect coined by Professor Glen Trewaha.
1938 – Federal Food , Drug and Cosmetic Act regulates consumer foods, drugs, and cosmetics.
1940 – US Fish and Wildlife Service created to manage national Wildlife refuge system and protect endangered
species.
1941 – Rooftop solar water heaters widely used in Florida.
1947 – Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act regulates use of pesticides. Everglades National Park
and Defenders of Wildlife founded.
1948 – Air pollution disaster at Donora Pennsylvania, kills 20 and sickens 7,000 people.
1949 – Aldo Leopold’s Sand County Almanac published.
1950 – The Nature Conservancy formed.
1952 – 4,000 people die in London Killer Smog.
1954 – Atomic Energy Act promotes development of nuclear power plants.
1956 – Water Pollution Control Act provides grants to states for water treatment plants. 1,000 people killed in
London Smog incident.
1957 – Price-Anderson Act greatly limits liability of power plant owners and the government in cases of a major
nuclear power plant accident.
1960-1970
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1961 – World Wildlife Fund Founded
1962 – Rachel Carson Silent Spring published. Alerts public about harmful effects
of pesticides. 750 die in London smog incident
1963 – 300 deaths and 1,000 of illnesses in New York City from air pollution. Clean
Air Act begins with stricter admendments in 1965, 1970, and 1990.
1964 – Wilderness Act establishes National Wilderness System.
1965 – Land and Water Conservation Act authorizes federal funds for local state
and federal purchase of open space and parkland.
1967 – Environmental Defense Fund formed.
1968 – Paul Ehrlich The Population Bomb published. Garrett Hardin Tragedy of
the Commons article published. UN Biosphere Conference to discuss global
environmental problems.
1969 – Cuyahoga River catches fire due to oil pollution. Oil Well leaks off of Santa
Barbara, California kill wildlife and pollute beaches. Environmental Policy Act
requires federal agencies to evaluate environmental impact of their actions.
Apollo mission photo of the earth from space leads to spaceship-earth
environmental worldview.
1970-1980
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1970 – First EARTH DAY, EPA, Occupational Health and Safety Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Air Act, Natural Resources Defense Council
1971 – Biologist Barry Commoner publishes The Closing Circle explain ecological problems and calling for
pollution prevention.
1972 – Oregon passes first beverage bottle recycling law, David Brower - Earth Island Institute, Federal
Environmental Pesticide Control Act, Ocean Dumping Act, Marine protection and, Research, and
Sanctuaries Act, Coastal Zone Management Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, Consumer Product
Safety Act, UN conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, Sweden.
1973 – OPEC cuts off oil to nations supporting Israel. Lead Base Poisoning Act, Convention
1974 – Roland and Molina suggest CFC’s are depleting the ozone. Worldwatch Institute, Safe Drinking
Water Act
1975 – Energy Policy and Conservation Act
1976 – National Forest Management Act, Substances Control Act, RCRA requires tracking of hazardous
waste, Noise Control Act, regulates harmful noise level. UN Conference on Human Settlements.
1977 –Clean Water Act, Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. Soft Energy Paths published by
Amory B. Lovins calls for switch from fossil/nuclear power to solar power. US Department of Energy
created.
1978 - Love Canal, New York, housing development evacuated because toxic wastes, leaking from old
dumpsite, Federal land Policy and Management Act strengthens public land regulation.
1979 – Three Mile Island accident. Oil shortage because of revolution in Iran
1980’s
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1980 – Superfund law passed to clean up abandoned toxic waste dumps. Alaska
National Interest Lands Conservation Act protects 42 million hectares (104 million
acres) of land in Alaska.
1983 – EPA and National Academy of Sciences publish reports finding that buildup of
carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases will lead to global warming.
1984 – Toxic fumes leaking from pesticide plant in Bhopal India kill at least 6000 people,
injure 50,00-60,000. Lester R. Brown publishes first annual State of the World report.
1985 – Scientist discover annual seasonal thinning of the ozone Layer above Antarctica.
1986 – Explosion of Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. Times Beach, Missouri
evacuated and bought by EPA because of dioxin contamination.
1987 – Montreal Protocol to have emissions of ozone-depleting CFC’s signed by 24
countries. International Basel Convention controls movement of hazardous waste
between countries.
1988 – Industry-backed wise-use movement established to counter environmental
movement. Biologist E.O. Wilson publishes Biodiversity, detailing how human activities
are affecting the earth’s diversity of species.
1989 – Exxon Valdez oil tanker accident in Alaska’s Prince William Sound
1990’s
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1990 – 21st annual Earth Day, Clean Air act amended to increase regulation of air
pollution and trading of air pollution credits. National Environmental Education Act
authorizes funding of environmental education programs at elementary and
secondary school level.
1991- Persian Gulf War to protect oil in Middle East. Moratorium on mining in
Antarctica for 50 years. National People of Color Summit to promote
environmental justice.
1992 – UN environmental summit at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Biological Diversity.
1993 – The Ecology of Commerce discussing relationships between ecology and
business
1994 – UN conference on Population Development held in Egypt. Desert
Protection Act.
1995 – Cruzen, Molina, and Rowland win Noble Prize for work on ozone depletion
by CFC’s (chloroflurocarbons)
1996 – Theo Coburn publishes Our Stolen Future warning about hormone
disrupting chemicals
1997- Meeting in Kyoto, Japan to negotiate treaty to help slow global warming
2000’s
• 2000 - Pres. Bill Clinton protects large areas in national
forests from roads and logging, designates large parcels of
public land as national monuments.
• 2001 – UN International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
cites new and stronger evidence that human activities
contribute to global warming
• 2007- IPCC issues new report concluding that 90-99% of
human activities burning fossil fuels have led to the
warming of the atmosphere for the past 50 years
• 2008 – no real progress has been made with major
environmental problems such as biodiversity degradation,
energy policy, and projected climate change from global
warming.
EPI
Environmental Performance Index
• In 2014 the U.S. was ranked 33rd out of 178
countries on the EPI.
• http://epi.yale.edu/epi/country-rankings
What to know for the Test
Understand and Explain:
• What happened to the Sumerian, Viking, and Iceland ancient civilizations
• The four eras of US environmental History
• The differences between Lake Merritt, California and Pelican Island, Florida
• Forest Reserve Act
• Antiquities Act
• Soil conservation Act
• Atomic Energy Act
• Clean Air Act and it’s amendments
• The significance of the Apollo mission photo of earth from space
• Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
• Occupational Health and Safety Act
• Clean Water Act
• Superfund
• Montreal Protocol
• Exxon-Valdez
• Kyoto Protocol
• FOREST RESERVE ACT – president can set aside
forest areas
• ANTIQUITIES ACT – president can set aside public
lands as national monuments to protect artifacts
• SOIL CONSERVATION ACT – to improve and
preserve soil resources by paying farmers
subsidies to reduce production
• ATOMIC ENERGY ACT - 1946 –
control/management of nuclear technology
– 1954 – amended to make information accessible to
the private sector
• CLEAN AIR ACT – 1963 – est. EPA research
– 1967- Research Expanded
– 1970 – FED/STATE regulations increased, mobile
sources included, federal enforcement expanded
– 1990 – acid rain, ozone depletion, permit systems,
new gas reformulation regulations
• OSHA – workplace safety
• RCRA – disposal of solid/hazardous waste
• CLEAN WATER ACT – reduce point/nonpoint
source pollution to restore chemical,
biological, physical Integrity. Does not address
ground water.
• Superfund – CERCLA – Comprehensive
Environmental Response Compensation and
Liability Act. Clean up contaminated sites w/
hazardous waste
• Montreal Protocol – reduce CFC’s in the
atomsphere
• Kyoto Protocol – reduce global warming
• Exxon Valdez – 54th largest oil spill in the
world, 2nd largest oil spill in United States,
damaged coast of Alaska