Environmental History: Learning from the Past APES Chapter #2 Environmental History: Learning from the Past

Cultural Changes and the Environment Human History 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 Began 10-12,000 yrs ago Industrial revolution 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 More energy and technology Increased food production Expansion of human population Increase in resource use

Cultural Changes and the Environment Hunters-Gatherers Most of our existence 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: Understanding of natural surrounding Low population Low resource use Migration to allow reparation Lack of technology

Cultural Changes and the Environment Agricultural Revolution 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 Clearing and burning vegetation 4 Allowing to revegetate 10 to 30 years 2 Planting 3 Harvesting for 2 to 5 years

Agricultural Revolution Good News Bad News More food Destruction of wildlife habitats from clearing forests and grasslands Supported a larger population Killing of wild animals feeding on grass or crops Longer life expectancy Fertile land turned into desert by livestock overgrazing Higher standard of living for many people Soil eroded streams and lakes Formation of villages, towns, and cities Towns and cities concentrated wastes and pollution and increased spread of diseases Towns and cities served as centers for trade, government, and religion Increase in armed conflict and slavery over ownership of land and water resources

Cultural Changes and the Environment Industrial/Medical Revolution 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 Renewable (wood, water)  nonrenewable Localized goods large scale, machine made Rural  urban Increased crop yields/acre w/ farm machinery Population ↑ sharply Environmental impact ↑

Industrial-Medical Revolution Trade-Offs Industrial-Medical Revolution Good News Bad News Mass production of useful and affordable products Increased air pollution Increased water pollution Higher standard of living for many Increased waste pollution Greatly increased agricultural production Soil depletion and degradation Lower infant mortality Groundwater depletion Longer life expectancy Increased urbanization Habitat destruction and degradation Lower rate of population growth Biodiversity depletion

Cultural Changes and the Environment Information and Global Revolution New technology to gain rapid access to global info TV Telephone Satellites Computers Did You Know?

Information-Globalization Revolution 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 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 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 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 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…. Theodore Roosevelt 1901-1908 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…. 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. 1940’s and 50’s had little change

Environmental History of the US Environmental Era 1960’s 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 Environmental decade 1970-1st Earth Day Nixon 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” Sagebrush rebellion is where miners, ranchers, loggers joined together to try to persuade government to release hold and lease or sell lands

Environmental History of the US Environmental Era 1970’s cont….. Jimmy Carter 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 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 Passage of Clean Air Act Amendments into Law Tightened emissions from automobiles, Established procedures for regulating hazardous air pollutants Regulated the use and emissions of ozone-destroying chemicals.

Environmental History of the US Environmental Era 1990-2004 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 1990-2012 George Bush Jr Just like dad Withdrew US totally from Kyoto treaty

Environmental History of the US Environmental Era 1990-2012 Barack Obama http://change.gov/agenda/energy_and_environment_agenda/

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.