1. Environmental History: An Overview
G. Tyler Miller’s
Living in the Environment
13th Edition
Chapter 2

2. Chapter 2 Objectives
1. Describe the changes that generally occur during a cultural revolution. Name the shift that the author of your text proposes we are currently undergoing. 2. Briefly describe hunter-gatherer societies, focusing on division of labor and power, the relationship of humans to nature, the impact of their societies on the environment, their use of energy and material resources, and population size. 3. Describe early forms of agriculture. Describe changes that occurred in human population distribution, employment, relationships between societies, environmental impacts on energy and material resources, and the Earth?s carrying capacity as the Agricultural Revolution unfolded.

3. Chapter 2 Objectives
4. Briefly describe the Industrial Revolution, focusing on changes in energy consumption. Describe relationships between energy consumption and the production and consumption of material goods. List the benefits that are distributed to most citizens of industrial societies. 5. Compare hunter-gatherer societies, agricultural societies, and industrial societies, focusing on division of labor and power, the relationship of population to food supply, the relationship of humans to nature, the use of resources (energy and materials) per person, and the environmental impacts. Project how a sustainable-earth society would fit into this analysis.

4. Chapter 2 Objectives
6. Analyze the amount of time over the course of history that has been used to bring about cultural changes. Include a comparison of the length of time to bring about the Agricultural Revolution and the length of time to bring about the Industrial Revolution. Project an amount of time to bring about a cultural change to an earth-wise society. Suggest modern capabilities that might enable this change to occur. 7. Describe each era of U.S. environmental history, noting the contributions of important people, turning points, and major pieces of environmental legislation.

5. 1500
1850
1870
1880
1906

6. Cultural Changes & the Environment
Timeline
160,000 yrs. – Homo sapiens idaltu
60,000 yrs. – Homo sapiens sapiens
12 – 10,000 yrs. – Agricultural revolution
275 yrs. – Industrial revolution
50 yrs. – Information & Globalization revolution
Hunter - Gathers

7. Hunter-Gatherers
Collected wild edible plant parts, hunted, fished, and scavenged.
Often nomadic… moving with the seasons.
Small bands of 50 or fewer
Expert knowledge of natural surroundings
High infant mortality & death by yrs.
Low environmental impact.

8. Figure 2-2 Page 23 1 Clearing and burning vegetation 4 Allowing
to revegetate
10 to 30 years 2
Planting 3
Harvesting for
2 to 5 years
Figure 2-2 Page 23

9. Agricultural Revolution 10,000 – 12,000 yrs. ago
Gradually settled in agricultural community
Domesticated wild plants & animals
Cleared small areas of land by cutting trees, other plants and slash & burn cultivation.
Often used shifting cultivation
Sustainable cultivation learned by trial and error.
Environmental impact low but
increasing.

10. Industrial-Medical Revolution 275 yrs. ago (1700’s – 1800’s)
Shifts from renewable to nonrenewable
Shifts from local handmade goods to machine made large-scale production of goods.
Population increased and cities grew.
Farming practices, medicine, nutrition and life expectancy grew.
Pollution and poor working conditions grew

11. Information & Globalization Revolution 50 years ago and continues…
Using new technologies for rapid access to increased amounts of information
Involves all parts of the globe on some level.
Techs include: phone, radio, TV, computers, internet, automated databases, and satellites.
Still degrades the environment
Cultural diversity reduced.

12. Environmental History
U.S. Environmental History
Tribal and Frontier Era
Early Conservation Era
The Environmental Era
Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethic

13. Environmental History of the United States: Tribal Era
Tribal Era: Native Americans
Lasted 10,000 years
5 – 10 million people
Hunted, gathered, burned & cleared fields, and planted crops.
Respect for the land and animals.
Did not believe in land ownership
Low environmental impact due to small population & low technology.

14. Environmental History of the United States: Tribal Era
My people, the Blackfeet Indians, have always had a sense of reverence for nature that made us want to move through the world carefully, leaving as little mark behind as possible.
JAMAKE HIGHTOWER

15. Taking over a continent: Frontier Era
Frontier Environmental Movement
Europeans arrive and settle: 1607 – 1890
See land and resources an inexhaustible
Wilderness and nature to be feared and conquered.
Converted public land to private land

16. Environmental History of the United States: The Early Conservation Era
Period:
Concern over resource use
Preservation of public lands
Public health initiatives
Environmental restoration projects

17. Early Conservation Era (1832 – 1960)
A few alarmed at resource depletion & degradation
Urge that part of wilderness be protected

18. Important Figures During The Early Conservation Era
Henry David Thoreau
George Perkins Marsh
John Muir
Theodore Roosevelt
Alice Hamilton
Franklin Roosevelt

19. (1817 – 1862) Henry David Thoreau Early conservationist
Built a cabin at Waldon’s Pond near Concord, Massacheusetts
Lived alone for 2 years
Wrote: Life in the Woods
Spoke against slavery
Men have become the tools of their tools.
Thank God men cannot as yet fly and lay waste the sky as well as the earth!
What is the use of a house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on?

21. (1838 – 1914) 1891 – The Forest Reserve Act of 1981
George Perkins Marsh
Nature preservationist
founded the Sierra Club
Leader of the Preservationist movement
Mainly responsible for the establishment of Yellowstone National Park
Lobbied for a National Park System.

22. (1858 – 1919) President Theodore Roosevelt
writer, explorer, naturalist, birdwatcher
first national politician to bring conservation issues to the attention of the public
persuaded Congress to give the president power to designate public land as wildlife refuges.
tripled the size of the national forest reserves.

23. (1869 – 1970) Alice Hamilton toxicologist, physician, and educator
first woman professor at Harvard Medical University
pioneer in industrial diseases and hygiene
investigated hazards that workers were exposed to, especially toxic materials such as mercury, CO2, lead, etc.

24. Environmental History of the United States: The Environmental Era
Period:
The environmental movement
The science of ecology
Spaceship Earth worldview
1980’s: anti-environmental movement
1990’s: environmental awareness

25. Important Figures During The Environmental Era – Part 1
Rachel Carson: Silent Spring (1962) (See Individuals Matter on p. 33)
Richard Nixon: EPA; ESA
Jimmy Carter: DOE, Superfund

26. Important Figures During The Environmental Era – Part 1
Ronald Reagan: anti-environmentalist
Bill Clinton: environmental concerns a priority
George W. Bush Jr.: environmental concerns not a priority

27. Case Study: Aldo Leopold and His Land Ethic
Individuals are interdependent
Ethics: respect for land
Shift from conqueror to member
Problems arise when land viewed as a commodity
Preservation of the integrity, stability, and beauty of land is right