1. APES NotesCh. 2
Mr. Lesley

2. History of Humans Current form of our species is Homo sapiens sapiens
1. about 60,000 yrs old. Estimate may be as old as 90,000 to 176,000
2. Up until 12,000 to 10,000 years ago we were hunter-gatherers
3. 12,000 yrs ago switched to agriculure
years ago industrial revolution
5. Last 50 yrs-Information revolution

3. Hunter-gatherers Collected edible plants and hunted and scavenged meat
Nomadic groups of 50
Survived through earth wisdom
Short life span
High infant mortality
Population grew very slowly

4. Environmental Impacts of Hunter-gatherers
Started fires to flesh out game
Stampeded wild animals over cliffs
Contributed to change of forests to grasslands
Contributed to the extinction of the Mastodon, Saber Tooth Cats, cave bear, giant sloth, and mammoth
Altered species distribution
Overall low resource use and low environmental impact

5. Agricultural Societies-before the plow
Domestication of wild animals and cultivation of plants
Probably a slow shift that began with hunter-gathers supplementing their food
Began in the tropical forests of Asia, Mexico, and Africa
Practiced slash and burn agriculture
After a plot was used for several years, it was reinvaded by forest and left fallow for 30 years
This is subsistence farming and there was little impact because the plots were small and they had no tools

6. Agricultural Societies- Post Plow
Later, with the invention of the metal plow pulled by animals everything changed
The plow allowed the farmers to grow enough food for their families and to save some for barter
This allowed trade and cities to be set-up. It also caused disputes over land
Now survival of wild animals becomes less important

7. Effects of Agricultural Revolution
Birth rates rose faster than death rates and population increased
People cleared increasingly larger plots of land and destroyed more natural habitat
People began accumulating material goods

8. Relative population size Birth rate and death rate
Stage 1
Preindustrial
Stage 2
Transitional
Stage 3
Industrial
Stage 4
Postindustrial
Low
High
Relative population size
(number per 1,000 per year)
Birth rate and death rate 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10
Birth rate
Death rate
Total population
Low
growth rate
Increasing Growth
growth rate
Very high
growth rate
Decreasing
growth rate
Low
growth rate
Zero
growth rate
Negative
growth rate
Time
Fig , p. 255

9. Industrial Revolution
Began in England in the mid 1700s
Began when England used up all of its forests and substituted coal for wood
Shift from renewable to n on-renewable
This lead to growth in mechanization and factory towns
Fossil fuel powered farm equipment lead to an increased agricultural yield which lead to more people

10. Environmental Impacts
Reduced infant mortality
Raised life expectancy which lead to more people
Better health
Birth control
Education
Affordable goods
income

11. Globalization and The Information Revolution
Cultural shift to new technologies such as TV, computers an internet
Hard to know what the impacts will be

12. Possible Impacts
Help us understand more about the Earth and how systems work
Allow us to respond to problems faster
Use technology to monitor changes in the Earth
More sophisticated technology to model complex systems
Technology to reduce pollution and use materials more effectively

13. Bad Stuff about it
Cause confusion, distraction, and a sense of hopelessness because of information overload
Increase environmental degradation and homogenization of world cultures
We are developing new technologies before we can evaluate their impact

14. The Conservation era 1832-1870: Early Conservationists
They urged unspoiled wilderness be managed by the government for future generations
George Caitlin
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Henry David Thoreau
George Perkins Marsh

15. Conservationists
: environmental concern grows because of yellow fever, typhoid fever, cholera, garbage, air pollution, unsafe factories, contaminated water
1891 Forest Reserve Act: established the responsibilty of the federal government to protec public lands
1892: John Muir formed the Sierra club

16. 1901-1907: Golden Era of Conservation
Theodore Roosevelt was president
Persuaded congress to give the president the power to designate public land as wildlife refuges
Established the bureau of reclamation
Tripled the size of forest reserves
1905: Congress created the US Forest service to manage and protect forest reserves. Gifford Pinchot was the first chief
1912: US National Park System was created
The passenger pigeon became extinct

17. Hetch-Hetchy Decision: divided the conservationists into two groups.
Preservationists
Believed humans should protect nature, not conquer it
John Muir
Wise Use
Believed resources should be used wisely to enhance the nation’s economic growth
Gifford Pinchot
Theodore Roosevelt

18. Both groups opposed delivering public lands into the hands of a few for profit
Both would be disappointed by what has happened over the years

19.
The 1930s was the great depression and Franklin Roosevelt was president
Low cost purchase of large tracts of land from cash poor landowners
Started Civilian Conservation Corp
Built large dams to get cheap water to CA
Enacted the Soil Conservation Act of 1935 that was for combating the problem of soil erosion

20. The 1960s
Rachel Carson published silent spring, which documented how DDT was killing wildlife. The beginning of the environmental Era.

21. The 1960s
1964 Wilderness Act allowed the government to protect large tracts of public land as part of the National Wilderness System
science of ecology was created to understand earth
Cuyahoga River caught fire and burned for eight days

22. 1960s Massive air pollution in New York leaves 300 dead
Lake Erie beaches closed due to pollution
Santa Barbara coastline heavily polluted by leaking offshore oil rigs.
Foam in rivers from pollution

23. The 1970s April 20th first Earth Day
1970 Richard Nixon created EPA (the Environmental Protection Agency
1973 OPEC oil embargo
1974 CFCs found to be creating ozone hole
1978 Love Canal
1979 Three Mile Island

24. 1980s
The Wise Use movement was formed which was an industrial coalition aimed at destroying all the environmental laws