Earth Systems & Resources

Transcription

1 Earth Systems & Resources

2 Essential Learning Questions / Objectives Define three major cultural and environmental changes that have occurred since humans were hunter-gatherers. Describe the environmental history of the United States in terms of the Tribal and Frontier Eras, the Early Conservation Era, and the Environmental Era. Compare slash-and-burn agricultural practices with the modern advanced forms of farming. State the advantages and disadvantages of each. List individuals who made major contributions to conservation/environmental movements in the United States and briefly describe these contributions. Define environmental backlash. Briefly describe the effects of this backlash. Summarize the key environmental events of the 1980s in the U.S. and the World Compare and contrast the environmental policies of the Clinton administration and the Bush administration.

3 Early History Earth has existed for an estimated 4.6 billion years Homo sapiens have been on earth only about years Until about 12,000 years ago men were mostly hunter-gatherers.

4 Cultural Changes & the Environment Hunter-Gatherers Humans (Homo sapiens) have been in existence for about 160,000 years, a mere blink of an eye in terms of biological life. (early humans lived off the land nomadic) Agricultural (Neolithic) Revolution (10,000 to 12,000 years ago) Industrial-Medical Revolution (began in the 1700 s in England Progressed to United States in the 1800 s) Information and Globalization Revolution (since 1950 and especially since 1970)

5 Hunter-Gatherers Survived by eating edible wild plants, fishing, hunting, and scavenging meat killed by other animals Lived in small bands Were nomads They discovered: o Which plants and animals could be eaten and used as medicine o Where to find water o How plant availability changed throughout the year o How game animals migrated

6 Advanced Hunters-Gatherers Used more advanced tools and fire Contributed to the extinction of some animals (sabertoothed tiger) Altered distribution of plants by carrying seeds OVERALL IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT WAS LOW DUE TO: o Small population o Low resource use/person o Migration allowed ecosystem to repair itself o Lack of technology

7 Agricultural Revolution 10,000-12,000 years ago Also called Neolithic revolution Gradual shift from nomads to settling in agricultural communities Domesticated animals and cultivated wild plants

8 Slash-and-Burn Cultivation Slash and Burn did destroy local environment, but was usually very small and had a limited impact. Still a problem in some parts of developing World. (Amazon)

9 1 Clearing and burning vegetation Allowing to revegetate 10 to 30 years 4 2 Planting 3 Harvesting for 2 to 5 years

10 The Agricultural Revolution: Trade offs

11 The Agricultural Revolution Most early farmers practiced SUSTAINABLE CULTIVATION Had little impact on the environment because: o Depended on human muscle power and crude tools o Low population size and density o Land was available for movement to other areas

12 The Industrial Revolution

13 The Industrial Revolution Began in England in the mid 1700 s and in America in the 1800 s Based on dependence on coal (nonrenewable fossil fuel) rather than renewable wood Invention of the steam engine Switched from small-scale localized production to large-scale production of machine-made goods. People began to live longer Movement from rural to cities o Often very bad living and working conditions

14 Resulted in: Fossil-fuel powered farm machinery New plant-breeding techniques increasing yield per acre More reliable food supply Longer life spans Increase in population size

15 Information & Globalization Revolution Many new technologies telephone, computers, tv, etc Automated data bases Remote sensing satellites A shift took place where humans moved from relying on wood and flowing water to a dependence on machines run by nonrenewable fossil fuels (first coal, then later oil and natural gas)

16 The Industrial-Medical Revolution Dramatic Increase in Environmental Impact Factory towns grew polluted, noisy and very hazardous. (air pollution, water pollution, toxics) Coal smoke filled cities. Fossil fuels powered larger farm machines for larger farms.

17 The Industrial-Medical Revolution

18 Cultural Changes & the Environment: The Information/Globalization Revolution Information Revolution Since the 1950s we have moved towards technologies to share information rapidly on a global scale. Global access to information can help us understand and respond to environmental problems, but can lead to information overload.

19 The Information/Globalization Revolution

20 Review What major human cultural changes have taken place and how have they impacted the environment? Describe hunter-gather, agricultural, industrial, and globalization societies. List several trade offs of each. When did humans begin to shift away from renewable resources? Describe slash and burn techniques. How did the impact on the US environment shift from tribal to frontier times. Describe both eras.

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22 U.S. Environmental History Movements & Timeline

23 Informational Poster You are going to make an informational poster. Your poster will include: A title for your poster ( Jimmy Carter & the Environment or Environmental Protection Agency ) Colored picture of your person or event (yes you can print it offline) Description of all important contributions to bettering the environment. All Data Sources listed on the back of the poster!!!! Needs to be viewable from 10 Feet Away or more Must grab the Views Attention and teach them something in less than a minute. Be ready to present!

24 Bill Clinton George W. Bush Three Mile Island (1979) Pennsylvania, United States Union Carbide Pesticide Plant (1984) Bhopal, India Chernobyl (1986) Ukraine Times Beach, Missouri (1986) Exxon Valdez (1989) BP Gulf Oil Spill (2010) Ronald Reagan The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) & the sagebrush rebellion Richard Nixon: Jimmy Carter: Minamata Bay, Japan Methyl Mercury (1959) Rachel Carson: Silent Spring (1962) Oil polluted Cuyahoga River flowing through Cleveland, Ohio Paul Ehrlich The Population Bomb (1968) Garrett Hardin Tragedy of the Commons (1968) Barry Commoner-The Closing Circle (1971) Aldo Leopold Sand County Almanac (1949) Henry David Thoreau George Perkins Marsh John Muir Theodore Roosevelt Gifford Pinchot Franklin Roosevelt Warren Harding Calvin Coolidge Herbert Hoover Antiquities Act of 1906 The National Park Service Act was passed by Congress in 1916 The Forest Reserve Act of 1891

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26 Environmental History of the United States The Tribal Era The Frontier Era ( ) The Early Conservation Era ( ) The Environmental Era (1960 Present)

27 The Tribal and Frontier Eras Tribal Era: Native Americans: 5-10 million tribal people Native Americans for at least 10,000 years caused some extinctions, but generally were low-impact hunter-gather or agricultural societies Most cultures had a deep reverence for nature and did not believe in land ownership. Impacts of the Frontier Environmental Worldview The near extinction of the American Bison Frontier Environmental Worldview: European Settlement ( ) Resources were thought to be inexhaustible The land was viewed as hostile, dangerous, and needing to be conquered The frontier was to be conquered, and this attitude is still a part of American culture

28 The Early Conservation Era ( ) A few people warned Americans of resource base degradation, but now many listened to warnings Conservationists urged protection of public wilderness areas Henry David Thoreau wrote Life in the Woods, an environmental classic about his observations of nature for two years in the Massachusetts woods George Perkins Marsh, a scientist and Vermont legislator, published Man and Nature in 1864 in which he presented studies to show resources must be conserved

29 The Early Conservation Era ( ) Between 1870 and 1930, the role of the federal government and private citizens increased to protect natural resources The Forest Reserve Act of 1891 established that federal government was responsible for protecting public lands from exploitation. John Muir was a geologist and naturalist who founded the Sierra Club in He lobbied for conservation laws, he led the preservationist movement to limit use of public wilderness to hiking and camping, he lobbied for a National Park system, and he was responsible for establishing Yosemite National Park in 1890

30 The Early Conservation Era ( ) President Theodore Roosevelt ( ) established wildlife reserves and tripled the size of national forest reserves. He persuaded Congress to grant the president power to designate public land as federal wildlife reserves The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) was created in 1905 with Gifford Pinchot as its first chief. The Antiquities Act of 1906 allows the president to protect areas of scientific or historical interest on federal lands as national monuments. In 1907 Congress banned executive withdrawals of public forests. Roosevelt is considered to be the best environmental president. The National Park Service Act was passed by Congress in 1916

31 The Early Conservation Era ( ) Set backs to early conservation Presidents Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover promoted resource removal from public lands at low prices to stimulate economic growth Hoover proposed selling all public lands to private interests for economic development. The Great Depression was devastating for the nation, but forestalled the purchase of public lands by private interests Attempts at restoration In the 1930s the government bought land and hired workers to restore the country s degraded environment President Franklin D. Roosevelt established conservation projects and public health projects in the 1930s. The Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) was established in Two million people obtained work with CCC restoring degraded environments and building dams providing jobs, flood control, irrigation water, and cheap electricity.

32 Important Figures During The Early Conservation Era Henry David Thoreau ( ) George Perkins Marsh ( ) Life in the Woods he saw a loss of wild species in the Northeastern United States Man and Nature questioned whether resources were inexhaustible John Muir ( ) Theodore Roosevelt ( ) Gifford Pinchot ( ) Franklin Roosevelt ( ) Founder of the Sierra Club His term in office was called the Golden Age of Conservation Appointed to manage and protect forests USFS- Scientifically managed forests (multiple use policy) The New Deal and (CCC) Civilian Conservation Corps- Restoration projects including tree plantings, dam and levee repairs

33 The Environmental Era (1960-Present) Events that influenced the Environmental Movement Minamata Bay, Japan Methyl Mercury (1959) Rachel Carson: Silent Spring (1962) Impacts of pesticide use Oil polluted Cuyahoga River flowing through Cleveland, Ohio, catches fire and burns for 8 days. (1968) The Science of Ecology Paul Ehrlich The Population Bomb (1968) Garrett Hardin Tragedy of the Commons (1968) Barry Commoner-The Closing Circle (1971) Aldo Leopold Sand County Almanac (1949)

34 Environmental Era Firefighters battle a fire on Ohio's Cuyahoga River in The polluted river caught fire on several occasions between 1936 and 1969, when debris and oil had concentrated on the water's surface and ignited. A blaze in 1969 came at a time of increasing environmental awareness and symbolized years of environmental neglect. The Cuyahoga River fires helped spur grassroots activism that resulted in a wave of federal legislation devoted to taking serious action against air and water pollution. A crushed Caspian tern egg, broken because of DDT-induced weakening of the shell, next to a normal egg.

35 Important Figures During The Environmental Era Richard Nixon: EPA Environmental Protection Agency (1970) ESA Endangered Species Act (1973) strengthen the role of the federal government in protecting endangered species and their habitats Clean Air Act (1970) Resources Recovery Act (1970) Safe Drinking Water Act (1973) Jimmy Carter: DOE Department of Energy (1977) Superfund - Comprehensive Environment Response, Compensation, and Liability Act in 1980 designed to clean up abandoned hazardous waste sites like Love Canal, New York Carter used the Antiquities Act 1906 to triple the land in the National Wilderness system and doubled the land in the National Park system.

36 The Environmental Decade - The 70 s The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) received its first real authority to manage public lands under its control with the passage of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act in 1978, 85% of public lands are in 12 western states. The law angered a number of western interests whose use of public lands was restricted for the first time. Opposition to the Environmental Movement A political campaign known as the sagebrush rebellion resulted as miners, ranchers, loggers, developers, farmers, and others joined together to try to greatly reduce government regulation and to persuade legislators to sell or lease these lands to private interests at low prices

37 1980 s: Backlash Against Environmentalism Environmental backlash An anti-environmental movement formed to weaken or rescind many of the environmental laws passed during the 1960s and 1970s in order to destroy the political effectiveness of the environmental movement 1980 s: backlash against environmentalism

38 1980 s: Backlash Against Environmentalism Ronald Reagan a self-declared sagebrush rebel advocated less federal control Greatly increased private energy and mineral development and timber cutting on public lands during his eight years in office During this period federal funding for research on energy conservation and renewable energy resources was drastically cut The wise-use movement was formed in 1988, backed by coal, oil, mining, automobile, timber, and ranching interests. The goals were to weaken/repeal environmental laws and incapacitate the environmental movement

39 Some Environmental Events of the 1980 s Three Mile Island (1979) Pennsylvania, United States nuclear accident the core was exposed and there was small radiation leak. Poor design an human error Union Carbide Pesticide Plant (1984) Bhopal, India Toxic fumes from a pesticide plant killed 6000 people and injure between 50,000-60,000 people. Chernobyl (1986) Ukraine the world s most serious nuclear accident (explosion) 30 people killed thousand developed cancer after the exposure. Times Beach, Missouri (1986) evacuated and bought by the EPA because of dioxin contamination Exxon Valdez (1989) Oil tanker accident in Alaska s Prince William Sound These events made the public more aware of the dangers of ignoring the environment Recent Event BP Gulf Oil Spill (2010) Greatest environmental disaster in United States history

40 Current Environmental Politics Clinton Administration Most environmental efforts since 1990 have been spent trying to keep anti-environmentalists from weakening or eliminating laws passed in the 1960s and 1970s Bill Clinton appointed environmentalists to key positions in environmental and resource agencies during the eight years of his presidency He protected more public land as national monuments in the lower 48 states than any other president Environmentalists have had to counter claims that problems such as global warming and ozone depletion are hoaxes or not serious

41 Current Environmental Politics Bush Administration George W. Bush became president in 2001 and proceeded to weaken many environmental and public land use laws and policies Bush s policies rest on increasing use of fossil fuels and a relaxation of air and water quality standards. He also tried to repeal or weaken most of the pro-environmental measures established by Clinton Moderate Republicans and most Democrats agree that environmental problems are too serious to be used as a political tool. They urge elected officials to become the world leader in making the 21 st century the environmental century