I. Agricultural Societies
II. Industrial Revolution & Resources
III. Trends
IV. Historical Overview of Environmental Concern in the U.S.
V. Important Events
I. Agricultural Societies
Dramatic Shifts have and are taking place in Resource Use.
In Early Societies, Agriculturally speaking - "Sustainability" was forced
by Mother Nature.
Subsistence Farming - Grow enough food to feed family
Increased Agricultural Output
Metal Plow - Grass lands instead of clearing forests
Surplus food - commerce
Freed some portion of the population to pursue
other vocations.
Populations could grow larger - Urbanization began
Energy and Agriculture - Use of animal power
Individual Energy consumption increase
Agriculture and Resources - Irrigation
Individual Resources consumption increase
Until ~ 1700 the societies were largely agricultural
II. Industrial Revolution and Resources
Trends
Fuel
Wood - to Coal
Animal Power - to - Machine Power
Machine Power - Steam Powered Devices
Steam - to - Electric
Animals Consume Food - Renewable Resource
Steam Engines Consume - Coal Nonrenewable Resource
Shift from Renewable to Nonrenewable Resource
This trend in energy consumption continues -
Fuel in approximate ranking of consumption
- Oil - natural gas
- Coal
- Uranium
Permanent Shifts in Industrialized Nations to -
High Energy Consumption
(shift of population vocations from agriculture to industrial and white collar)
Energy Consumption
US Twice the Energy consumption of other Industrialized Nations.
US 10 times the Energy Consumption of Agricultural Nations
Materials and Resource Use
Shift from Natural Materials to Synthetic
III. Trends
Products
Beginning of Human History to 1700 -- Use of Natural Products
Now Synthetic Products Dominate Industrialized Countries
Where we have come from
Where we are currently
IV. Historical Overview of Environmental Concern in the U.S.
V. Important Events
Period of Environmental Concern 1960 to Present
Link of extinction of species to environmental and man made events
Public events that fanned the environmental movement
"How green was my valley"
Dependence of life and quality of life on the environment has been realized
This is sometimes seen in conflict with economic goals
Population becomes an ever greater part of the equation
Other Events have also been important
Notes Table of Contents
Introduction to Environmental Science Home Page
Duquesne University Home Page
Created and maintained by
Jim Ferguson
Revised
9/6/95.