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7
Human Ecology: Our
Changing Relationship with
the Environment
Chapter Outline
Human Biological Evolution
Human Cultural Evolution
Hunting and Gathering Societies
Agricultural Societies
Industrial Society
Advanced Industrial Age
The Population, Resources, and Pollution Model
The Sustainable Society: The Next Step
Key Terms
dryopithecines australopithecines bipedal
hunting and gathering agricultural societies slash-and-burn
agriculture industrial society Industrial Revolution
agroforestry advanced industrial society biodegradable
nonbiodegradable cross-media contamination negative feedback loop
positive feedback loop Sustainable Revolution
Objectives
1. Discuss the primary adaptations that have evolved during human evolution that give our species a distinct competitive advantage over many other species.
2. List the major societies that have evolved during human evolution and compare their characteristics.
3. Discuss the technique of agroforestry and its advantages for sustainable use of tropical forest areas.
4. Discuss the impact of Industrial Societies on the environment.
5. Define the following terms: “biodegradable,” “nonbiodegradable,” “cross-media contamination,” “negative feedback loop,” and “positive feedback loop.”
6. Discuss the importance of the “Sustainable Revolution” for creating a sustainable future.
Lecture Outline
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Human Biological Evolution - Humans and their fossil relatives are referred to as hominids The upright stance and large brain size of hominids facilitated the evolution of certain features, such as language and manual dexterity, which have dramatically expanded our capacity to alter nature.
Human Cultural Evolution - All human societies have impacted the environment, the extent of the impact depending on the society's population size, resource demands, and choice of resources for support.
A. Hunting and Gathering Societies - For most of our history, humans have lived in hunting and gathering societies. Members of these societies apparently had a deep reverence for, and knowledge of, their environment. Though not always environmentally benign, these societies, due to their low population size and primitive technology, were generally sustainable.
B. Agricultural Societies - The Agricultural Revolution occurred around 8000 B.C.E., beginning probably in Southeast Asia. Domestication of plants and animals allowed populations to increase, cities to develop, and humans to change their relationship with nature from one of cooperation and respect to one of domination and exploitation.
C. Industrial Societies - These societies rose to prominence out of the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th Centuries. Increasing mechanization, new technology, and improved sanitation all set the stage for rapid population growth and environmental deterioration, a result of physical and spiritual disconnection from the earth.
Advanced industrial societies arose following World War II and are characterized by high levels of production, consumption, heavy reliance on synthetics and nonrenewables, and increasing per capita energy demand. The product of extreme industrialization has been societies physically and spiritually alienated from the land, increasingly environmentally destructive, and living unsustainably.
The Population, Resources, and Pollution Model - The PRP Model shows that human populations acquire and use resources and in so doing negatively impact the air, water, and soil.
A. Human-generated pollutants can be biodegradable or nonbiodegradable; when they cross boundaries between environmental media, they constitute cross-media contamination.
Both negative and, to a lesser extent, positive feedback loops are activated as a result of human manipulation of the environment.
The Sustainable Society: The Next Step - The next step in cultural evolution is the creation of a sustainable society, the Sustainable Revolution. Many changes are already under way and are starting to restructure human systems for sustainability.
Suggestions for Presenting the Chapter
· Viewing a video on human anthropology/cultures and is a stimulating way to supplement the text material.
· Instructors should emphasize and explore the change in value systems associated with the cultural transitions from hunting/gathering to agricultural, industrial and advanced/post-industrial societies.
· The Population, Resources, and Pollution model can be used in a class exercise. Groups can be assigned to each component of the model and can identify important activities involved in their component and how they affect the other components of the model.
· Students can be assigned the task to identify biodegradable and nonbiodegradable products used at home or at their educational institution. A discussion of alternatives to nonbiodegradable products or ways to prevent use of unnecessary products is highly recommended.
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