"Environmental history is the study of human interaction with the natural world over time, emphasising the active role nature plays in influencing human affairs and vice versa."
Explores the historical relationships between humans and the environment, including the impact of technology, agriculture, and industry on natural systems.
Ecology: The study of how living organisms interact with one another and with their environment.
Natural Resources: Any material or resource that occurs naturally and can be used for economic gain, such as timber, water, and minerals.
Conservation: The protection and preservation of natural resources. Conservation efforts can be aimed at preserving species, habitats, or ecosystems.
Industrialization: The process of developing industries on a large scale. Industrialization has had a significant impact on the environment, from pollution to the exploitation of natural resources.
Urbanization: The process of a population shifting from rural to urban areas. Urbanization has led to environmental problems such as pollution, deforestation, and loss of biodiversity.
Land Use: The way land is used, including for agriculture, forestry, urban development, and mining. Land use has had a major impact on the environment, from deforestation to soil degradation.
Climate Change: The long-term shift in global weather patterns caused by human activity, including the release of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.
Environmental Justice: The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people in decisions about the environment. Environmental justice addresses the disproportionate impact of environmental harm on vulnerable and marginalized communities.
Colonialism: The process by which a foreign power extends its authority over a region or people. Colonialism has had a significant impact on the environment through exploitation of resources, forced labor, and the introduction of non-native species.
Indigenous Knowledge: The knowledge developed by indigenous peoples over generations regarding the interaction of human societies with their environment.
Environmental Policy: The set of laws, regulations, and actions taken by governments and organizations to manage and protect the environment.
Landscapes: The visible features of an area, including physical elements such as mountains and rivers, as well as cultural elements such as architecture and urban development.
"Environmental history first emerged in the United States out of the environmental movement of the 1960s and 1970s."
"Much of its impetus still stems from present-day global environmental concerns."
"The field was founded on conservation issues."
"but has broadened in scope to include more general social and scientific history and may deal with cities, population or sustainable development."
"It is also a strongly multidisciplinary subject that draws widely on both the humanities and natural science."
"The subject matter of environmental history can be divided into three main components."
"The first, nature itself and its change over time, includes the physical impact of humans on the Earth's land, water, atmosphere, and biosphere."
"The second category, how humans use nature, includes the environmental consequences of increasing population, more effective technology, and changing patterns of production and consumption."
"Other key themes are the transition from nomadic hunter-gatherer communities to settled agriculture in the neolithic revolution, the effects of colonial expansion and settlements, and the environmental and human consequences of the industrial and technological revolutions."
"Finally, environmental historians study how people think about nature - the way attitudes, beliefs, and values influence interaction with nature, especially in the form of myths, religion, and science."
"Environmental history tends to focus on particular time-scales, geographic regions, or key themes."
"Emphasising the active role nature plays in influencing human affairs and vice versa."
"The physical impact of humans on the Earth's land, water, atmosphere, and biosphere."
"The environmental consequences of increasing population, more effective technology, and changing patterns of production and consumption."
"The transition from nomadic hunter-gatherer communities to settled agriculture in the neolithic revolution."
"The effects of colonial expansion and settlements, and the environmental and human consequences of the industrial and technological revolutions."
"The way attitudes, beliefs, and values influence interaction with nature, especially in the form of myths, religion, and science."
"The field was founded on conservation issues."
"Much of its impetus still stems from present-day global environmental concerns."