GEOG 1220 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Soil Retrogression And Degradation, Kingston, Ontario, Geologic Time Scale
4 Apr 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Human impact on the environment has changed over time because the role humans have played on earth has changed. Initially we were hunter-gatherers and very much a product of the environment around us. We were collectively and directly impacted by the weather around us. At that time, if the hunt was unsuccessful, we starved. Perhaps, the first activity to allow us control of the environment came with the domestication of fire. We could hunt with fire, cook with fire, and warm our nights with fire. We learned to domesticate a handful of plants and animals and this initiated a transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture. The success of the agricultural revolution resulted in food surpluses, which allowed us to turn our attention to activities beyond the single-minded acquisition of food. We learned that we could have some control of our destiny by having some control of the world around us.
