ENVIRON 102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Land Ethic, Biocoenosis, Henry David Thoreau
4 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
January 20, 2015 Lecture Notes
Environmental History and Ethics
Broad overview (US)
1800s: Thoreau, Emerson; resource exploitation and resource protection; land protection
(National Parks)
Late 1800s to mid-1900s: Muir and Pinchot; Leopold The Land Ethic
o Something is right when it preserves the biotic community on Earth
Mid-late 1900s: Carson Silent Spring; environmental justice
Today: development of interdisciplinary perspective (sustainability); a wide range of
environmental groups (radical & mainstream, local & international, environmental movement
versus environmental science, global and local focus)
John Muir
Gifford Pinchot
1838-1914
Farmer/mechanic/naturalist
Sierra Club founder
Influenced many politicians
Major victory – NPS (National Park system)
Preservationism (but with access)
1865-1946
Yale, European forestry school
Biltmore, Cradle of Forestry
National Forests
Influenced many politicians
Helped found the Yale School of Forestry
3 principles
Group Discussion – Hetch Hetchy Dam
AGAINST (before)
FOR (before)
Endangering fish species
Native Americans
Setting a precedent for Yosemite
Eliminating an environment that hadn’t
been fully studied
Spiritual value
Intrinsic value of the river
Hydroelectricity provides a renewable
type of energy
Need for water because of natural
catastrophes in SF
Need for a cost-effective technique
Mountain structures and environment
make it convenient an effective for the
location to have a dam
Creating a new landscape in regards to
aesthetics
Created jobs
AGAINST (now) – removing the dam
FOR (now) – removing the dam
Maintenance for proliferation of invasive
species
Might harm species that have found a home
in the dam
It’s not guaranteed that the landscape is able
to be rebuilt
CA’s drought has only gotten worse
75% of people were against removing the
dam in CA in 2012
Restoring the loss of wildlife
Provide a precedent for the US government
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
1800s: thoreau, emerson; resource exploitation and resource protection; land protection (national parks) Late 1800s to mid-1900s: muir and pinchot; leopold the land ethic: something is right when it preserves the biotic community on earth. Mid-late 1900s: carson silent spring; environmental justice. Today: development of interdisciplinary perspective (sustainability); a wide range of environmental groups (radical & mainstream, local & international, environmental movement versus environmental science, global and local focus) Major victory nps (national park system) Eliminating an environment that hadn"t been fully studied. Helped found the yale school of forestry. Hydroelectricity provides a renewable type of energy. Need for water because of natural catastrophes in sf. Mountain structures and environment make it convenient an effective for the location to have a dam. Creating a new landscape in regards to aesthetics. Provide a precedent for the us government in the dam. Might harm species that have found a home. It"s not guaranteed that the landscape is able.
