Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability - Environmental Science - page 17

tribal people (now called Native Americans) occupied
North America for at least 10,000 years before European
settlers began arriving in the early 1600s. Many Native
American cultures had a deep respect for the land and
its animals and did not believe in land ownership.
The frontier era (1607-1890) began when European
colonists started settling North America. They inhab-
ited a continent offering seemingly inexhaustible for-
est and wildlife resources and rich soils. As a result,
these early colonists developed a frontier environ-
mental worldview: They viewed most of the conti-
nent as having vast resources and as a wilderness to
be conquered by settlers clearing and planting land as
they spread across the continent.
Next came the early conservation era (1832-1870),
during which some people became alarmed at the
scope of resource depletion and degradation in the
United States during the latter part of the frontier era.
They urged that part of the unspoiled wilderness on
public lands owned jointly by all people (but managed
by the government) be protected as a legacy to future
generations.
This period was followed by an era—lasting from
1870 to the present—characterized by an increased role
of the federal government and private citizens in resource
conservation, public health, and environmental protection.
Science Supplement 3 at the end of this topic summa-
rizes some of the major events during these periods.

ture human generations and other species that support
us and for other forms of life.
The most useful answer to the question of whether
things are getting better or worse is both. Some things
are getting better and some are getting worse.
Our challenge is not to get trapped into confusion
and inaction by listening primarily to either of two
groups of people. Technological optimists tend to over-
state the situation by telling us to be happy and not to
worry, because technological innovations and conven-
tional economic growth and development will lead to
a wonderworld for everyone. In contrast, environmen-
tal pessimists overstate the problems to the point where
our environmental situation seems hopeless. Accord-
ing to the noted conservationist Aldo Leopold, “I have
no hope for a conservation based on fear.”

x

H OW W OULD Y OU V OTE ? * Is the society you live in
on an unsustainable path? Cast your vote online at http://
biology.brookscole.com/miller11.

Economics: Environmentally Sustainable
Economic Development
Environmentally sustainable economic development
rewards environmentally beneficial and sustainable
activities and discourages environmentally harmful
and unsustainable activities.
During this century, many analysts challenge us to put
much greater emphasis on environmentally sustain-
able economic development. Figure 1-14 (p. 18) lists
some of the shifts involved in implementing an envi-
ronmental, or sustainability, revolution during this cen-
tury based on this concept.
This type of development uses economic rewards
(mostly government subsidies and tax breaks) to en-
courage environmentally beneficial and more sustain-
able forms of economic growth and uses economic
penalties (mostly government taxes and regulations)
to discourage environmentally harmful and unsustain-
able forms of economic growth.
This topic tries to present a balanced view of good
and bad environmental news and the trade-offs in-
volved in dealing with the environmental problems
we face. Try not to be overwhelmed or immobilized by
the bad environmental news, because there is also
some great environmental news. We have made im-
mense progress in improving the human condition
and dealing with many environmental problems. We
are learning a great deal about how nature works and
sustains itself. And we have numerous scientific, tech-
nological, and economic solutions available to deal
with the environmental problems we face.

1-7 IS OUR PRESENT COURSE
SUSTAINABLE?

Are Things Getting Better or Worse?
There is good and bad environmental news.
Experts disagree about how serious our population
and environmental problems are and what we should
do about them. Some suggest that human ingenuity
and technological advances will allow us to clean up
pollution to acceptable levels, find substitutes for any
scarce resources, and keep expanding the earth's ability
to support more humans. They accuse most scientists
and environmentalists of exaggerating the seriousness
of the problems we face and of failing to appreciate the
progress we have made in improving quality of life and
protecting the environment.
Many leading environmental scientists disagree
with this view. They cite evidence that we are degrad-
ing and disrupting many of the earth's life-support
systems at an accelerating rate. They are greatly en-
couraged by the progress made in increasing average
life expectancy, reducing infant mortality, increasing
food supplies, and reducing many forms of pollu-
tion—especially in developed countries. At the same
time, they point out that we need to use the earth in a
way that is more sustainable for both present and fu-

*To cast your vote, go the website for the topic and then to the
appropriate chapter (in this case, Chapter 1). In most cases, you
will be able to compare how you voted with others using this
topic throughout the United States and the rest of the world.