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The period since 1950 has brought "the most rapid transformation of the human relationship with the natural world in the history of humankind". [106] Through 2018, humans have reduced forest area by ~30% and grasslands/shrubs by ~68%, to make way for livestock grazing and crops for humans. [107]
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. Environmental history first emerged in the United States out of the environmental movement of the 1960s and 1970s, and much of its impetus still stems from present-day ...
The modern human's waking day is 16 hours, while many mammals are only awake for half as many hours. [46] Additionally, humans are most awake during the early evening hours, while other primates' days begin at dawn and end at sundown. Many of these behavioral changes can be attributed to the control of fire and its impact on daylight extension ...
[3] Environment destruction caused by humans is a global, ongoing problem. [4] Water pollution also cause problems to marine life. [5] Some scholars believe that the projected peak global population of roughly 9-10 billion people could live sustainably within the earth's ecosystems if humans worked to live sustainably within planetary boundaries.
Many [quantify] people value the complexity of the natural world and express concern at the loss of natural habitats and of animal or plant species worldwide. [53] Probably the most profound impact that habitat destruction has on people is the loss of many valuable ecosystem services.
As human technology becomes more evolved, such as that required to launch objects into orbit or to cause deforestation, the impact of human activities on the environment potentially increases. The anthroposphere is the youngest of all the Earth's spheres, yet has made an enormous impact on the Earth and its systems in a very short time.
The rate of species loss is greater now than at any time in human history, with extinctions occurring at rates hundreds of times higher than background extinction rates. [35] [38] [39] and expected to still grow in the upcoming years. [39] [40] [41] As of 2012, some studies suggest that 25% of all mammal species could be extinct in 20 years. [42]
The study seeks to define periods in human history where temperature or precipitation varied from what is observed in the present day. The primary sources include written records such as sagas , chronicles , maps and local history literature as well as pictorial representations such as paintings , drawings and even rock art .