Defining Environmental History.

In Global Environmental History, one of our first readings was the first chapter of American Environmental History, Defining Environmental History. In this reading, the author discusses that environmental history is more than we know it to be However, the topic can generally be broken up into three factors. First, the influence of environmental factors on human history. Secondly, the environmental changes caused by human action and any ways in which human-caused changes in the environment rebound and affect the course of change in human societies. Lastly, the history of human thought about the environment and the ways in which patterns of human attitudes have motivated actions that affect the environment.

In this reading, the theme that stood out to me the most was that of human thought about the environment, as both of the previous themes have a direct correlation to human thought. This course itself has helped support as much. We discussed man's severance from God through the commodification of nature - thus changing his thought through actions as well as nature itself. Even considering environmental impacts on the man from nature, those too influence our thought about nature itself - and the cycle continues. The only way for this cycle to be broken would be to first start with man's thoughts about our environment, as seen with the modern environmental movement. Unfortunately, modern society isn't well known for being one of the people who think often.