The Environment as a Historical Actor: Web Resources

John Maunu

     "Environment as historical actor" is an AP World history theme as well as a subject of university teaching and research. John R. McNeill (see Tom Laichas' interview with McNeill in the links section of this article below) provided perhaps the first 20^th Century world history classroom suitable text on this subject, when he wrote Something New Under the Sun (New York: W. W. Norton, 2000) in 2000. This was the first to argue that human activity during the twentieth century provoked environmental change on an unprecedented scale. In 2006, J. Douglas Hughes published What is Environmental History (Malden, MA: Polity Press, 2006), a small user-friendly volume that offers an introduction to the subject suitable for classroom use, but traces the evolution of the methodology and growth of the field in ways that approximate a manual for doing as well as thinking about environmental history. An anthology with essays from many prominent scholars addressing the environment in world history has recently been published under the editorship of Edmund Burke III and Kenneth Pomeranz (ed.), The Environment and World History (see http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/11132.php ). This 2009 work features an introduction by Pomeranz that questions and critiques all previous environmental history done by World Historians. This collection of articles will compel world historians to "up their game," a task made easier by Burke and Pomeranz's excellent select bibliography on environmental history, which is divided by topic and global regions. Much the same is expected from J. R. McNeill and Erin C. Stewart, eds., A Companion to Global Environmental History now in preparation for publication by Blackwell Press. As the number of these works increase and the need to translate this scholarship into the classroom becomes an even greater challenge, the editors at World History Connected have pledged themselves to address this dilemma through Forums devoted to exploring environmental history, book reviews, and classroom-ready materials. This issue's Forum, book review section and this article are merely the first steps in fulfillment of that commitment.

Teaching Environmental History: 

A website by Environmental Historian William Cronon supports the teaching of this growing field. It offers  links and resources, as well as lesson plans on the interaction of humans and the environment at http://www.williamcronon.net/researching/index.htm.

An excellent site on Environment history 8000 BCE to the present is offered at http://www.eh-resources.org/.

Prehistoric human interaction with environment in Hudson River, NY is addressed at http://www.hrmm.org/hvrr/waterman.htm.

A Prehistory environmental Website and mirrored site with Environment history NEWS is found at http://www.eh-resources.org/timeline/timeline_prehistory.html and http://www.eh-resources.org/news/news.html.

Tom Laichas of World History Connected conducted an interview with Dr. John McNeill, author of Something New Under the Sun (2000) which is on offer at http://worldhistoryconnected.press.illinois.edu/6.3/mcneill.html.

Many resources, syllabi, lesson plans, etc. that can be used to learn about Environmental History, Environmental education and environmental ethics are provided by the University of California, Berkeley at:http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/departments/espm/env-hist/eh-internet.html and http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/departments/espm/env-hist/espm160/index.html and http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/departments/espm/env-hist/espm161/index.html

For similar sites, see http://www1.chapman.edu/~ktye/geyp/enviro.htm and http://vlib.iue.it/history/topical/environmental.html

For Duke University's Forest/Environmental History Society links, see http://www.duke.edu/search/?q=fhs

For Google book entries for Environmental histories resources and links see:http://books.google.com/books?id=QQQximQsxSgC&pg=PA291&lpg=PA291&dq=
Environment+history+sources&source=bl&ots=YQIn7XlsnX&sig=QIKYMmISoitJb3o_DZty8H9cInI&hl=
en&ei=7NLLSt7nHsuPtgelpYHgAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8#v=onepage&q=
Environment%20history%20sources&f=false

For many links to environment and natural history, see: http://www.academicinfo.net/ehist.html
http://worldhistoryforusall.sdsu.edu/shared/themes.htm
http://www.runet.edu/~wkovarik/envhist/2middle.html

Timelines and links for environmental history can be found at: http://www.runet.edu/~wkovarik/envhist/ and
http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=NWPS&sec=timeline
http://vlib.iue.it/history/topical/environmental.html
http://www.h-net.org/~environ/,  http://www.h-net.org/~environ/syllabi/syllabuslibrary.html.

For journal articles on the environment, see:
http://www.oah.org/pubs/magazine/environment/
http://eseh.org/resources/publishers/GlobalEnvironment
http://www.librarything.com/series/Studies+in+environment+and+history
http://www.historycooperative.org/ehindex.html
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ENSDailyEditions/20091201.html
http://www.aseh.net/ (which offers blogs, podcasts, etc. if you can wind your way through this site).
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8058351.stm
BBC article May 2009 explains new history of the Seas
 
Topical Treatment

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071025160653.htm
Asia to Americas Migration and many environment articles and lessons.

http://history-world.org/indus_valley.htm
Indus Valley River history and human interaction.

http://rainforests.mongabay.com/amazon
Amazon Rain Forest and human interaction.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/guides/physicalafricaguide.pdf
Africa 21 pp. pdf "Physical geography" from National Geographic.com.

http://www.transboundarywaters.orst.edu/publications/atlas/atlas_html/interagree.html
International Fresh Water agreements.

http://www.wildflowers-and-weeds.com/sahara.htm
New American Sahara:  Desert under our feet.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2006/jun/05/climatechange.climatechange
Climate Change and effect on 500 million desert dwellers, June, 2006.

http://eagle1.american.edu/~jp3501a/berber.htm
Effects of desertification on Arab-Berbar Relations—Case Study 2007.  Note other examples at head of page and "Conflict and Environment Studies."

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/globalwarming/2009-06-10-climate-change-migration_N.htm
Could Warming cause greatest Migration in global history?  June, 2009.

http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/journey/
Virtual Global Journey-"Journey of Mankind."  Virtual map linking human migration with climate.

http://fubini.swarthmore.edu/~ENVS2/S2003/jpottag1/Jpottag1essay1.HTML
John Pottage, "Early Humans and their Environment," 2003.

http://www.wilsoncenter.org/topics/pubs/ECSPReport13_Nations.pdf
2 pp. pdf-end of review on Peace Parks and James Nations review of People on the Move:  Reducing Impact of Human Migration on Biodiversity."
 
http://falconrytoday.net/?p=727
Turkey Vultures disappearing in Kenya—dramatic example of human interaction with environment and effect on an important ecological figure, the vulture.

http://www.historycooperative.org/proceedings/interactions/mears.html
Dr. John A. Mears, Southern Methodist University, article on international "Borderlands" and human interactions.

http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/ht/37.1/foltz.html
Dr. Richard Foltz, University of Florida, asking, "Does Nature have historical agency?" Environmental history and saving the planet. 

http://www.eh-resources.org/wood.html
Wood in history.

http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/archaeology/sites/europe/pompeii.html
Pompeii as an example of environmental disaster.

http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/whc/6.1/muscolino.html
Dr.  Micah Muscolino, Georgetown University, on China and environmental history.

http://www.h-net.org/~environ/syllabi/pdf_files/sedrez.pdf
Environment history of Latin America, 2004 syllabus with readings.

http://www.envirolink.org/
Envirolinks with many places to explore environmental issues.

http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/timelines/topics/agriculture.htm 
This website has material on agriculture and horticulture of Ancient Egypt.

http://historylink101.com/lessons/farm-city/story-of-farming.htm 
Short summary of farming; scroll down to the civilizations listed which, if clicked, will go into more detail for that civilization's farming.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_history
Yes, Wikipedia can deliver interesting and relevant information and links for any topic, in this case, environmental history.

http://www.historyhaven.com/APWH/unit2/Periodization.htm
If you scroll down, there is a section on environmental change.

http://www.globalissues.org/issue/168/environmental-issues
Contemporary environmental information.

http://hubpages.com/hub/Biggest_Populations
Environment effect on migrations—and modern economic and population figures.

http://www.humanecologyreview.org/pastissues/her161/sanderson.pdf
Matthew Sanderson on modern "Globalization and Environment:  Implications for Human Migrations.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/09/g68/migrationguidestudent.pdf
"What is Human Migration" with environment comments in pdf.

Lesson Plans:

http://worldhistoryforusall.sdsu.edu/shared/themes.htm
Note three themes, the first being Human environment.  Also note Human Geography at top of page with lessons.

http://www.h-net.org/~envision/interact/history.html
Interactive history lessons—note Environment examples.

http://www.globalenvision.org/forteachers/29/1235
14 global environment lesson plans for high school, plus more links and stories.

http://www.teachervision.fen.com/humans-and-environment/printable/10750.html?detoured=1
A few lessons, charts on humans and the environment for high school level.

http://eelink.net/pages/Lesson+Plans+-+Grades+9-12
Many lessons and links grades 9-12th.

http://stories.washingtonhistory.org/leschi/teaching/source-to-sea.htm
Washington State environmental lesson plan as to Native rights.

http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/ht/39.3/schwartz.html
Great article on Environmental forces in European history.

http://www.environmentalhistory.net/teaching/toxic-environments/primary-sources.htm
Lessons on environment and health.

http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/lesson_plans/oceans_weather/index.html
Smithsonian Lesson Plan on Oceans and weather.

http://cct2.edc.org/PMA/prairie/index.html
Images of Prairie/Frontier Life-Lesson Plan for Images.

http://www.mistergweb.com/COTenvironment.pdf
Environment in World History—chart for student assignments. 

http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/features/silkroad/images/silkroadmaplge.jpg 
Interactive Silk Road map.

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment
National Geographic Environment site, note two videos on Food sustainability and the Ocean floor.

http://www.library.csi.cuny.edu/dept/history/lavender/dustbowl.html
1930's Dust Bowl as historical actor—Lessons.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/extremeoil/teachers/lp1.html
Extreme oil lesson plan. 

http://www.ncartmuseum.org/artnc/lesson.php?lessonPlanid=26
Missouri River flooding lesson plan using ART and primary source documents.

http://www.rc.umd.edu/pedagogies/commons/ecology/mazzeo/mazzeo_syllabus.html
Green Romanticism syllabi-university course outline—Did the Romantic poets and artists pave the way to the "Environmental movement?"
 
http://lakelsewatershedsociety.com/lessons.html
Resources and lessons on Lakelse Lake in Canadian British Columbia.  Interesting look at watershed erosion and effects on Native people as a continuity in World history.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp=34385963&#34385963
MSNBC video (12/12/2009) on Environment/Climate and global conflict.

http://memory.loc.gov/learn/lessons/98/environ/explore.html
A lesson plan for Yellowstone, the Artist, and Environment.

http://www.kellyroark.com/Teaching.html
Kelly Roark syllabus on teaching environmental history in Arkansas.

http://www.lib.niu.edu/1994/iht19437.html
Illinois River and human interaction....all of these "American" environmental lessons in these last few links can be easily adapted to similar global examples, ah, compare and contrast, continuity and change over time themes.  Nile, Amazon, Indus River Valley, etc. al...all have had and have challenges due to human interaction. 

John Maunu is an AP World History Reader/Table Leader and AP/Collegeboard World History consultant teaching AP European and AP World history at Grosse Ile High School in southeast Michigan.