Flood assistance, rescue from droughts that leave entire nations without food, and the prevention of technological disasters are just a few of the issues that need to be resolved. The main thing is that the influence of nature on society does not lead to large human losses and huge material costs for recovery from natural disasters. Many troubles can be avoided if you do not treat nature as a cornucopia. The thoughtless consumption of natural resources should completely and irrevocably give way to rational environmental management.
The influence of nature on society (territory, climate)
The geographical environment in different historical periods was different, but it has always been and will be a source of resources necessary for the life and work of the population. The settlement of continents by the ancestors of man began in ancient times. The most important resource is the territory where representatives of any ethnic group lived, and now their distant descendants live. The preferred regions for settlement are plains and coastal lowlands in all climatic zones, except for the polar and polar latitudes.
Use of soil, vegetation, minerals
The influence of nature on the development of society is associated not only with the geographical position of the territory, climate and topography. Soil types, flora and fauna are no less important for the population. Sparsely populated regions - deserts, semi-deserts, high mountains - are devoid of vegetation. Rainforests in Central Africa and in the Amazon basin are impenetrable jungles.
Broad-leaved forests, steppes and forest-steppes, where fertile soils were formed under a rich vegetation cover, were mastered by man back in distant historical eras. This is one of the main resources for the development of agriculture - the oldest occupation of mankind. Since time immemorial, people have been using the wealth of the subsoil - combustible minerals, ores, precious stones, non-metallic building materials. As a result of the combined influence of territorial, climatic, natural resource and other factors, regions with a high population density were formed:
- Southeast, South, and Southwest coast on mainland North America.
- East and Northwest on mainland South America.
- Mediterranean coast, the coast of the Gulf of Guinea in Africa.
- Western Europe, East European Plain, Mediterranean and Black Sea coasts, Western and Southeast Asia, Hindustan on the mainland Eurasia.
The negative impact of nature on society is more noticeable in regions with unfavorable conditions for the life and economic activities of the population. These are areas with a cold climate, deep mineral deposits, high seismic hazard. These territories include:
- Gobi desert, north of Western Siberia, Eastern Siberia, Kamchatka in Eurasia;
- Central Sahara in Africa;
- deserts and highlands of North and South America;
- Inland Australia
- Antarctica is the coldest and most lifeless continent; there is no permanent population on this continent.
Water and civilization
The influence of nature on society is expressed in the development of the resources of the oceans, seas, rivers, lakes and other bodies of water, which are very important for many aspects of the life of the population. The Russian historian and geographer of the 19th century L.I. Mechnikov wrote a book about the influence of rivers on the civilization of antiquity. The author called the historical rivers Nile, Tiger, Euphrates "the great educators of mankind."
Hydrographic indicators and the regime of permanent watercourses (salinity, temperature, floods, floods, ice formation and ice drift) are also important for modern nations. The volume of runoff, the fall and slope of the river, the nature of the bottom must be taken into account in the construction of hydroelectric power stations, bridges, ferries. The positive impact of society on nature lies in the flooding of deserts, the "pacification" of rivers that leave the banks during floods and floods, flooding the lowlands and forests where animals die.
The water balance of the territory plays a huge role in the drinking supply of the population, the development of agriculture, fish farming. Shortage of fresh water is felt in many regions of the world, which exacerbates social contradictions. As some researchers suggest, in the future wars will break out for possession of water resources.
The biological impact of nature on society
Man at the genetic level is associated with nature. According to one theory, people descended from monkey-like ancestors who mastered the methods of manufacturing tools and upright posture.
Natural conditions affect the life of the modern population of the Earth. For example, meteorology is difficult to imagine without data on the geomagnetic situation and activity of the Sun. In 1915–1959, a world-famous Russian scientist A. L. Chizhevsky investigated the dependence of biological phenomena on the activity of a celestial body. Alexander Chizhevsky collected historical information proving the influence of nature on the development of society. In particular, the scientist wrote about the dependence of epidemics, revolts, revolutions on the 11-year solar cycle.
Nature and production
According to the theory of geographical determinism, differences in household activities and the culture of peoples are caused by the natural conditions in which they live. But these views have been criticized, because the evolution of society is faster than the changing environmental conditions, and the enduring cultural values and scientific discoveries of different peoples of the Earth.
The process of interaction between society and the natural environment is much more complicated than the proponents of geographical determinism imagined. For example, post-industrial countries - the USA, Japan, Israel, Germany, France, Great Britain, Canada - have different territories, natural conditions and resources. Despite the differences, the directions of development of society and the level of production are largely similar.
Nature and science
The influence of nature on society illustrates the process of the origin and development of the natural sciences: physics, chemistry, biology. Particularly increased interest in the study of the environment during the Renaissance and at the beginning of the New Age. The 17th-century English philosopher F. Bacon argued that, knowing nature, society gains the well-being it needs. Various forms of accumulation and use of knowledge about the geographical environment have appeared:
- scientific hypotheses and theories;
- agricultural and industrial technologies;
- production products.
Unfortunately, most often science set a goal - to conquer nature with human will and mind. Changes in the environment by the middle of the 20th century became so widespread that the aphorism “Man is the king of nature” appeared, and later his comment: “Not a king, but a disease”. For scientific and technological progress, individual elements of the environment are needed, and its achievements are often reflected in the entire geographical envelope as a whole, for example, the influence of greenhouse gases or climate systems.
The aesthetic impact of nature on human society
Geographical environment and spiritual life are closely interconnected. The positive impact of nature on society is illustrated by culture, or rather its wealth. Elements of the environment are reflected in the works of folklore, poetry and prose, folk and classical dances, landscape painting. They are not equally perceived by residents of different countries and regions, therefore, the culture of large and small peoples is of value.
Often, folklore becomes a source of knowledge about nature for researchers, travelers. Inspired by folk legends about St. Brendan, his voyage to the "Island of the Blessed," the British scientist and writer Tim Severin went on a journey across the Atlantic in a leather boat made according to old drawings. On Easter Island, the Norwegian scientist and traveler, Thor Heyerdahl, with the help of local residents and folklore sources, found out how in ancient times they could make 12-meter figures from stone and install them in different parts of the island.
Environmental degradation
The negative impact of society on nature is the depletion of natural resources - non-renewable, exhaustible. These groups include coal, oil, gas, peat, oil shale, ores of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, semiprecious stones and other minerals. Reserves of exhaustible renewable resources are reduced - plant and animal life, water. The pace of environmental change is increasing, the threat of an environmental crisis is looming ever more clearly . This affects the negative impact of society on nature. Examples:
- lack of clean air in industrial centers and megacities;
- water pollution in underground sources and surface water bodies;
- soil erosion, loss of fertility;
- reduction in the number of rare animals and plants;
- Accumulation of industrial and household waste at landfills and natural waste dumps.
A healthy environment is one of the greatest values.
We examined the influence of nature on the spheres of society. This is not a faceless mass, but people who need certain conditions for normal life. Man is an environmentally plastic living creature, but his adaptive capabilities are not unlimited. For hundreds of thousands of years, evolution took place with the same environmental parameters that people adapted to. Currently, the speed and extent of changes in environmental indicators exceed the adaptive capabilities of humans. All this leads to adverse consequences - illness, stress. Post-industrial countries have realized the detrimental effect of society on nature. Examples of positive changes:
- introduction of methods of economic regulation of environmental management;
- use of low-waste and non-waste production technologies ;
- economical use of energy and fresh water;
- improvement of organic farming.
One of the most important areas of nature conservation is the creation of national parks and biosphere reserves. Such sites serve as reserves for rare and endangered species, as scientific laboratories, and carry out an educational mission. The reserve is a “temple of nature", where human behavior must obey strict rules. All economic activities are prohibited, which helps to restore and preserve the natural site in its almost pristine form.