ECO0052 - ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY

The dialectic between Humans and Nature has innervated the history of Humankind from its origins until today. This relationship has developed over time in very different forms according to humane ability to access natural resources and exploit energy. This relationship, however, has radically changed on the threshold of the contemporary era. From this moment on, in fact, the level of technological development, that Humankind achieved, has allowed it to enormously increase the amount of available energy and resources. Consequently, the footprints of humane intervention on the environment have turned out to be much deeper than in the past.
The Environmental History course reviews this dialectical relationship, as it developed, chronologically, from preindustrial times to the contemporary era, and, geographically, from the Mediterranean and Europe to the rest of the World. Lessons, more specifically, explore, through the lens of sustainability, the evolution of environmental and climatic conditions on Humankind, the ability of the latter to use resources and the impact of the humane footprint on the environment.
After an introduction to environmental history (methodologies, object of study, approaches), the course will focus on issues such as environmental implications connected with population growth and economic activities carried out by Humankind during the centuries (urban development, domestication processes of natural landscapes, energy transition, waste management, resource consumption; air, ground and water pollution).