Basic views on humans’ relations with the environment
how the main climate‑shaping factors impact the climate;
the links between the plate structure of the lithosphere and the occurrence of volcanic phenomena and earthquakes;
the links between the main characteristics of the natural environment and the main directions of economic development.
to explain the concepts of geographical determinism and nihilism;
to describe how geographical possibilism tries to reconcile two contradictory attitudes to relations between humans and the environment;
to give examples of actions consistent with geographical possibilism.
At the beginning of the 21st century, we still depend on the laws of nature. The rotation of the Earth determines our daily rhythm of activity, and the Earth’s orbit, producing the seasons, impacts our activity in a longer perspective, e.g. by regulating the times of sowing and harvesting. The climate and soils determine the possibilities for crop cultivation. In high mountains, we must remember about the scarcity of oxygen, while the depths of the oceans are almost unknown to us because of the darkness and pressure. Even one volcanic eruption can paralyse air traffic over Europe with its advanced technology – this happened e.g. in 2010. The concept of high human dependence on nature is geographical determinismgeographical determinism.
However, on the other hand, we fly into space, reach the bottom of the oceans, build cities above the polar circle, and extract resources at depths of many kilometres. We light the darkness with lamps, and machines have completely replaced draught animals. We cure diseases, create new varieties of plants and animals; we are able to modify genetic codes. These are arguments in favour of geographical nihilismgeographical nihilism, i.e. a concept that people are not dependent on nature.
An attempt at reconciling these two extreme concepts is geographical possibilismgeographical possibilism – humans depend on nature but are able to modify it to a significant degree, appropriately for their needs. For examples, thanks to greenhouses for food production, we do not have to take the seasons into account, and a deficit of daylight is supplemented with artificial lighting. We build houses to free ourselves from weather conditions, but the construction material, the size of windows or the roof slope depend on the environmental factors.
Allocate the elements to appropriate groups
except for the Earth, we do not know any other habitable planet, a volcano eruption can paralyse air traffic over a vast area, we are able to produce light and warmth essential for life, we can build machines to do our work for us, seasons determine the times of sowing and harvesting, we can grow crops on special nutrients, we are able to send people into space, we are able to cure diseases which used to be considered incurable, the rotation of the Earth determines the daily rhythm of activity, the impact of a comet or an asteroid can destroy a country or a continent, we are able to modify the genetic code of organisms
| Arguments in favour of geographical determinism | |
|---|---|
| Arguments in favour of geographical nihilism |
Summary
The human‑environment relations are described by 3 concepts: geographical determinism, nihilism and possibilism.
The main factors which impact the modern human‑environment relations are of economic, social and environmental nature.
The principle of sustainable development is a call to make sure that there are enough resources on our planet for the next generations.
Keywords
geographical determinism, geographical nihilism, geographical possibilism
Glossary
determinizm geograficzny - pogląd głoszący zależność człowieka od przyrody
nihilizm geograficzny - pogląd głoszący niezależność człowieka od przyrody
posybilizm geograficzny - pogląd głoszący, że człowiek jest zależny od przyrody, lecz jest w stanie znacząco ją modyfikować zależnie od swoich potrzeb
zrównoważony rozwój - rozwój uwzględniający potrzeby przyszłych pokoleń