Agriculture As we go through our daily lives, individually and collectively, we leave a “footprint on the environment.” As our population has grown, so has our collective environmental footprint. When we numbered about 1 million humans around 1000 BC, our footprint was relatively small and localized. Today our population is somewhere around 7.8 billion and expected to continue to grow to 10 to 11 billion by the end of the century, when the population will begin to fall. Regulating, measuring, and limiting our environmental footprint is relatively new. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency wasn’t established until 1970. Up until then, there were a smattering of laws concerning the environment including the Rivers and Harbors Act (1870), Oil Pollution Control Act (1925), and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (1948). Protecting our environment is essential for future generations. Protecting the environment requires that we have scientific facts before offering solutions. Unfortunately, hyperbole often muddies the waters.
The Environment By Alan Hahn Environmental Scientist at Dragun Corporation Environmental Advisors
15
Fall 2021 — Partners
