Enst 201 Lecture 2Outline of Last Lecture I. Neo-Malthusian II. CornucopianIII. MalthusIV. Why is there Climate Denial? Outline of Current Lecture I. Easter IslandII. Sumerians Current LectureI. Easter Island- Polynesiano Bought with them chicken and ratso Dietary base on the sea like fishes and mainly Porpoise- The forest on the island was simpleo Simple because the island was remote; therefore, not a variety of seeds made it to the islando There was one special tree the Polynesian depended on A type of palm tree Used for making boats, sap from it is used to ferment beverages, and fruits (contained high protein) can be eaten - Parallels between past and modern societyo Politically- both are anarchical (missing a higher leader) There usually are many leaders but none of the leader have enough power to enforce rules on other leaderso Using resources for luxury instead of necessitiesThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute. A way to symbolize status which can lead to higher fertility rates- Possible explanation for the sizes of statues on Easter Island o The statues may also been built for religious reasons - Why didn’t the Polynesian realize the deterioration of the environment?o It was a gradual processo No one had power to stop the process- Ratso Chewed up the palm tree seeds which made it difficult for natural reproduction of the treeso No trees= increase erosion= decrease fertility in soil II. Sumerians- First civilizationo Division of laboro Agriculture Developed irrigation to grow crops- Increase crop productivity- Led to the development of other occupation o Invented writingo Crop Records shows how the environment deteriorated over time Initially same amount of wheat and barley were planted Later more barely was planted because of its high tolerance This transition from wheat to barley shows how the soil was being salinized due to irrigation o The Sumerians did not have annual flooding like the Egyptianso Eventually was conquered by the Babylonians One of the reasons may be the decrease in food
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