Human beings, since prehistoric times, act to transform the natural environment in which they live. Initially, all the peoples of the world were nomads, that is, they moved from one place to another, looking for food and places to live and support. Over time, they were developed techniques for the cultivation of vegetables and fruits, in addition to the adoption of confinement and animal husbandry procedures. With that, agriculture and livestock were developed, which allowed human groups to settle in certain places, forming the first civilizations.
Over the centuries, these societies developed increasingly advanced techniques to ensure not only the needs of their populations, but also their power and dominance over other areas. In this way, such techniques became really complex, but without leaving aside the premise more basic since the emergence of the first villages: the need to use and transform the nature.
For this reason, we say that geographic space – the field of human activities – is always produced and transformed by society. Thus, we realize that there is a link between
nature and human action, that is, between natural space and geographic space. As an example of this action, we have raw materials extracted from the environment or the removal of forests and forests for the cultivation of food or raw materials used in the production of goods. The extraction of minerals can also be considered an example of how human beings transform the environment in which they live.
Mining is an example of the process of using nature by human beings
But is this relationship always peaceful and harmonious? Not. Human beings often explore nature beyond their count, causing profound changes in the natural environment. When entire forest areas are devastated or when rivers are deeply polluted, impact of society on nature.
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The consequence of such a process is seen through various effects, such as erosive processes that affect areas of rivers, lakes or even fields of agricultural activity, the loss of water resources or even possible climate changes caused by the loss of natural areas or the large emission of toxic gases into the atmosphere. That is why, the impact of nature on society is also registered..
Area eroded by poor land use, with the loss of an arable area
In the field of these ideas, several social movements and activist groups have emerged with the aim of combating and reducing the effects of action by societies on the environment. Currently, in times of capitalism and globalization, such effects are gradually more intense, which raises widespread concerns about issues such as the worsening of the greenhouse effect, O global warming, a pollution and the environmental problems of cities, among other types of environmental impacts.
Therefore, more than simply consuming all natural resources and attacking the nature of frantically, humanity needs to develop sustainable techniques to make better use of these resources. Talking about sustainability is talking about guaranteeing the preservation of natural resources for the next generations, which has become a great challenge for all societies in the contemporary world.
By Me. Rodolfo Alves Pena
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
PENA, Rodolfo F. Alves. "Nature and human action"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/geografia/natureza-acao-humana.htm. Accessed on July 27, 2021.
