Humans have been changing nature for 1000’s of years – to create a sustainable future, it is crucial to know this deep history

In July 2024, all eyes will probably be on Paris for the Summer Olympics. Spectators from around the globe will gather within the City of Light to look at athletes compete and immerse themselves within the culture, romance and history of one in all the world's most iconic cities.

But a landmark of Paris, the Notre Dame Cathedral, continues to be being renovated after a devastating fire ignited within the cathedral and burned for 12 hours on April 14, 2019. When the last embers were extinguished, most of Notre Dame's wood and metal roof was destroyed and the majestic tower was gone, consumed by flames.

Notre Dame is nearly 1,000 years old and has been damaged and repaired again and again. The last major renovation took place in the course of the nineteenth century. The massive beams that framed the structure were constructed from European oak trees harvested 300 to 400 years ago.

Today these trees are common throughout north-central Europe, but as a consequence of centuries of deforestation, few are tall enough to exchange Notre Dame's roof trellis and spire. Planners needed to Search nationwide for enough appropriately sized oak trees for restoration.

I study as an archaeologist long-term human interactions with nature. In my latest book: “Understanding the Endangered Earth: How Archeology and Human History Shape a Sustainable Future“I describe how addressing modern environmental crises requires an understanding of deep history—not only written human records, but in addition ancient connections between humans and the natural world.

Many people assume that the devastating effects that humans have caused on our planet were attributable to humans the commercial age, which began within the mid-18th century. But humans have been changing conditions on Earth for 1000’s of years. Looking back can influence our journey forward.

From deforestation to reforestation

To see how this works, let's have a look at Notre Dame's lack of tall trees from a broader perspective. Deforestation in Europe dates back no less than 10,000 years, to a time when early farmers moved across the continent, clearing forests and creating agricultural and pastureland to shape today's landscapes.

Based on archaeological evidence, Pollen-based modeling and written records, scientists have determined that forest cover in northern, central and western Europe reached its peak density around 10,000 to 12,000 years ago, followed by a gradual decline over the intervening millennia. By 1700 AD, humans were farming on 250 million acres (100 million hectares) of agricultural fields, most of which were created by the logging of native European forests.

Millions of acres of wood were used as fuel for domestic hearths after which stoves and boilers through the Industrial Revolution. This process was so transformative that the renowned British geographer HC Darby called it “probably the single most important factor of all” in 1954 has modified the European landscape.”

Most of those forests were lost long before scientists could study them, but historical detective work can fill within the missing information. By identifying charred plant stays from ancient hearths and analyzing pollen from lake and soil cores, archaeologists can map where ancient forests once flourished, determine which species were represented, and reconstruct what forests looked like.

Today European nations are working on it Restore forests across the continent to slow climate change and the lack of species. With historical details about past forests, modern scientists could make higher decisions about which tree species to plant, select the most effective locations, and predict how the trees might reply to future climate changes.

Understand what is feasible

Over the past 50 years, the speed and magnitude of human impacts on the Earth have increased. In what scientists call “the big acceleration“Human activities such as deforestation, conversion of land for agriculture and development, overfishing of wildlife and fisheries, and warming of the atmosphere through widespread use of fossil fuels have transformed living conditions.”

For people born during this time of dizzying change, it could actually be difficult to assume life on Earth before man recreated it. Scientists have identified the danger of so-called “Shifting baselines“ – the widespread tendency to assume that the present decimated state of nature is similar as things have at all times been. When we all know what ecosystems used to look and performance like and the way human activity has modified them, the size of the character conservation challenges becomes clearer.

The story offers insights into what the world once looked like, long before globalization and industrial activity modified the planet. Discarded animal bones, charcoal fragments, broken stone tools, and other ancient flotsam provide clues to the dimensions and abundance of animal species, the situation and composition of native forests and landscapes, and fluctuating atmospheric conditions. They also show how people, plants and animals reacted to those changes.

Information a few resilient future

The past might help modern societies address today's environmental challenges in some ways. Understanding how this happens requires careful historical detective work and scientific creativity. Here some examples:

• Tracing where indigenous fishermen collected black abalone for over 10,000 years may help Recovery efforts for this endangered species. Recent archaeological and anthropological research provides quite a few examples of effective Indigenous strategies that exhibit progressive land management, sustainable agriculture, and community resilience practices honed over centuries.

• Understanding the history of deforestation and land conversion patterns might help health professionals Anticipate future pandemics. Many infectious diseases spread from wild animals to humans, and human activities resembling deforestation and urbanization are increasingly resulting in closer contact between humans and animals. This increases the chance of zoonotic disease transmission.

• Museum collections might help scientists Document and understand species declines and develop effective strategies to combat global biodiversity loss. For example, museum collections of preserved amphibians have allowed scientists to trace the spread of the deadly chytrid fungus, helping to develop targeted conservation strategies to guard endangered frog species.

Humans can slow and maybe even reverse the ecological damage they’ve caused, however the Earth won’t ever return to its previous, pristine state.

Still, I consider history might help people save the Earth's remaining wild, natural places, which, together with cultural icons like Notre Dame, tell the stories of who we’re. The goal shouldn’t be to go backwards, but to create a more resilient, sustainable and biodiverse planet.