6.1 Science and the Environment

Period 6 – Accelerating Global Change and Realignments, c. 1900 CE to present

Rapid advances in science altered the understanding of the universe and the natural world and led to the development of new technologies. These changes enabled unprecedented population growth, which altered how humans interacted with the environment and disrupted ecological balances at local, regional, and global levels.

Illustrative examples, diseases associated with poverty:

• Malaria
• Tuberculosis
• Cholera

Illustrative examples, emergent epidemic diseases:

• The 1918 influenza pandemic
• Ebola
• HIV/AIDS

Illustrative examples, diseases associated with changing lifestyles:

• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• Alzheimer’s disease

More effective forms of birth control gave women greater control over fertility and transformed sexual practices.

New military technology and new tactics and the waging of “total war” led to increased levels of wartime casualties.