Due to human activities or natural reasons, environmental conditions have changed against human beings, thus affecting human production and life and bringing disasters to human beings. This is an environmental problem. Natural factors such as floods, droughts, storms, earthquakes and tsunamis have existed since the beginning of the world. For this kind of environmental problems, human beings can take measures to reduce its negative impact and destructive power, but it is difficult to stop it. The environmental problems we are talking about here refer to the destruction of the natural environment and environmental pollution caused by human activities. Environmental destruction refers to a series of environmental problems caused by unreasonable resource development and utilization or large-scale engineering construction, such as soil erosion caused by vegetation destruction, grassland degradation caused by overgrazing, soil desertification caused by large-scale grassland reclamation, indiscriminate mining and over-fishing and extinction of rare species. The consequences often take a long time to recover, and some are even irreversible. Environmental pollution mainly means that industrial and agricultural production and urban life discharge a lot of pollutants into the environment, which reduces the environmental quality, thus endangering human health, destroying biological resources and affecting industrial and agricultural production. He said, specifically, environmental pollution refers to the pollution of harmful substances, mainly industrial "three wastes" (waste gas, waste water and waste residue) to the atmosphere, water, soil and organisms. Environmental pollution includes air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution, biological pollution and other pollution caused by substances and pollution caused by physical factors, such as noise pollution, thermal pollution, radioactive pollution or electromagnetic radiation pollution.
Environmental problems run through the whole stage of human development. However, in different historical stages, due to the differences in production methods and productivity levels, the types, scope and degree of environmental problems are not consistent. According to the sequence and severity of environmental problems, the occurrence and development of environmental problems can be roughly divided into three stages: from the emergence of human beings to the industrial revolution, it is the early stage of environmental problems; From the industrial revolution to the discovery of Antarctic ozone hole in 1984, it is the stage of modern environmental problems; Since 1984, the discovery of Antarctic ozone hole has caused the second climax of world environmental problems, which is the stage of contemporary environmental problems. This chapter will summarize environmental problems and environmental protection according to the division of these three stages.
Section 1 The embryonic period of environmental protection
I environmental problems before the industrial revolution
The history of environmental problems can be traced back to the distant agricultural revolution. Before the agricultural revolution, the relationship between man and nature experienced a historic turning point. The symbol of this great turning point is the ability to use "tools for making tools", of which the most important tool is fire. According to the research of scientists in China, there are a lot of charcoal scraps, charred bones and other relics in Yuanmou man's site, which is the proof that people used fire the earliest. This shows that humans began to use fire about 6.5438+0.7 million years ago. Humans can use fire as an external energy source, ending the history of natural slaves, changing from passive adaptation to active transformation of the environment, and starting a difficult and long process of conquering and controlling nature.
With the use of fire and the manufacture of tools, the improvement of human ability to conquer nature has led to the destruction of the environment by human beings. Some scholars believe that in prehistoric society, the extinction of many large mammals, such as bison, may be related to people's excessive hunting. Late paleolithic period. The disappearance of mammoths and hairy rhinos may also be caused by the same reason. But before the agricultural revolution, the population was always small, and the scope of human activities only occupied a small part of the earth's surface; On the other hand, generally speaking, human beings have little influence on nature and can only rely on the natural environment to collect and hunt natural animals and plants for a living. At this time, although environmental problems have appeared, they are not prominent, and the earth's ecosystem still has enough ability to restore balance on its own. Therefore, before the agricultural revolution, the environment basically changed according to the laws of nature, and people were still attached to the natural environment to a large extent.
After the agricultural revolution, great changes have taken place. First, the first population explosion in history, from 5.32 million at the end of the Paleolithic Age 6.5438+0 million years ago to 65.438+0.33 billion around 2000. The population has greatly increased, and the scope and degree of influence on the earth's environment have also increased. Second, people have learned to domesticate wild animals and plants, and purposeful farming and domestication have become the main means for people to obtain food, thus ensuring the food source of human beings. With the development of farming operations, the power and role of human beings in utilizing and transforming the environment is increasing, and at the same time, corresponding environmental problems have also arisen. Due to the low level of productivity, people mainly cut down forests and reclaim grasslands on a large scale to expand the area of cultivated land and increase the grain harvest. Coupled with backward production methods such as slash-and-burn cultivation, the productivity of a large number of reclaimed land decreased, soil erosion intensified, and large areas of fertile land gradually became barren. In order to meet the needs of agricultural irrigation, water conservancy has been developed, but it also often causes soil salinization and swamp. The continuous deterioration of the ecological environment not only directly affects people's lives, but also affects the process of human civilization to a great extent. Historically, the improper development of agricultural civilization has brought about the deterioration of the ecological environment and led to the decline of civilization.
The ancient Egyptian civilization born in the Nile Valley can be said to be "the gift of the Nile". Historically, every summer, silt rich in inorganic minerals and organic matter in the upper reaches of rivers will flood, leaving Egypt with a thin layer of sediment. The amount will not block the irrigation canal and affect irrigation and flood discharge, but it is enough to supplement the inorganic mineral nutrients absorbed by crops harvested from the field, which almost perfectly meets the demand for organic matter in farmland, so that this land can produce a large amount of food to raise a large number of people born on it. Historians believe that it is this unparalleled natural condition that has created Egypt's long and splendid civilization. However, due to continuous logging, overgrazing and reclamation in the upper reaches of the Nile, soil erosion is increasing day by day, and the sediment in the Nile is increasing year by year. Egypt can no longer get that precious fertile soil, and the former "Mediterranean granary" has lost its former glory, and now it has become one of the poverty-stricken areas on earth.
Mesopotamia, located between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers (present-day Iraq), is the birthplace of the famous Babylonian civilization. Before BC, it used to be lush forests and fertile fields. The rich natural environment gave birth to splendid Babylonian culture-"cuneiform", "code of hammurabi" and 60-digit timekeeping ... The city of Babylon was the largest city in the world at that time, and it was also a famous commercial center in West Asia. The "hanging garden" built by the king of Babylon for the imperial concubine was regarded as one of the seven wonders of the world. However, while creating splendid culture and developing agriculture, Babylonians destroyed the virtuous circle of ecological environment due to endless farming, overgrazing and wanton logging, and finally turned this fertile land into a barren land ravaged by sandstorms. The long yellow sand made the kingdom of Babylon disappear from the earth 2000 years ago. Today, the population supported by this land is less than that of14 in Hammurabi's time, and the splendid city of Babylon was not excavated by archaeologists until modern times and reappeared in front of the world.
The ancient Indian civilization, which is as famous as the ancient Egyptian civilization and the Babylonian civilization, originated in the Indus Valley. The natural environment and civilization history of the Indus Valley are similar to those of Mesopotamia. 4000-5000 years ago, agriculture here was very developed. People use the abundant river water of the Indus River in four seasons and the floods in two seasons a year to plant rich crops, rich in wheat, sesame, melon and cotton, which is a veritable granary. However, unbridled land reclamation and endless deforestation have caused a lot of soil erosion and siltation in the southern foothills of Mount Wyndya and Himalayas, which has destroyed the ecological structure and balance. Land desertification has emerged, and the fertile fields in the past have gradually turned into vast deserts. Today, it is a desert with an area of 650,000 square kilometers.
The Mediterranean region is the birthplace of western civilization. There was a time in history when every region in the Mediterranean presented a progressive and vibrant civilization. Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Tunisia, Algeria, Spain, Italy, Sicily, Yugoslavia, Greece, Crete and Turkey were once the most prosperous and progressive regions in the world. Now, except for a few developed countries, they all became backward areas in the world in the twentieth century. The population of many countries is only half of the previous population or 1/3. The process of civilization rise and fall in Mediterranean countries is basically very similar: at first, civilization rose in the fertile land created by nature for a long time, and continued to progress for centuries. With the expansion of reclamation scale, more and more forest and grassland vegetation are destroyed, and productive topsoil begins to be eroded and stripped; Then continuous planting and leaching consumed a lot of mineral nutrients needed for crop growth, so the yield began to decline. With the exhaustion of land productivity, the civilization it supported began to decline.
Maya civilization is an ancient Chinese civilization, which developed in the lowland tropical forest (now Guatemala). In 250 AD, Mayan culture, architecture and population reached their peak, with a population density of about 200-500 people per square kilometer. However, because ecological destruction and population growth exceeded the carrying capacity of the land, by 800 AD, Mayan civilization began to decline, and in less than 100 years, this once prosperous land was almost extinct.
The Yellow River Basin is the birthplace of ancient civilization in China. More than 4,000 years ago, there were lush forests, abundant aquatic plants, mild climate and fertile land. According to records, in the Zhou Dynasty, the forest coverage rate of the Loess Plateau reached 53%, and a good ecological environment provided superior conditions for agricultural development. However, since the Qin and Han Dynasties, the forests in the Yellow River basin have been cut down on a large scale, which has aggravated soil erosion and increased the sediment content of the Yellow River. The sediment concentration of the Yellow River reached 50% in the Song Dynasty, increased to 60% in the Ming Dynasty and further reached 70% in the Qing Dynasty, which made the riverbed of the Yellow River higher and higher, and some sections were much higher than the ground, forming a "suspended river". In case of heavy rain, the river burst its banks and flooded, and the Yellow River became a veritable "river disaster". At the same time, the desert area in this area is expanding day by day, and the ecological environment is deteriorating sharply.
As can be seen from the above examples, in agricultural society, ecological destruction has reached a considerable scale and has produced serious social consequences. After investigating the decline of ancient civilization, Engels pointed out in view of the evil consequences of human destruction of the environment: "The residents of Mesopotamia, Greece, Asia Minor and other places cut down all the forests in order to obtain cultivated land, but they never dreamed that these places would become barren today because they lost the forests and the centers for accumulating and storing water. The Italians in the Alps cut down the pine forest on the south slope of the mountain and were carefully protected on the north slope. Unexpectedly, they destroyed the foundation of alpine animal husbandry in their area. What they didn't expect was that in doing so, the mountain springs dried up for most of the year, and in the rainy season, more fierce floods poured on the plains. " Therefore, Engels warned mankind: "We should not be too intoxicated with our victory over nature, because every such victory naturally retaliates against us. Every victory did achieve our expected results in the first step, but it produced completely different and unexpected effects in the second and third steps. The first result was often cancelled. " "Therefore, we must always remember that we rule nature, never like conquerors ruling foreign countries, never like people standing outside nature-on the contrary, we, together with our flesh and blood and brains, belong to and coexist in nature; Our total rule over nature is that we are stronger than all other animals and can understand and correctly apply the laws of nature. "
In addition, in agricultural society, especially at the end of agricultural society, pollution problems have appeared. According to textual research, thousands of years ago, because our ancestors' heating and stove facilities were very simple, the caves were suffocating with smoke, and people fled to the outside of the caves. And because the food was rotten and smelly, it was boring, so I moved to another place and didn't come back. Some people think that this is the beginning of the history of air pollution in human society. But generally speaking, in the era of agricultural civilization, the main environmental problem is ecological destruction, and the pollution problem is only prominent in some cities with concentrated population, which has attracted people's attention and taken some preventive measures. For example, in BC 18, the code of hammurabi of the Babylonian slave kingdom banned shoemakers from living in cities, so as not to pollute the living environment of cities; /kloc-At the beginning of the 0/4th century, the British Parliament issued a decree prohibiting London manufacturing industry from burning coal during the parliamentary session to keep the atmosphere clean.
Second, the origin of ancient western environmental protection
As a "thinking" advanced animal, human beings have been constantly rethinking this development while developing. This kind of reflection can be traced back to the beginning of recorded history, usually dating back to ancient Greece.
Greek civilization first developed agriculture on fertile land and established it on this basis. With the development of society, in the middle of the eighth century BC, there were obvious signs of population pressure (mainly referring to the pressure of food supply) in most parts of the Greek peninsula. At this time, most of the better land in Greece has been reclaimed and planted, and some sloping forests have also been cut down. In the next three centuries, the population is increasing, and the demand for cultivated land is increasing. The ancient Greeks gradually pushed their cultivated land to the hillside, which used to be woodland or pasture. Then, in order to make up for the loss caused by the shrinking pasture, they overgrazed the remaining pasture and cut down more forests to expand the pasture. This situation continued until all the cultivated land was planted with crops. As a result, misfortune befell the ancient Greeks. Most of the land is eroded by heavy rain in winter, and the topsoil on cultivated hillsides and felled forests is quickly eroded and lost, and grasslands and pastures are also destroyed by overgrazing.
Faced with the deterioration of the ecological environment, some Greeks began to wake up. Around 590 BC, Leng Lun had realized that the land of Athens city-state was becoming unsuitable for growing grain. He strongly advocated that crops should not be planted on sloping fields, but olives and grapes should be planted instead. A few years later, in order to encourage the planting of olive trees, peisistratus, the tyrant of ancient Athens, gave bonuses to farmers and landlords in Athens. However, it is too late. At that time, the destruction and soil erosion in Athens had reached an irreparable tragic situation.
Plato and Aristotle, ancient Greek thinkers, also warned that human development should adapt to the carrying capacity of the environment and the population should maintain a moderate scale. Plato, with his keen insight, profoundly revealed that if the ecological environment is destroyed, today's bustling places will only leave some "abandoned ancient temples" tomorrow. In his article Dialogue, he vividly described the changes of land in Athens from the early prosperity of Greece to the time when he lived (427-347 BC): "There is only the skeleton of a sick seedling left in the previously rich land. All the rich and soft topsoil was washed away, leaving only a bare skeleton. Many barren hills are now cultivated land, and the swamp in front of us used to be a fertile plain; Those hills were once covered with forests and produced rich livestock products, but now there is only enough food for bees. Moreover, the annual rain moistened the land at that time, and the upper soil would not be lost, nor would it be washed into the sea from the bare ground as it is now; At that time, the soil layer was very thick, absorbing rainwater and storing water in the soil with water-stable aggregate structure; The water absorbed in the soil gathers everywhere, forming rushing mountain springs and gurgling streams. Some ancient temples, now abandoned, are located where fountains once gushed out, which confirms the authenticity of our description of the land situation. "
As mentioned earlier, the rise and fall of civilizations in countries around the Mediterranean are very similar. After over-cultivation, serious soil erosion and deterioration of ecological environment are also important reasons for the collapse of ancient Roman civilization after ancient Greek civilization. The Romans also paid attention to soil and water conservation in the process of predatory planting. They built dams and reservoirs, collected rainwater in winter for irrigation in summer, and built terraces and irrigation projects. However, these soil and water conservation projects eventually disappeared for various reasons, such as abandonment or lack of maintenance. In the late Roman Republic, around 60 BC, the philosopher and poet Lucretius realized the seriousness of soil erosion and soil fertility depletion in Italy. He pointed out: rain and rivers are eroding cultivated land, eroding soil, causing soil erosion and flowing into the ocean with water; The soil fertility is exhausted and the earth is dying. In order to support themselves, farmers have to reclaim more land and work harder. National strength is also declining. Another Roman historian, Li Wei, who was almost contemporary with Lucretius, once discussed where the rations and supplies of Virsa, Aquian and Henicha, which Rome fought fiercely with for four centuries in the first 10 year, came from, because in the era when Li Wei lived, the land in these areas was extremely barren and could barely support a few people. Although Li Wei can find out the reasons from the destruction of the natural environment, it also shows that people of insight at that time have been exploring how human beings can survive by using the land under their feet.
Western European civilization inherits and develops the essence of ancient Greek and Roman civilization, and is also built on a land that retains the original productive forces. Generally speaking, the ecological environment in western Europe has not been seriously damaged, threatening the continuation of western European civilization. There are two main reasons for this. First, the climate in most parts of western Europe is very conducive to soil conservation and suitable for agricultural production, especially those areas adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, which have typical maritime climate and help farmers restore fertility; On the other hand, it is because the people of western Europe have made great efforts for a long time, not afraid of difficulties and hardships, and implemented various applicable measures to strengthen the natural foundation on which their civilization depends. For example, agricultural production in western Europe has always been distributed in most fertile fields, and a large area of woodland has never been cut down: the modern rotation system originated in western European lowland countries from 14 to 15 centuries.
Agricultural production in western Europe has not caused great damage to the ecological environment, but with the development of agricultural production, a large number of cities have brought pollution problems, especially large cities with concentrated population, and some pollution problems have become quite serious. It can be said that modern western civilization has tasted the bitter fruit brought by this civilization from the beginning, although it is different from the taste of ecological environment deterioration produced by previous civilizations. Therefore, strictly speaking, modern western civilization had to face the challenge of environmental pollution from the beginning. For example, tobacco pollution appeared in western Europe in 12 and 13 centuries. At that time, in Britain, where the flower of "coal civilization" was in full bloom, smoke and dust were rampant and became a public hazard. During the period of Edward I of England (1272- 1307) and II (1307- 1327), soot pollution was exposed, and protests against the "harmful smell" of coal appeared. During Richard's period (14 13- 1422), the use of coal was restricted due to the smoke and smell produced by coal combustion. 166 1 year, John Evanlin wrote a famous book about London's smoke, Expelling Smoke. Among them, the description of London smog is like this: "Hell-like black soot emerges from chimneys, wineries and lime kilns in houses. London is like Mount Etna in Sicily, like the court of the god of fire and smelting (Roshen), like the side of hell. ..... This splendid ancient city, from wood to stone, has been built with marble, and even the distant Indian Ocean is dominated by it. However, due to being submerged in the strong smoke and sulfur emitted by coal, stench and haze appeared. ..... Tired London tourists, before seeing the streets of London, first smell the unpleasant smell coming from miles away, which is harmful soot that defiles the city's honor. ..... In London, stones and iron, which have been as hard as rocks for centuries, are now worn out by the corrosion of soot. ..... London residents keep breathing dirty air, which damages their lungs. In London, many people suffer from mucositis, tuberculosis and colds. " However, these appeals have not attracted enough attention. It was not until after the industrial revolution that all kinds of pollution were quite serious that people gradually woke up and took various measures to prevent and control environmental pollution.
Third, the origin of ancient environmental protection in China.
The environmental problems in the history of China are mainly the destruction of forests, water sources, animals and plants and other natural resources and natural environment by human activities, especially agricultural production activities. Since ancient times, our ancestors began to have the idea of protecting the natural ecological environment. This kind of thinking is often unconscious and even superstitious. For example, in ancient times, people once sacrificed mountains and rivers with gods. In The Book of Songs, there is a saying that "the rivers are soft and the rivers are Qiao Yue". This is explained in the Analects of Confucius: Jiuzhou is famous for its mountains and rivers, where material resources are produced, and there must be sacrifices. This shows that the reason why people admired mountains and rivers at that time was not entirely superstition. But mainly because mountains and rivers are the origin of resources.
Since the Zhou Dynasty, people began to consciously protect natural biological resources while using nature, and opposed excessive utilization or wanton destruction. The sacrificial order issued by the Western Zhou Dynasty stipulates: "No houses will be destroyed, no wells will be filled, no trees will be cut down, and no six animals will be moved. Those who are not today will die without forgiveness. " This is an earlier law in ancient China to protect water sources, forests and animals, which is extremely strict. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, the surrounding governments investigated and protected the living environment of the population. According to Zhou Zadi Guan, the duty of Da Situ is not only to be in charge of the map and household registration of the world, but also to "identify things by the method of soil suitability, to know their interests by housing, to enrich the people, to care for birds and animals, to care for flowers and trees, and to do any geotechnical work." In other words, the duties of Da Situ include investigating the ecological conditions of animals and plants, analyzing their relationship with local residents, protecting animals such as birds and beasts in mountains and rivers, making them reproduce normally and maintain a good state, and finally making people live in a good ecological environment.
In the pre-Qin period, people's protection of biological resources gradually developed from an unconscious and vague stage to a conscious and clear stage. By the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the protection of biological resources had a clear purpose, specific provisions and a wide range, and it was always linked with economic development, reaching an unprecedented height. At that time, a hundred schools of thought had different understandings of biological resources protection, which led to the debate between different schools, thus promoting the deepening and perfection of resources protection thought. Among them, Guan Zhong, a native of Qi in the Spring and Autumn Period, was the most representative and influential. Guan Zhong is a relative of Qi. Starting from the goal of developing economy and enriching Qiang Bing, he attached great importance to the management of mountains and rivers and the protection of biological resources, and formed a set of protection thoughts. He believes that mountains and rivers are "the source of natural wealth" and the source of natural wealth. The government should take care of mountains and rivers. "A gentleman can't keep his mountains and rivers, and he can't be the king of the world." In other words, people who don't protect mountains and rivers are not worthy to be * * * of the country. On the basis of summarizing the experiences and lessons of emperors in dealing with mountains and rivers, Guan Zhong clearly put forward and implemented the policy of protecting biological resources. He advocated protecting biological resources by legal means and establishing institutions to manage mountains and rivers. He believes that the protection of biological resources is not to close mountains and rivers and prevent people from using them, but to open them in accordance with the prescribed seasons and use them in a planned way. He said: "Spring politics can't help but make it last forever, and summer politics can't help but make it decline", which embodies the ideological understanding of protecting and rationally utilizing biological resources and making them proliferate normally. He combined the protection of biological resources with economic development and people's livelihood, which became an important part of Qiang Bing's policy. He took many measures to ensure the development of agricultural production. In addition, Guan Zhong also attaches great importance to environmental sanitation, even to the cleaning of wells. "Zhong Kuang Pian" said: "Gong and Guan Zhongfu drink it, and dig a new well without firewood." This also shows that people at that time already knew to cover wells with firewood to protect the cleanliness of drinking water sources.
The thought of protecting biological resources in the pre-Qin period had a great influence on later generations and developed in the later historical process. During the Qin and Han dynasties, the action of protecting biological resources entered a quite conscious stage from the spontaneous stage, and reached a quite high level in theory. Huainanzi written by Liu An, the king of Huainan in the Western Han Dynasty, systematically summarized the environmental protection policies in the pre-Qin period, and a series of specific provisions on the protection of biological resources reflected the characteristics of the close combination of rational utilization and protection of biological resources with agricultural production, which was the most perfect exposition of the ancient biological resources protection policies.
During the Tang and Song Dynasties, we still attached great importance to environmental management and biological resources protection. In the Tang Dynasty, not only mountains, gardens and hunting were taken as the scope of government management, but also urban greening, shrines in suburban temples and famous mountains in wuyue were included in the scope of government management. At the same time, 300 miles in the suburbs of Jingzhao and Duer, Henan Province, were designated as no-logging areas or no-hunting areas, and their management scope exceeded the pre-Qin period. The Song Dynasty, especially the Northern Song Dynasty, also attached great importance to the protection of biological resources, and paid attention to legislative protection, and even reiterated the prohibition of imperial edict protection. At the same time, it also ordered county officials and even township heads and other grassroots officials to detect and arrest those who violated the ban, which shows its seriousness and strict law enforcement. Since the Song Dynasty, people have been aware of the problems of water storage and drainage caused by land reclamation around lakes and soil erosion caused by deforestation, which shows that people of insight at that time were quite sensitive to emerging environmental problems.
In the Ming Dynasty, the protection of mountain rivers until Renzong (A.D. 1425- 1426) was controlled by the relevant regulations of the previous generation, and the scope was quite extensive. In Renzong, in order to alleviate the difficult situation of "the labor force is prosperous and the collection is a little urgent" and reduce the burden on the people, the control measures began to be abandoned or partially abandoned. "Mountain fields, gardens, lakes and marshes, pits and smelting, fruit trees and honey officials are all banned and known to the people." Due to the ban on lakes, many lakes were stolen and turned into fields, which destroyed the ecological balance and caused some man-made natural disasters. According to the Records of Rivers and Channels in the Ming Dynasty, Zhou Chen, the governor of Ming Yingzong, once pointed out the evil consequences of reclaiming land from lakes: "Therefore, the mountain stream rises, so it is drained. The nearest person builds a polder to stop the lake, and every time the flood is stopped, it will harm the people. " Mountain rivers were forbidden in Ming Dynasty, although there were some unreasonable reasons. But it is indeed a retrogression in protection, which is very harmful to the environment.
In the Qing Dynasty, the population surged, and many grasslands or mountains in the northeast, northwest and south of the Yangtze River were reclaimed as farmland, which led to grassland degradation, desert expansion, forest destruction and soil erosion, and further environmental damage. At that time, some people of insight had seen this problem and put forward pertinent warnings about the current disadvantages. Mei Zengliang, an essayist in Qing Dynasty, described and analyzed the situation and causes of soil erosion in Xuancheng, Anhui Province, and pointed out that reclamation of mountainous areas caused soil erosion and affected flat farmland. However, all these warnings did not attract the attention of the Qing Dynasty, and unreasonable reclamation projects continued, which brought great disasters to China's environment.
While protecting the ecological environment, China has long managed the living environment to prevent local environmental pollution caused by population concentration. During the Yin and Shang Dynasties, it was forbidden to dump domestic garbage on the street, which was regarded as a crime. "everything is done by Han Fei-zi's theory of hiding inside" states: "The method of Yin, whoever abandons ashes to correct the law, will break his hand." It can be seen that people had banned littering to destroy the environment at that time. During the Warring States Period, Shang Yang practiced the rule of law in Qin State, and also stipulated the law that "those who step six feet will be punished, and those who abandon their ashes in the Tao will be punished".
In addition, it is worth mentioning that in the history of our country, many dynasties have established institutions to manage Chuanze decrees, such as the official departments of Yu, Yu Heng and Yu Heng. , but also with a certain level of officials, such as doctors, doctors, foreign ministers, contractors and so on. The duties of these institutions and officials usually include hunting, logging, fishing, managing gardens and being responsible for the supply of certain materials. According to Historical Records and Shangshu, the earliest Guan Yu in China was born in Shundi period. At that time, floods and wild animals threatened human survival and were the main environmental problems. Shun appointed Boyi as Guan Yu through the tribal alliance meeting. In addition to assisting Dayu in water control, his main task is to manage plants, animals and birds, especially to drive away wild animals that harm human beings. Yao Dian in Shangshu describes this: "The emperor said,' What if the land is given to plants, animals and birds?' He said, "Yes!" The emperor said:' Yu! Counseling benefits, you worry about me. "The kowtow, to zhu, tiger, bear, finish. The emperor said:' Yu! Go ahead, you are in harmony. ""Probably, at a meeting, Shun wanted to select officials to manage mountains, rivers, trees, birds and animals, and everyone recommended Yi as his post, and Shun agreed. Boyi quickly kowtowed and thanked him, and wanted to give this position to Zhu, Hu and Xiong. Shun said, "OK, let them work with you!" "Boyi has made great contributions in this position, so he is honored as' General of All Insects'.
The rise of environmental protection in the second quarter
I. Environmental problems after the industrial revolution
/kloc-the industrial revolution in the 0/8th century once brought hope and joy to mankind. Because of the rise of industrialization, the development of urbanization and the progress of science and technology, the living standard of human beings has been greatly improved. For example, the death rate of the population has been declining, the average life expectancy has been increasing, more people have enjoyed the convenience of city life, and more children can enter schools to receive more education. It is true that human development has once again shaken off the shadow of the "dark middle ages" and human civilization has entered an unprecedented height. However, while the industrial revolution brought joy to mankind, it also brought many unexpected consequences, and even laid a potential threat to the survival and development of mankind.