Editing Environmental science (section)

=== Ancient civilizations ===
Historical concern for environmental issues is well documented in archives around the world.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kovarik |first=Bill |date=September 9, 2022 |title=Environmental issues are part of history |url=https://environmentalhistory.org/2022/09/09/about-environmental-history/#more-164 |access-date=October 2, 2022 |website=Environmental history}}</ref> Ancient civilizations were mainly concerned with what is now known as environmental science insofar as it related to agriculture and natural resources. Scholars believe that early interest in the environment began around 6000 BCE when ancient civilizations in Israel and Jordan collapsed due to [[deforestation]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Prehistoric |url=https://environmentalhistory.org/ancient/prehistoric/ |access-date=October 3, 2022 |website=Environmental history|date=20 July 2012 }}</ref> As a result, in 2700 BCE the first legislation limiting deforestation was established in [[Mesopotamia]].<ref name=":0" /> Two hundred years later, in 2500 BCE, a community residing in the [[Indus Valley Civilisation|Indus River Valley]] observed the nearby river system in order to improve sanitation.<ref name=":0" /> This involved manipulating the flow of water to account for public health. In the Western Hemisphere, numerous ancient Central American city-states collapsed around 1500 BCE due to soil erosion from intensive agriculture.<ref name=":0" /> Those remaining from these civilizations took greater attention to the impact of farming practices on the sustainability of the land and its stable food production. Furthermore, in 1450 BCE the [[Minoan civilization]] on the Greek island of Crete declined due to deforestation and the resulting [[environmental degradation]] of natural resources.<ref name=":0" /> [[Pliny the Elder]] somewhat addressed the environmental concerns of ancient civilizations in the text ''[[Natural History (Pliny)|Naturalis Historia]]'', written between 77 and 79 ACE, which provided an overview of many related subsets of the discipline.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Classics of Environmental Literature |url=https://environmentalhistory.org/about/classics-of-environmental-literature/ |access-date=October 2, 2022 |website=Environmental history|date=14 September 2014 }}</ref>

Although warfare and disease were of primary concern in ancient society, environmental issues played a crucial role in the survival and power of different civilizations. As more communities recognized the importance of the natural world to their long-term success, an interest in studying the environment came into existence.{{cn|date=March 2024}}