Are Human Beings Response for the demise of the earth?

Around 10,000 ago certain groups of humans in the Middle East began to cultivate edible plants and domesticate animals. And over centuries or even millenniums, agriculture became the dominate source of food for humans. This trend might have been encouraged by the need of hunter-gatherers to find a more efficient way to produce food in the face of climate change and a growing number of mouths to feed. Wetter regions were more suitable for farming then drier regions like the South Sahara, where herding animals was more practical.

The rise of farming led to the end of nomadic life for some humans in favour of settling down. This is how the first villages came into being, these villages were the forerunners of urban centres or cities. The oldest known city, Jericho in Israel dates back to 9800 B.C. It is in these cities where things like social hierarchies, art and science emerged. Societies evolved from tribal bands via chiefdoms into states. This Cultural Revolution also sped the degradation of the environment.

Bigger cities meant more farming in order to feed their growing populations. An increase in agricultural practices led more deforestation and the destruction of animals habitats. Nature had now become a economic resource that needed to be managed and manipulated. Over the centuries more and more trees gave way to human activity.

Source: Environmental History Resources