Abstract
Studies of environmental change often belong to one of two traditions, each generating different human responses. Landscape change in the United States, defined as transformations of the country's land surface over the past half-century, typically is characterized as dominating in magnitude and ubiquitous in spatial extent. Two studies based on rephotography suggest otherwise: Stability seems to be characteristic of recent American landscape history. Perhaps the experiences of everyday lives–necessarily concentrated into those landscapes that have most changed in individual human lifetimes–influence human outlooks. By contrast, recent and anticipated global change, exemplified by human-induced climate modification, creates a different impression: People underestimate the magnitude and impact of such environmental modification. Part of this reaction may lie, again, in the limitations of human experience. Nonetheless, several examples suggest that the characteristics of a dynamic nature, structured by abruptness resulting from process thresholds, complicate the anticipation of global change. Whether landscape or global, change often generates a human sense of regret. Yet, the Texas naturalist, Roy Bedichek, demonstrated that human-induced change may generate patterns in the natural world that bring us pleasure. His wisdom may help to soften the dread that many feel for landscape and global change. [Key words: landscape, environmental change, United States.]
Published Version
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