The first estimates of population in Western civilization were attempted in the Roman era. During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, scholars occasionally estimated the number of people. The first modern census was taken in 1655 in the Canadian colonies by the French and the British. The first series of regular censuses by a country began in Sweden in 1750, and the United States has taken a census every decade since 1790.

 

Most countries began counting their populations much later. The first Russian census, for example, was taken in 1870. Even today, many countries do not take censuses or do not do so regularly. The population of China has only recently begun to be known with any accuracy. However, studying modern primitive peoples and applying principles of ecology can give us a rough idea of the total number of people who may have lived on Earth.

 

Many sciences are important to environmental science. These include biology, geology, hydrology, climatology, meteorology, oceanography, and soil science. We must do more than simply identify and discuss environmental problems and solutions. To be effective, we must know what science is and is not. Then, we need to develop critical thinking skills. Critical thinking is so important that we have made it the focus of its own..