Management by the Maasai is proving difficult. Tourists want to see wild lions, but the lions sometimes kill and eat Maasai cattle. In addition, there had been a significant decrease in snow and ice cover on the high slopes and summit of the mountain. Snow and ice reflect sunlight.

 

As snow and ice decrease and dark rock is exposed, more solar energy is absorbed at the surface, warming it. The solution to specific environmental problems requires specific knowledge. The six themes listed above help us see the big picture and provide a valuable background. The opening case study illustrates linkages among the themes, as well as the importance of details.

 

Although it is customary to think of the population as increasing continuously without declines or fluctuations, the growth of the human population has not been a steady march. For example, great declines occurred during the time of the Black Death in the 14th century. At that time, entire towns were abandoned, food production declined, and in England one-third of the population died within a single decade. The most dramatic increase in the history of the human population occurred in the last part of the 20th century and continues today into the early 21st century.