Consider the following statements about environmental concerns in history I. In the Indian Ocean region, early French and British scientists pondered over possible linkages of deforestation, the wholesale denuding of the native tree cover and the cycles of water replenishment. II. In the USA, there were similar fears by the late 19 th century. III. There was hardly any environmental concerns in the past about wider global impacts of the way, resources were used. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Historical evidence confirms that environmental concerns are not a modern phenomenon. In the Indian Ocean region, early French and British colonial scientists, such as Pierre Poivre and Alexander Gibson, observed the link between deforestation and the disruption of hydrological cycles, fearing that denuding native tree cover would lead to decreased water replenishment and climatic change [t4][t5]. Similarly, in the USA during the late 19th century, rapid industrialization and land-use changes spurred significant conservation fears [t1]. This period saw the rise of utilitarian and preservationist movements led by figures like Thoreau and Emerson, culminating in the creation of the first national forests to mitigate environmental damage [t1]. Statement III is incorrect because these historical examples demonstrate that there were indeed significant concerns regarding the wider global and regional impacts of resource extraction and environmental degradation during the colonial and industrial eras [t3][t4].

Sources

1. [1] https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/nineteenth-century-trends-in-american-conservation.htm