Environmental Consequences of Connectivity

Essential Question

• Environmental effects of trade in Afro-Eurasia (c. 1200 - c. 1450)

Agricultural Effects of Trade

• Introduction of novel agricultural products, like citrus fruits.

• Significant crop migrations:

  • Champa rice: Drought and flood-resistant, yields two crops/year; spread in China led to population growth.

  • Bananas introduced to Sub-Saharan Africa by Indonesians; enhanced nutrition led to population increases.

  • Cotton, sugar, and citrus crops also spread with Islam and trade routes.

Environmental Degradation

• Population pressure led to resource overuse:

  • Overgrazing near Great Zimbabwe caused abandonment of the city.

  • Deforestation and soil erosion in feudal Europe reduced agricultural output.

  • The Little Ice Age (c. 1300-1800) decreased agricultural production.

  • Decline of Mayan civilization linked to environmental degradation.

Spread of Epidemics

• Bubonic plague (Black Death) spread via trade routes, primarily through Mongol conquests.

• Estimated death toll: 75-200 million in Eurasia; one-third of Europe's population.

• Fewer workers led to a demand for higher wages, altering labor relationships and contributing to the decline of feudalism.

• Impact on North Africa, China, and Central Asia; fewer effects in South Asia/Sub-Saharan Africa due to lack of trade ports.

Key Terms by Theme

• Crop Diffusion: Champa rice, bananas, sugar, citrus crops.

• Disease and Degradation: Bubonic plague, overgrazing, deforestation, soil erosion.