The agricultural revolution began in circa 10,000 B.C.E. before the agricultural revolution, hunter-gathers had a nomadic habitat, which means they moved with the animals that they hunt and never settled down. Even though the agricultural revolution caused global warming, it was positive since it allowed hunter-gathers to settle down, then, further led to the development of tools.
The agricultural revolution allowed hunter-gathers to settle down instead of moving consistently seeking for food. Firstly, the agricultural revolution, which created surplus, made the division of labor possible. That means some people didn’t have to directly engage in farming, and that allowed them to focus on other affairs such as developing cuneiform, which is a form of early writing developed by the Sumerians. The function of cuneiform is to record important events and to communicate with people far away (by letters). Secondly, the development of cuneiform laid a foundation for a more advanced civilization. Then, as a form of civilization, city-states emerged, in which people shared the same culture. City-state is a form of settlement, which has shaped human life and is one of the many benefits of the agricultural revolution.
The agricultural revolution resulted in the development of tools and technological innovations. For example, as the early farmers had to find a way to harvest more efficiently, they invented the hand sickle around 10,000 years ago. The hand sickle allowed them to reap crops faster, so they had extra time to plant more crops. Ultimately, new tools made harvest and planting more efficient, which resulted in a benign circle. Although tools and technology improved human life in many ways, it also had a negative impact.
Global warming is a byproduct of the agricultural revolution. The increasing need for farmland has caused excessive deforestation. Deforestation impacts the climate by decreasing the amount of sunlight and heat that get reflected back into space. This process is called albedo. Furthermore, as the population and the demand for food increases, more tools had to be developed with more greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, it forms a vicious cycle. As technology is developed and the industrial age starts, more greenhouse gas is emitted into the atmosphere, which is a form of pollution. Global warming has continued its process ever since the agricultural revolution, and it reaches potentially catastrophic levels at present.
Although the agricultural revolution had negative impacts such as global warming, which humans still struggle to cope with, it promoted productivity greatly, and it brought humans from nomadic habits to settlement. Thus, it further led to waves of technological innovation, and then, shaped our lives today.
