Question

Each controlling roughly half of the world's population, both the Roman and Han Empires required extensive resources. What were some of the environmental impacts of resource extraction?

A. Mining heavy metals which polluted waterways and poisoned people.
B. More farmland leading to increased rainfall and reduced evaporation.
C. Depleting nutrients in soils by not resting crops.
D. Deforestation which can be identified by atmospheric methane trapped in the bubbles of ice cores from Greenland.

Answer 1

Resource extraction in the Roman and Han Empires had environmental impacts such as pollution, soil depletion, and deforestation.

Step-by-step explanation:

Both the Roman and Han Empires required extensive resources, which had various environmental impacts. Some of these impacts include:

1. Mining heavy metals: This activity polluted waterways and caused harm to people.
2. Depleting nutrients in soils: The continuous cultivation of crops without allowing the soil to rest led to the depletion of essential nutrients.
3. Deforestation: Both empires engaged in deforestation, which can be identified through the presence of atmospheric methane trapped in ice cores from Greenland.

These environmental impacts were a result of the high demand for resources in order to sustain the large populations and economies of both empires.