Introducing the “Human Trusteeship of the Planet” Concept: A Crucial Advancement in General and Environmental Anthropology

We begin this paper by understanding the history of mankind in relation to the environment. In order to accomplish this, we delve into the history of the Neolithic revolution and the much later emergence of the world’s earliest civilizations. We also review the industrial revolution and assess the impact they may have had on the environment. We then provide a high level overview and a brief history of the field and the discipline of anthropology, environmental anthropology included, both in its early days, and in more contemporary times. We consequently also overview the components of earth studies including geology, hydrology, and ecology, and provide and a history of environmental studies as well by interfacing this with environmental anthropology in turn. Definitions of terms such as the biosphere, the lithosphere, hydrosphere and the atmosphere are also provided. This paper is also then interfaced with developmental studies and developmental economics including developmental anthropology and anthropology in development so that a clear amalgam of the two can be brought about. The current state of the environmental movement is assessed, and a review of the current state of technology is also accomplished along with a study of indirect factors such as population management. All these assessments then invariably and inevitably lead us to the key components and principles of the “Human trusteeship of the planet” concept which we believe will heal many wounds, and make the world a better place for all of us to live in.