The relationship between human society and the environment, especially in the context of industrialization and fossil fuel use as the main energy source, has been characterized by uncertainty in terms of the impacts of human activity on the environment. Norton and Mercier (2015) focus on this uncertainty starting on p. 124.

To what extent do we think we as a society are in control of this situation? Do we think that we can use ingenuity and technology to solve environmental problems, or conversely do we think that we are in a crisis and need to fundamentally change the nature-society relationship?

Norton, W., & Mercier, M. (2015). Human geography (9th ed.). Oxford University Press.