Constructing a dam on a river demonstrates a
human-environment interaction. The human-environment interaction theme of geography describes how
people react to the environment and how the environment reacts back. The three
key concepts of this theme are dependency, adaptation, and modification.
Dependency is when humans need the power of the environment to suit their daily
needs; adaptation is when humans find ways on how to adapt to the environment
and learn to live with; while modification is when humans alter or modify the
way the environment works.
Building
a dam sits on the concepts of dependency and modification. Humans depend on the
power of the river to generate electricity or to provide water supply. Through technology, we have the power to alter how
mother nature works.
