Since the 19th century, with the industrial revolution, more and more pressing concerns have grown about the impact of human activity on the environment.
V 20-ih letih prejšnega stoletja je ukrajinski geolog, ki je prebegnil v Francijo, Vladimir I.Vernadsky, podrobno opisal idejo o biosferinv svojem delu "Biosfera" (1926), in opisal temeljna načela biogeokemijskih ciklov.