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Environmental Movement
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The British Alkali Acts
The emergence of great factories and consumption of heavy quantities of coal and other fossil fuels which were outputs the industrial revolution gave rise to record air pollution. The British Alkali Acts, passed in 1863 were the first major pieces of environmental law and were established to regulate the detrimental air pollution produced by the Industrial process of creating soda ash. Under the Alkali Acts, industries that emitted smoke, dust and grit were under supervision of the inspectorate. -
John Muir
John Muir, a Scottish-born American naturalist was well known for his role in the environmental movement in the United States. John Muir was one of the early advocates for the preservation of American Wilderness, especially In California and its surrounding regions. He was involved in establishing the ‘Yellowstone', the world's first national park. He later went on to found America's largest conservation organisation, the Sierra Club. -
The Natural Conervancy
The National Conservancy is a charitable environmental organisation in the US that works to preserve all ‘animals, plants and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on earth by protecting the lands and water they need to survive’ (quote from http://www.nature.org/). It was established in 1951. Over the years it has managed to protect over 69,000 square kilometres in the U.S and about 473,000 internationally. -
Silent Spring
Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring drew attention to the impact of harmful chemicals on the natural environment. Published in 1962 the book documented the detrimental effects of the chemical industry and their use of pesticides was having on the environment. It argued unexamined pesticide use was harming and in some cases killing animals and humans. It is now credited for helping launch the environmental movement. -
Technological Progression
The mid-late 60’s was a time that saw major global technological advancements. Technological Accomplishments especially in the advancement of satellite imagery led to scientific research, which provided new insights and new reasons for concern over the Earth’s environment. In the midst of this research was Paul E. Ehrlich, whose book Population Bomb bought forth concerns of the impact of exponential population growth and the growing pressure on natural resources from human activities. -
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental organisation and by far the world’s largest non profit organisation directly involved in the modern Environmental movement. Greenpeace has offices in over 40 countries with its international coordinating body in Amsterdam. Greenpeace officially states that its goal isto “ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its diversity. It is directly involved in world issues such as deforestation, overfishing, whaling, anti-nuclear issues and global warming. -
Greenpeace (part 2)
Greenpeace was founded in 1971 and evolved initially from a group of Canadian protesters in a sail boat. Greenpeace is at the forefront of almost every environmental issue worldwide and has gained wide support from the global community. Greenpeace is an active and vital organisation in the modern environmental movement. -
Stockholm Conference
The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, which is also known as the Stockholm conference was an international conference held by the United Nations in Stockholm, Sweden in during June in 1972. It was the UN’s first major conference on global environmental issues and marked a turning point in the development of modern environmental politics. A declaration was made containing 26 principles concerning the environment and its development. -
UNEP
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was established proceeding the Stockholm conference in June 1972. Its headquarters are in Nairobi, Kenya. It coordinates environmental activities and is mostly involved in assisting developing countries in implementing environment sound practices and policies. Its activities also cover a range of issues regarding marine and terrestrial ecosystems as well as the atmosphere. -
UNEP (Part 2)
UNEP is also involved in the development of global environment policies, hold international conventions on the environment and promote environmental science. UNEP is at the forefront of all global environmental issues including climate change and is possibly the most vital aspect of the modern environmental movements. -
The WIlderness Society
The Wilderness Society is an Australian not-for-profit organisation for environmental advocacy. It is non-governmental and was established in 1976 in Tasmania. It promotes the restoration of wilderness and other natural processes across the whole of Australia. Its philosophy is based on the idea of maintaining the natural world for the ‘survival and ongoing evolution of Life on Earth’. It is fundamental in Australia’s independent environmental movement. -
Al Gore
Al Gore is an American politician and advocate for the environment. He is an extreme environmental activist and has served as the Vice President of The United States (1993-2001). He is well known for his documentary entitled ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ which details future statistics on the environmental condition of earth based on current data. He is a prominent figure in the current environmental movement and his ideals are based on building an ecologically sustainable future for mankind. -
Deepwater Horizon Oilspill (part 2)
This event is the most recent environmental disaster caused by human activity. The spill has highlighted the damage that can be caused by human activity and as has resulted in the progression of the Environmental movement as scientists look into the long term effects oil spills such as this one will have on both natural and human environments. -
Deepwater Horizon Oilspill
The deepwater horizon oil spill also known as the BP oil spill resulted from an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon on April 20 2010. It killed 11 men and resulted in the spilling of 4.9 million barrels of Crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The spill struck major concern for the environment of the Gulf as it caused extensive damage to marine and wildlife habitats. Scientists are still reporting underwater plumes of dissolved oil.
