History of Environmental Movement

  • An Introduction To The Principles Of Morals And Legislation

    This essay, written by Jeremy Bentham, argues the idea of animal rights while wrestling with the relationship between policy and moral responsibility.
  • An Essay on the Principles of Population

    Thomas Malthus popularized the idea of overpopulation in this work by explaining in a methodical, logical manner that population is increasing at too fast of a rate to be able to sustain with the resources we have.
  • World Population 1 Billion

    The world population reached an important landmark, 1 billion people.
  • Founding of Sierra Club

    The Sierra Club is an organization that was created by John Muir to help preserve US wilderness. The club still exists today with 3.8 million members whose mission has expanded to include human rights.
  • World Population 2 Billion

    The world population reached 2 billion.
  • Founding of IUCN

    The IUCN is an organization based in France whose goals involve sustainable development and wildlife preservation. They venture to find solutions to difficult environmental problems and implement them on a global scale.
  • A Sand County Almanac

    A Sand County Almanac is a posthumous collection of essays by Aldo Leapold published by the Oxford Press. His writing, which focused on personal responsibility, was highly influential in terms of ecocentric thought.
  • Minamata

    After chemical waste poisoned an ocean fishing port with mercury, thousands of people in Japan faced undesirable consequences such as birth defects, loss of sight and hearing, retardation, and paralysis.
  • World Population 3 Billion

    The world population reached 3 billion.
  • Founding of World Wildlife Fund

    The World Wildlife Fund was created as a fundraiser to help protect natural life from human development. The organization still functions today and aids conservationists around the globe.
  • Silent Spring

    Written by Rachel Carson, Silent Spring addressed the damage of pesticides, specifically DDT, to the environment. In response to the book's publication, the US government founded an environmental protection agency in addition to phasing out of using DDT.
  • The Values Party

    Founded in New Zealand, the Values Party was one of the two first political green parties in the world. The party, which was created in response to the effects of hydroelectric development, serves as the basis for modern green politics.
  • Period: to

    UN Conference on the Human Environment

    This UN Conference focused on man's responsibility to preserve his environment via a list of principles and recommendations to help countries pursue sustainable development.
  • World Population 4 Billion

    The world population reached 4 billion.
  • Gaia Hypothesis

    Written by John E. Locklove and Lynn Margulis, the theory states, "All living things have a regulatory effect on the earth's environment that promotes life overall.”
  • Three Mile Island

    Near Middletown, PA, a nuclear meltdown occurred, which involved the core of the plant overheating. The aftermath involved major changes in safety protocols, training, and protections.
  • German Green Party

    Considered one of the most successful green parties in history, the German Green Party was created with a focus on anti-nuclear development and human rights. It still exists today as a merged party with Alliance '90.
  • Save the Whale

    The International Watch Company (IWC) set the whale catching limits for most of the globe. There is a current ban, and the countries affiliated with the IWC all follow the moratorium.
  • Bhopal

    In Bhopal, India, there was a methylisocyanate gas leak at a pesticide plant, UCIL, which resulted in 5,200 deaths.
  • Chernobyl

    A Ukraine nuclear power plant had a flawed reactor, causing steam explosions and fires. This event led the radioactive core to be released into the environment. 17 were left dead, and 5000 developed related cancer.
  • World Population 5 Billion

    The world population reached 5 billion.
  • Period: to

    UN Conference on Environment and Development

    The conference focused on the interrelationships between environmentalism and industrial development via a plan called Agenda 21 to help promote sustainability in the context of international trade.
  • Kyoto Protocol

    The Kyoto Protocol's goal is to convince countries to limit the production of greenhouse gases, recruiting developed countries as they produce more toxic chemicals.
  • World Population 6 Billion

    The world population reached 6 billion.
  • An Inconvenient Truth

    This film was created by Al Gore to help convince viewers that climate change is, in fact, a result of human development, in an effort to reverse global warming.
  • World Population 7 Billion

    The world population reached 7 billion.