Review article

THE ESTABLISHMENT AND DEVELOPMENTOF AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT

Milan Mesić ; Faculty of Philosphy, Zagreb

Abstract

This paper represents an attempt to give a synthesis account and analysis of the establishment and development of American environmental movement. However, before the treatise on the modern environmental movement, we have to learn, on the one side, about the spiritual heritage of European settlers in connection with nature, and on the other side, about early ideas on the necessity of wilderness conservation and protection. From these ideas, at the end of the previous century, the conservation movement will arise and, after several decades of a pioneer activity in the field of nature conservation, become one of social components of new environmental movement. Its other constituent component was an increased social activism in the late 60ies, and the final one, but not less important — the aroused environmental awareness. During 70ies, named as The Green Decade, the movement will definitely consolidate in the public and political scene of the country. The conservative revolution of 80ies, and the institutionalization and conservativism of large central national environmental organizations, will cause the outbreak of a new radical wave of grass–root environmental associations and groups. According to their problems (the struggle against the pollution in the immediate living and occupational environment) and according to the type of activity (immediate action), they will be different from central and established organizations. The last will further on be occupied with traditional topics of wilderness conservation and with general environmental problems, that they will strive to solve by institutional means, in the first place by lobbying in the congress and government bodies. The article finishes with the presentation of the stagnation of environmental movement in 90ies, and with the acceptance of the challenge of the new model of civil environmentalism, that appeared recently as a new concept in environmental movement.

Keywords

American environmental movement; civil environmentalism; conservationism; conservation movement; Deep Ecology; Environmental Justice Movement; environmental movement; grass–root movement; preservationism; radical environmental movement; social movement

Hrčak ID:

141625

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/141625

Publication date:

15.1.1998.

Article data in other languages: croatian german

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