Introduction
Are humans threatening the survival of our planet by disrupting the ecosystem? Marvin Gaye and the public believed this to be the case in the 1960’s and 1970’s when the modern Green Movement first began. Gaye sang “Poison is in the wind that blows from the north and south and east. Radiation underground and in the sky, animals and birds live near by all die. What about this crowded land, how much more abuse from man can we stand?” . Greenhouse effect, ozone layer depletion, ocean poisoning, topsoil depletion, food chain poisoning, acid rain, pollution along with demands for a clean and safe environment. As the result of growth in population, growth in the economy, industry growth and increased consumption of resources, the issue of sustainability in the environment begged attention of a new social movement.
The Forming of a Social Movement
The Green Movement originally was introduced by Henry David Thoreau and the Transcendentalists in the early to mid-1800’s. In his book, Maine Woods, Thoreau brought forth the need for preservation and respect for nature. Transcendentalists believed that nature possesses a spiritual component that surpasses human utility. George Perkins Marsh followed Thoreau’s philosophy of protecting the environment in the early 19th century. Although thought and concern had risen in certain circles, it was not until after the Second World War that the Green Movement, as we understand it today, actually formed and took actions. Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring spurred interest in environmentalism . Carson’s book spurred a fervor among Americans as it advised the public of the negative damages upon the environment. The use of toxins in consumer products like DDT pesticide and the bankrupting of nature through the use of such toxins raised concerns across the country . The idea that the industry unchecked is a threat to human and animal life left a wide message that man is destroying its environment. This spurred both conservationists and preservationists.
The green movement as a social movement has a collective identity, acts within and outside political institutions, consists of networks of interaction and challenges the dominant form of powerr. With the shared belief that the earth can be made better, the participation in protests and collective action, consisting of a variety of networks with the intent of changing society, the green movement grew rapidly in the 1960’s and 1970’s.
The Sierra Club and the Wilderness Society became widely popular organizations and began taking conservationist actions. The Sierra Club participated in the prevention of the damming of the Grand Canyon. The Wilderness Act, which was enacted in 1964, urged limitations on the construction of dams at significant landmarks and set aside such lands for as state parks. Three hundred legislative measures were signed by President Johnson addressing preservation and conservation of the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency was also created to address pollution. The National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Air Act, the Water Pollution Control Act, and the Endangered Species Act were among the new protections offered to the environment. Becoming a social movement, the green movement was supported alongside other political activist groups like the civil rights and antiwar movements. On April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day was announced to signify support for the environment. As the Green Movement grew, greater attention was given to crisis occurring throughout the nation to the environment. In Santa Barbara, the beaches were contaminated with oil when a good platform blew. The Cuyahoga River in Ohio was engulfed in toxic flames. The Love Canal disaster and Three Mile Island followed by oil spills heightened public awareness of the consequences of pollution and contamination and inspired the Green Movement focus on change.
Strategies of the Green Movement
The Green Movement gave rise to Green political parties, environmental organizations, direct action groups and environmental campaigns. The aim of the movement was to bring about radical political and social change to resolve the ecological crisis. Green political parties were created across the Europe and the United States and grew inn strength and representation during the 1980’s. Still today, although the party is a minority, party voting allows for those who hold the green ideology to express their support or protest on green issues. Although the original hopes of those who formed Green parties had been to bring about political change concerning the environment, policy negotiation has been limited even with the use of grassroots democracy.
Another method of achieving environmental attention and change in the Green Movement has been the creation of environmental organizations. Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, the Sierra Club and the World-Wide Fund for Nature are a few such groups. These organizations are developed into formal and bureaucratic organizations with large membership. Many of the organizations created close ties with political parties and participate in lobbying, and created strong relationships with business groups. For instance, in Germany, Greenpeace associated with a company that created non-fossil fuel cars and in other countries, groups support the investment in wind power. Other organizations support protests and boycotts of companies believed to be threatening the environment.
Direct action groups have also been a strategy imposed by the Green Movement. These groups are typically more informal than environmental organizations and consist mostly of local activities. Earth First is one direct action group that exists in the United States as well as Australia and Great Britain. Typically, annual gatherings are organized to implement national campaigns and protests. These groups have roots in the alternative culture and often support engage in local campaigns as they are considered the radicals of the Green Movement. Environmental campaigns are another strategy used as a local means in the Green Movement. This strategy is valued as it allows for participation by citizens at the local level. One example is the Not in My Back Yard group in New York. This campaign seeks to protect local interests such as developments considered to be environmentally damaging at the local level. These groups, although politically weak, often partake in protest actions.
The Success and Future of the Green Movement
The Green Movement seemed to have erupted with a fervor. The social movement had initial impact as the government responded with substantial legislation concerning environmental issues. Lobbying was viewed as successful for the movement. In the 1970’s, the Endangered Species Act, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act were passed. In the 1980’s significant legislation included the Comprehensive Response and Liability Act. This law created a fund for the cleanup of toxic hazards. By the 1980’s and 1990’s, the movement had splintered, but continued to grow as the number of grassroots direct action groups rose and global issues became a focus. Nations pledged to protect the ozone, global environmental governance was established, and global warming threats were being addressed internationally. The Green Movement made many accomplishments in the last three decades of the twentieth century. Protection of the planet has remained in the awareness of all citizens. Millions of people belong to environmental organizations and billions of dollars are spent by nations to control and protect their environment.
Environmental concerns have not disappeared. Ozone depletion still occurs and the atmosphere is slowly losing its ability to fight ozone destroying chemicals. Many remain pessimistic concerning the health of our planet. Changes in politics in the last decade has created new challenges for the green movement. This provides even greater opportunities for the green movement as transnational alliances are being formed.
Green movement reformists and radicals balance each other as neither has the capability of offering a complete strategy that can address the full range of the goals of the movement. The green movement has created measurements by developing collections of action, resources, ideological structures and by linking new groups into action and launching green ideas in western public discourse. There is greater acceptance of the complementarity of different forms of action groups in the movement today and there is less confusion and division over how to combine confrontational action with non-violent principles. There has been an expansion in international networking and the greens are prepared to take part in diverse coalitions such as the networks of protesters against neo-liberal global institutions, without expecting or insisting that all participants are greens.
Conclusion
The Green movement had become a political force in many countries. The movement had an impact at all governmental levels in these nations. Environmental degradation and crises in the social and economic system were concerns of the movement.
The Green Movement originally was introduced by Henry David Thoreau and the Transcendentalists in the early to mid-1800’s and had its most significant growth by the introduction of Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring which spurred interest in environmentalism. With the shared belief that the earth can be made better, the participation in protests and collective action, consisting of a variety of networks with the intent of changing society, the green movement grew rapidly in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Becoming a social movement, the green movement was supported alongside other political activist groups like the civil rights and antiwar movements. The Green Movement gave rise to Green political parties, environmental organizations, direct action groups and environmental campaigns. The aim of the movement was to bring about radical political and social change to resolve the ecological crisis. Another method of achieving environmental attention and change in the Green Movement has been the creation of environmental organizations. Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, the Sierra Club and the World-Wide Fund for Nature are a few such groups. Direct action groups have also been a strategy imposed by the Green Movement. These groups are typically more informal than environmental organizations and consist mostly of local activities. Environmental campaigns are another strategy used as a local means in the Green Movement. This strategy is valued as it allows for participation by citizens at the local level.
The Green Movement seemed to have erupted with a fervor. The social movement had initial impact as the government responded with substantial legislation concerning environmental issues. The Green Movement made many accomplishments in the last three decades of the twentieth century. Protection of the planet has remained in the awareness of all citizens. Millions of people belong to environmental organizations and billions of dollars are spent by nations to control and protect their environment. However, environmental concerns have not disappeared. Ozone depletion still occurs and the atmosphere is slowly losing its ability to fight ozone destroying chemicals. Many remain pessimistic concerning the health of our planet. Changes in politics in the last decade has created new challenges for the green movement. This provides even greater opportunities for the green movement as transnational alliances are being formed. To accomplish future protection to the environment, there must be significant change economically and socially.
Are humans threatening the survival of our planet by disrupting the ecosystem? Marvin Gaye and the public believed this to be the case in the 1960’s and 1970’s when the modern Green Movement first began. Gaye sang “Poison is in the wind that blows from the north and south and east. Radiation underground and in the sky, animals and birds live nearby all die. What about this crowded land, how much more abuse from man can we stand?” . Greenhouse effect, ozone layer depletion, ocean poisoning, topsoil depletion, food chain poisoning, acid rain, pollution along with demands for a clean and safe environment. As the result of growth in population, growth in the economy, industry growth and increased consumption of resources, the issue of sustainability in the environment begged attention of a new social movement.
References
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