Srikanth's Argument on the Importance of Protecting the Environment
Srikanth (2011) argues that protecting the environment is essential for all nations if they want to protect people's lives. Humans and the environment are closely intertwined since they are both necessary for one another to survive. Therefore, it is crucial to protect the ecosystem against different types of contaminants. Environmental pollution includes air pollution brought on by burning fossil fuels like oil, coal, or gas, vehicle exhaust fumes, paint and plastic manufacture, which results in off-gassing products, and radiation spills. Land pollution which is caused by oil spills, illegal dumping of waste materials, littering around the highways, damage of the debris which is caused by unsustainable mining and logging practices among others. Water pollution caused by channeling of raw sewage into the lake streams, industrial water spills, illegal dumping, biological contamination as a result of bacterial growth, usage of fertilizers in the firms leading to farm runoff into the rivers etc. Environmental movements can be simply defined as a collection of individuals or organizations formed for a specific goal, nonetheless these groups are informal and focus on diverse scientific, social, and political issues while also pursuing particular normative goals regarding the environment (Bebbington, 2017). This paper will look at the Modern Environmental Movement in U.S.
Destruction of the Environment and its Impact on Human Survival
Destruction of the environment is disastrous to the survival of the people as people get food, air and raw materials for making houses from the environment. It can also be a cause of global warming which results from destruction the ozone layer by Chlorofluorocarbons and other halogenated substances (Jain, 2015). Basically, human beings use the resources from the nature to survive. In America, the practical evolution of social movement addresses mobilization of grievances, contextual conditions, dynamics, participation, resources, levels of interactions, result of the interactions and the consequences thereafter. Environmental movements are influenced by both environmental issues and social issues, which are inextricably intertwined. They mainly focus on ecology, health, and human rights. Therefore, it is important for people globally to take up the duty of conserving the environment for their own benefits.
History of Environment Movement in America
In America after the World War II, there was high demand for quality life which the people characterized it with cleaner environment which was safe for survival. They started championing for protection of environment which led to movement which were supported by leaders like John F. Kennedy. According to Dunlap (1992), modern environment movement have changed greatly from what they used to be in the old days despite driving the same goal of protection of the environment. Formerly, the movement aimed at future development by having a productionist concern for managing the natural resources. Nowadays, the movements focus on providing a clean, safe and beautiful environment for higher standards of living. In its most early stages environmentalists included direct-protest tactics were used to obstruct and draw attention to current harmful environmental policies.
The Impact of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring on the Environmental Movement
However, the publication of Racheal Carson's Silent Spring in 1962 was the trigger to the beginning of the American. It clearly alerted the people on the dangers of Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and the fertilizers they used in their agriculture to the environmental starting in the World War II. It also focused on the great concerns of the raise of the industries which emitted harmful materials to the environment hence threatening the destruction of the animals' lives. The publication conveyed the ecological message to the people that their activities would lead to destruction of the animals' lives like the birds when poisonous substances were allowed to make their way to the environment.
Birth and Impact of Modern American Environmental Movements
The birth of modern American environmental movements is said to have started in the 1960's. The movements grew with new interests from their founders which were preservationist issues. Some of the crucial people in the movements was President Lyndon Johnson who had interests in the newfound preservationist issues. He helped support the environmental movement by setting funds aside to champion their activities like $12 billion funds he authorized to be used to support the conservation and beautification measures of the environment. Also, he helped in the setting up laws like the Wilderness Act of 1964, which set up land to be used for the purpose of commercial development and help in preserving the countries natural state (Graham, 2000).
Stages of Environmentalism
Eventually, environmentalism saw the need to subdivide into a variety of complex fields such as: air pollution, species extinction, water pollution, and habitat loss (Ness, Taylor & Francis, 2004).
Successes and Failures of Environmental Movements
The Environmental Movements have achieved many goals in America as regard to the protection of the environment. Their goal of protecting the planet is known by a lot of the people who support the protection of the environment. The environmentalists started the Earth Day in America which is celebrated in April 22 to Campaign for the support of the protection of the environment. For example in 2000, in a poll taken to show people attitude towards the environmental movement goals, 83% supported their Campaign and 16% took part in the environmental organizations. "Environmental Movement, 2017."
Conclusion
US has had good fight in the fight of environmental protection over the years. According Walsh (2013), the nationwide event Earth Day that was inspired by Senator Gaylod Nelson would be celebrated by almost 20 million people and in more than 12000 events in the country. However, almost 50 years ago, the event is almost dead with few people remembering to celebrate it. America has also join unions like the Kyoto Protocol to champion protection of the environment and control global warming but some of their leaders like George W. Bush has showed little concern by putting policies that allow aggressive exploitation of fossil fuels without been keen to find alternatives sources of energy. His deeds made the country leave Kyoto Protocol which was a dangerous move.
The Challenges Faced by the Environmental Movement
Although the Earth Day has proved to be a success for the environmental movement community, it has also gone through significant changes over the last decades. Most notably, diversity. The current focus of environmentalism leaves little hope of successfully defeating the ecologically destructive political, economic, and cultural forces that undermine the very foundations of life. Problems arise where other global nations do not come in to champion for protection of the environment but instead facilitate actions that aim at destroying the environment. There are threats of high population growth, global warming, and exhaustion of fossil fuel resources among others. Global warming has been the cause of the unpredictable weather in different countries leading to high cases of long droughts which lead to food shortages.
References
“Environmental Movement.” Dictionary of American History. . Encyclopedia.com. 26 Nov. 2017, http://www.encyclopedia.com.
Dunlap, Riley E., and Angela G. Mertig. American Environmentalism: The U.S. Environmental Movement, 1970‒1990. Philadelphia: Taylor and Francis, 1992.
Graham, Otis L., Jr., ed. Environmental Politics and Policy, 1960s‒1990s. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2000
Jain, Ankit. “Ozone Layer Depletion – Causes, Effects and Solutions.” The 7 Continents and 5 Oceans of the World, 30 June 2015, www.7continents5oceans.com/ozone-layer-depletion-causes-effects-and-solutions.
Srikanth, R. “Importance of Environmental Conservation.” Wikinut, 25 Jan. 2011, news.wikinut.com/Importance-of-Environmental-Conservation/15-j7wmk/.
