3: The rise of environmental concerns Flashcards
What is manifest destiny?
the idea that white Americans were divinely ordained to settle the entire continent of North America
American Progress by John Gast slide 5
What is Transcendentalism
philosophy that emphasizes the importance of the spiritual over the material when it comes to leading a fulfilling life
Who was Henry David Thoreau
Wrote Walden: Life in the Woods in 1854 reflecting on simple living in nature
Transcendentalist
Who was George Perkins Marsh?
Wrote ‘Man and Nature or the Earth as Modified by Human Action’ published in 1864
Humans having impacts at a global level on global systems
His ideas became the foundation of conservation movement and modern global ecology
What happened to the passenger pigeon?
Used to be in abundance
Habitat loss and anthropogenic disturbances caused extinction
habitat loss and hunting (10 million in 1 year)
Bigger impact was that surviving birds abandoned their nests, and they only lay 1 egg, and not every year
Who was John Muir?
Naturalist and writer who was instrumental in the founding of many national parks and who co-founded the Sierra club
Key acts in establishing the ‘Conservation Movement’
Theodore Roosevelt’s environmental impacts
Created five new national parks; 51 federal bird sanctuaries, four national game refuges, 18 national monuments, and more than 230 million acres worth of public land
Key acts in establishing the conservation movement
Who was Aldo Leopold
Forest warden: protected territory of land from people coming in and committing offenses
Wrote A Sand County Almanac in which he talked about land ethics
“A land ethic changes the role of homo sapiens from conqueror of the land community to plain member and citizen of it”
“A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.”
Who was Rachel Carson?
Wrote ‘Silent Spring’ in 1962 which exposed the hazards of DDT and questioned humanity’s faith in technological progress
Set the stage for modern environmental movement
What is the desolate year?
Hypothesized that insects would come back and eat all the crops because we stopped using pesticides
What did Kennedy do in the 1960s after the publication of Silent Spring
Ordered the science advisory committee to examine the issues raised by Carson’s book
Shifted debate to ‘if’ pesticides were dangerous to which ones were most dangerous
Why did the environmental movement become mainstream in the 1970s?
- the influence of all the historical leaders discussed
- number of prominent environmental disasters/issues in 60s and 70s
- first Earth Day initiated
- images from space
- protest music/art arising from ‘hippy’ movement
- new NGOs and greenpeace form
- environmental protection agency formed
What was the Cuyahoga River Fire?
1969
Couple centimeters of oils/gasses sitting on top of water
If ignited, would burn for a couple days
What was the Opec oil crises
In 1973 and 1979, there was limited oil/gas for the first time
OPEC intentionally cut back the amount of oil they were supplying to create an artificial shortage to drive fuel prices up
1972 UN conference on the human environment
- first UN conference on environmental issues
- released the stockholm declaration consisting of 26 broad ranging principles
