The Rise of Environmentalism

Chapters 7–11 explore why environmentalism is failing to make more headway against the global forces of unsustainability analyzed in chapters 1–6. Chapter 7 sets up the analysis by reviewing the global history of the environmental movement, highlighting the diversity of thought across cultures and time. Diversity characterizes contemporary environmentalism, from environmental justice movements in Africa to environmentalism of the poor in Asia to anti-capitalism in Latin America to conservation in North America. This diversity remains a source of strength and environmentalism is best thought of as a “movement of movements.” Around the world protests continue to rage; communities continue to rise up; radical organizations continue to fight capitalism; and, as the Goldman Prize reminds the world, individual environmentalists continue to win local battles. Still, over time the mainstream of environmentalism has increasingly come to reflect the values of those with money and privilege, supporting policies and prescriptions that arise primarily out of moderate Western environmentalism: conserving wildlife and natural settings; sustaining productive yields; improving eco-efficiency; and reducing pollution for prosperous citizens.