1.1C Environmental movements Notes

1. The environmental movement refers to the collective effort to raise awareness, influence policy, and change human behaviour to reduce the negative impacts of human activity on the natural world.
2. It promotes sustainable development, conservation of biodiversity, responsible resource use, and the transition to renewable energy.
3. This movement has evolved through individual activism, influential literature, media exposure, major environmental disasters, international agreements, technological innovation, and scientific discoveries.
4. Together, these factors have shaped public perception, political action, and global collaboration on environmental issues.

Influence of Individuals and Environmental Activists

1. Individuals have played key roles in shaping public opinion, inspiring activism, and promoting environmental justice.
2. Their influence often emerges through grassroots campaigns, community mobilization, and policy advocacy.

Key Example: Wangari Maathai (Kenya)

1. Founder of the Green Belt Movement (1977), which focused on tree planting, soil conservation, and women’s empowerment.
2. The movement led to over 30 million trees being planted across Africa, improving biodiversity and reducing soil erosion.
3. Maathai received the Nobel Peace Prize (2004) for linking environmental protection with social and economic justice.
4. Her work demonstrated that local environmental action can drive global awareness and sustainability.

Other Influential Individuals

1. Greta Thunberg (Sweden): Sparked global Fridays for Future youth climate strikes, holding leaders accountable for climate inaction.
2. Jane Goodall (UK): Revolutionized primatology, linking animal welfare to habitat conservation and community education.
3. Robert D. Bullard (USA): Pioneered the environmental justice movement, emphasizing how pollution disproportionately affects marginalized communities.
4. Dato’ Seri Tengku Dr. Zainal Adlin (Malaysia): Co-initiated the Heart of Borneo conservation project, uniting Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei.

Influence of Literature

1. Books and reports have often triggered mass awareness and policy change by exposing the environmental consequences of industrialization and human activity.
2. Literature connects scientific findings with public emotion and ethics, creating long-term influence.

Key Example: Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring” (1962)

1. Pioneering book that documented the ecological and health impacts of pesticides, especially DDT.
2. Highlighted how chemical pollution entered food chains, affecting top predators and ecosystems.
3. Sparked widespread concern about chemical use and inspired the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
4. Considered a turning point that catalyzed the modern environmental movement.

Other Influential Works

1. Aldo Leopold – A Sand County Almanac (1949): Promoted the Land Ethic, emphasizing humans’ moral duty toward nature.
2. The Club of Rome – The Limits to Growth (1972): Used computer models to warn of resource depletion and exponential population growth.
3. James Lovelock – Gaia (1979): Proposed the Gaia Hypothesis, viewing Earth as a self-regulating living system.
4. Naomi Klein – This Changes Everything (2014): Critiqued capitalism’s incompatibility with climate solutions.
5. Kate Raworth – Doughnut Economics (2017): Redefined sustainability through the “safe and just space” model balancing social and planetary boundaries.

Influence of the Media

1. The media plays a vital role in communicating environmental science, mobilizing public action, and shaping cultural narratives about sustainability.
2. Documentaries and global campaigns can reach audiences that traditional scientific publications cannot.

Key Example: “An Inconvenient Truth” (2006)

1. A documentary presented by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, focusing on evidence for global climate change and its consequences.
2. Combined scientific visuals with emotional storytelling, making climate change accessible and urgent to the public.
3. Won two Academy Awards and influenced international discourse on the environment.
4. Helped popularize terms like carbon footprint, renewable energy, and climate crisis.

Other Media Influences

1. Our Planet (2019): David Attenborough’s series showcasing biodiversity loss and conservation urgency.
2. Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet (2021): Explained Earth’s planetary boundaries with strong scientific visualization.
3. Before the Flood (2016): Leonardo DiCaprio’s exploration of global climate change impacts.
4. No Impact Man (2009): Documented sustainable urban living, influencing individual behavior change.
5. Earth Day (founded 1970): Global media-driven campaign promoting environmental education and policy action.

Influence of Major Environmental Disasters

1. Disasters often act as tipping points that expose environmental negligence and the consequences of poor management.
2. They stimulate policy reform, regulatory frameworks, and international cooperation on safety and sustainability.

Key Example: The Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster (1986, Ukraine)

1. Explosion of Reactor 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant released radioactive dust across large parts of Europe.
2. Contaminated over 2,600 km² of land and forced the evacuation of 336,000 people.
3. Caused long-term health issues, including increased rates of thyroid cancer.
4. Highlighted the risks of nuclear energy, leading to tighter safety protocols and public skepticism about nuclear power.

Other Significant Events

1. Minamata Bay (Japan, 1956): Methyl mercury poisoning from industrial waste caused neurological diseases and birth defects.
2. Bhopal Gas Tragedy (India, 1984): 42 tons of methyl isocyanate gas released; thousands dead, spurring global industrial safety reforms.
3. Fukushima Daiichi (Japan, 2011): Tsunami-triggered reactor meltdown reignited debate on nuclear power risks.
4. Peru Oil Spill (2022): 12,000 barrels leaked into marine reserves, emphasizing modern industrial risks to biodiversity.

Influence of International Agreements

1. Global summits and treaties have formalized the global commitment to sustainability, establishing a framework for collective environmental governance.
2. These agreements guide national policies, promote sustainable practices, and ensure accountability among nations.

Key Example: The Rio Earth Summit (1992)

1. Held in Rio de Janeiro, attended by 172 nations, and coordinated by the United Nations.
2. Produced key outcomes:
   1. Agenda 21: a global plan for sustainable development.
   2. Rio Declaration: principles for balancing environment and development.
   3. UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
3. Shifted sustainability into mainstream global politics, linking environmental and social development goals.
4. Laid the foundation for future agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol (1997) and Paris Agreement (2015).

Other Agreements and Conferences

1. Stockholm Conference (1972): First UN global environmental summit; emphasized balancing development and environmental protection.
2. Kyoto Protocol (1997): Legally bound nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
3. Rio+20 (2012): Renewed commitment to sustainability, leading to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
4. COP27 (2022): Established the Loss and Damage Fund for climate-vulnerable nations.
5. COP28 (2023, Dubai): Marked the first global agreement to “transition away from fossil fuels.”

Influence of Technological Developments

1. Technological innovation can both cause and solve environmental problems.
2. Recent advances have redefined the environmental movement’s approach to energy, food systems, and pollution reduction.

Key Example: The Green Revolution (1940s–1960s)

1. Period of rapid innovation in agricultural productivity, including high-yield crop varieties, synthetic fertilizers, and irrigation systems.
2. Increased global food supply and prevented famine in many developing countries.
3. However, it also led to:
   1. Soil degradation and loss of biodiversity
   2. Overuse of fertilizers and pesticides
   3. Water contamination
4. Sparked debates about technological ethics, agroecology, and the need for sustainable intensification.

Other Technological Influences

1. Enteric Fermentation Reduction: Feed modifications to reduce methane emissions from livestock.
2. Plant-Based Meats: Alternatives like Beyond Meat reduce agricultural land and water use.
3. Electric Vehicles (EVs): Reduce carbon emissions and fossil fuel dependence.
4. Renewable Energy Tech (solar, wind, geothermal): Core to climate mitigation strategies.

Influence of Scientific Discoveries

1. Scientific research provides the evidence base for environmental policy and activism.
2. Discoveries about ecosystem health, pollution effects, and climate systems have transformed how societies understand sustainability.

Key Example: Discovery of Pesticide Toxicity and Species Loss

1. Studies by Rachel Carson and subsequent ecologists revealed the widespread toxicity of pesticides like DDT on wildlife.
2. Showed that chemicals bioaccumulate through food chains, harming birds, fish, and humans.
3. Follow-up research exposed species extinction, habitat degradation, and the loss of ecosystem services.
4. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES, 2019) reported that one million species face extinction due to human activity.
5. IPBES findings influenced conservation agreements and motivated governments to expand protected areas and biodiversity targets.

Other Key Discoveries

1. Species Loss and Habitat Degradation: Research by the IPBES (2019) found over one million species threatened with extinction.
2. Climate Change Science: IPCC reports connected fossil fuel use to global temperature rise.
3. Ocean Acidification: Linked rising atmospheric CO₂ to declining marine pH, affecting coral reefs and shellfish.
4. Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: Studies reinforced that ecological stability underpins economic and social health.

Synthesis: How These Factors Interconnect

1. Individuals raise awareness and inspire collective action.
2. Literature and media spread environmental consciousness globally.
3. Disasters expose the environmental cost of industrial progress.
4. International agreements institutionalize sustainability.
5. Technological innovation can both solve and create problems.
6. Scientific discoveries provide evidence that drives public policy.