Environmentalism Flashcards
What is meant by the term ‘environmentalism’?
Abroad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for: industrial pollution, protection of wildlife, organic farming, and the dangers from radiation and nuclear waste.
What was the initial cause of people’s worry of the frailty of the earth?
Pictures taken of the earth from space had a big impact on people’s views of the planet as they highlighted the frailty.
What was the impact of ‘Silent Spring’ in 1962?
The book sounded the alarm about the decline in birds and other wildlife in the farming countryside – 1963 Hunt Saboteurs Association was formed to carry out direct action against the cruelty of fox hunting.
What other events in the 1960s increase environmental awareness?
In 1967, the wreck of a giant oil tanker, Torrey Canyon, caused a massive oil spill and polluted a stretch of the coastline of southwest England.
By 1971, pressure group ‘Friends of the Earth’ included which countries?
It was formed in the USA in 1969 and expanded to include Britain, France and Sweden in 1971.
Why wee there anxieties over the use of nuclear power?
There were long-term dangers in dealing with radioactive nuclear waste and the potential for accidents.
What dangers took place between 1957-79
There had been 5 incidents at the nuclear power station Sellafield which was on the Cumbrian coast. The partial nuclear meltdown at 3 Mile Island, NYC in 1979 further increased anxieties.
Give examples of extreme direct action used by pressure groups in the 1970s.
Animal rights protestors carried out violent attacks on pharmaceutical laboratories from 1973. The Animal Liberation Front, formed in 1976, adopted extreme violence: letter bombs were sent to politicians, including Thatcher, in 1984.
What raised awareness of the natural environment and the need for conservation in the 1970s?
TV programmes (many made at the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol). In 1979, David Attenborough’s ‘Life On Earth’ gained massive TV audiences worldwide and James Lovelock gained adherents for his Gaia theory, about the interconnectedness of all ecological issues.
How were environmental concerns reflected in popular culture?
- ‘Watership Down’ Published in 1972 about a group of rabbits forced to move by a road development. It was a best seller.
- ‘The Good Life’ TV show started airing in 1975 which depicted a couple trying to be self-sufficient in a suburban house.
What was released in 1972 and what did it form?
Terry Goldsmith’s ‘A Blueprint for Survival’ in 1972 formed political platform of The People’s Party which was set up in 1973.
Describe how The People’s Party advanced through the years.
This party put up 5 candidates in Feb 1974, including Goldsmith. It changed its name to the Ecology Party in 1975 and put up 53 candidates in the 1979 election.
Describe the impact of environmentalism by the end of the 1970s.
It had carved a permanent place on the political scene.
