An article published early last month, by the ecologist/writer George Monbiot, triggered some interesting discussions around here. In a response to Judith Burchill’s criticism of environmentalism (as an upper middle class obsession and nothing more than an excuse for elitist hypocrites to lecture the poor), Monbiot argues that, in fact, the environmental movement is the most diverse social movement in history. Unlike other issues of social justice and responsibility, the effects of long-term climate change are felt by everyone. It got us thinking about the evolution of environmentalism and its emergence into the mainstream.
Modern environmentalism- particularly in the United States- has its roots in the turmoil of the 1960s. Like other forms of social activism of the era, environmentalism of the 1960s was driven by student protests. With issues of social justice stirring the pot of daily discourse, and galvanized by a series of publicized environmental catastrophes-like the 1965 power blackout and garbage strikes of New York City and the 1969 burning of the Ohio River along the industrial sections of Cleveland- student protests helped bring the media’s attention to state of the environment. A flurry of legislative activity- including the Wilderness Act (1965); the Clean Air Act (1967); National Trails Act (1968); and the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (1968)- culminated in the celebration of the first Earth Day, on April 22, 1970. In spite of the fact that into the 1970s and 1980s, with few exceptions, environmental activism stayed out of the realm of policy makers, it began to emerge in the mainstream consciousness.
Slowly, and more slowly in the United States than in other parts of the world, concern for the state of the environment and awareness of our daily actions on the future of the planet has taken hold, contributing to the rise of “the most politically diverse movement in history.” As Monbiot suggests, “while the upper middle class are, as always, over-represented in the media, the movement cuts across the classes.” Monbiot explains,
[At environmental rallies] I have met anarchists, communists, socialists, liberals, conservatives and, mostly, pragmatists. I remember sitting in a campaign meeting during the Newbury bypass protests and marveling at the weirdness of our coalition. In the front row sat the local squirearchy: brigadiers in tweeds and enormous moustaches, titled women in twin sets and headscarves. In the middle were local burghers of all shapes and sizes. At the back sat the scuzziest collection of grunge-skunks I have ever laid eyes on. The audience disagreed about every other subject under the sun – if someone had asked us to decide what day of the week it was, the meeting would had descended into fisticuffs – but everyone there recognized that our quality of life depends on the quality of our surroundings.
The environment is inseparable from social justice. Climate change, for example, is primarily about food and water. It threatens the fresh water supplies required to support human life. As continental interiors dry out and the glaciers feeding many of the rivers used for irrigation disappear, climate change presents the greatest of all threats to the future prospects of the poor.
At Love Tomorrow Today, we are driven by the belief that ordinary people are deeply concerned about the world our kids will inherit. Does the average person consider himself or herself an activist? Does putting a plastic bottle in a recycling bin constitute the actions of an activist? Does using a reusable shopping bag made from 100% recycled plastic make you a treehugger? Maybe twenty years ago. We’d like to think that these are just the actions of the concerned citizen who recognizes that simple change can be significant change. Monbiot is right. Judith Burchill is out of touch. She’s not alone. But the good news is that, increasingly, activism has given way to mainstream empowerment, as people seek- and discover- simple ways to tweak their lives in positive ways.
