The Modern Environmental Movement: The Early Days

A movement branching out to education, health, industry, and even the arts, modern environmentalism rooted itself into American culture and politics across local, state, federal, and global levels. The modern environmental movement found its footing during the late 1960s and was born out of just a few key events and concerns.

A hydrogen bomb test on Bikini Atoll and oil spills off of California’s coast were both heavily televised and captured the attention of much of the American public. However, one event which truly transformed the minds of many was the “Lake Erie Fire,” a part of a larger rising concern over pollution in the Great Lakes. Lake Erie connected to waterways such as the Cuyahoga River, and many of these smaller streams became heavily polluted with industry waste from Lake Erie. Eventually, the pollution in the Cuyahoga caught fire and cost thousands of dollars in property damage. Though the scale of the damage was not remarkable, the media’s blown up version of the fire put a spotlight on the event for weeks. Television and the media in general played a large role in the development of the modern environmental movement, as it did for numerous other social and political movements through the 1960s and 1970s.

Disasters such as an oil spill or the “Lake Erie Fire” quickly drummed up demands for change surrounding pollution and treatment of the environment in general, but an area more subtle would become to focus for many in the movement: the chemical DDT and its use as a pesticide. In 1962, Rachel Carson put out her book Silent Spring which provided information about the harmful effects DDT’s use was having on wildlife as a result of runoff from agricultural land. Later in the decade, serious was attention was brought to the destruction DDT was causing wildlife when bald eagle fertility in the US took a dive. This is because DDT in the eagles’ environment weakens their eggs. The news of the bald eagle’s endangerment struck a chord with the American people and activism against harmful pesticides and environmental protection heightened further. Carson’s and other activists’ work eventually led to the passing of the Endangered Species Act.

Another facet of the modern environmental movement is the concern over water and air pollution. Actions to prevent pollution in air and water supplies were also made during these early years of the modern environmental movement. In 1970, the Clean Air Act was passed and later the Clean Water Act of 1972, which would serve as a nationwide baseline for States to build their own anti-pollution legislation upon. The Clean Air Act also granted the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) one of its fundamental abilities to establish air quality standards.

The early days of the modern environmental movement both drew public attention to and accomplished a number of important regulatory measures for the protection of public health and welfare. A deepened importance was brought to preserving the environment than had ever been felt in the US before, a legacy which persists for many today.