Chapter Twelve

 The modern environmental movement

12.1 The first Earth Day, on April 22, 1970, activated 20 million Americans from all walks of life and is widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement, by those unfamiliar with the preceding history. The passage of the landmark Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and many other groundbreaking environmental laws soon followed. More than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world.

12.2 On 2 December 1970 in the United States, born in the wake of elevated concern about environmental pollution, the Environmental Protection Agency was established to consolidate in one agency a variety of federal research, monitoring, standard-setting and enforcement activities to ensure environmental protection. Since its inception, EPA has been working for a cleaner, healthier environment for the American people.

12.3 On 15 October 1970 in the UK the Secretary of State for the Environment was created as a UK cabinet position, responsible for the Department of the Environment by Edward Heath as a combination of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Public Building and Works on 15 October 1970.

12.4 On 7 January 1971 in France the Ministry for the protection of nature and the environment was created with Mr Robert Poujade as its first minister. One of the Robert Poujade’s first public appearances was on Friday 2 July 1971 when he came to Annecy at the invitation of Senator-Mayor Charles Bosson to open an exhibition entitled “Water and pure lakes”. He had received a copy of Dr Servettaz’s first short account of the safeguarding of lake Annecy, written for the occasion, and proceeded to salute the exemplary success of Annecy thanks to its visionary municipal team under Charles Bosson.

12.5 Later in 1971 in Japan a sub-cabinet level Environmental Agency was established which in 2001 became the Ministry of the a Cabinet-level ministry responsible for global environmental conservation, pollution control, and nature conservation.

12.6 In 1971 two non-governmental organizations emerged as splinter groups from the Sierra Club, both in protest against the latter’s lack of effective opposition to American nuclear weapons and nuclear industry, but were to become campaigning organisations for wider environmental issues.

12.7 In October 1971 in Alaska, ship sailed towards Amchitka to confront the U.S. Coast Guard ship Confidence at the site of an intended Nuclear Test. The ship was renamed Greenpeace and became the inspiration for the eponymous organization. Among the organisers were Irving Stowe and Dorothy Stowe, who had recently become Quakers. As members of the Sierra Club Canada, they were frustrated by the lack of action by the organization. Greenpeace is now a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over 40 countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its diversity" and focuses its campaigning on worldwide issues such as climate change, deforestation, overfishing, commercial whaling, genetic engineering, and anti-nuclear issues. It uses direct action, lobbying, and research to achieve its goals. The global organization does not accept funding from governments, corporations, or political parties, relying on 2.9 million individual supporters and foundation grants. Greenpeace has a general consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

12.8 Also in 1971 Friends of the Earth (FOE) was established as an international network with a meeting of representatives from the U.S., Sweden, the UK and France. Originally founded in 1969 as an anti-nuclear group by Robert O Anderson who contributed $200,000 in personal funds to launch FOE with David Brower, following Brower's split with the Sierra Club. Its first mission was to lock up and prevent further development of nuclear energy. Their first employee was Amory Lovins, who kicked off FOE in the UK. FOE considers environmental issues in their social, political and human rights contexts. Their campaigns stretch beyond the traditional arena of the conservation movement and seek to address the economic and development aspects of sustainability. Originally based largely in North America and Europe, its membership is now heavily weighted toward groups in the developing world. The current campaign priorities of Friends of the Earth internationally are; economic justice and resisting neoliberalism, forests and biodiversity, food sovereignty, climate justice and energy.

12.9 In June 1972 the United Nations Environmental Programme was founded by Maurice Strong, its first director, as a result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm Conference) in June 1972 and has its headquarters in the Gigiri neighbourhood of Nairobi, Kenya. UNEP also has six regional offices and various country offices. Its work encompasses: assessing global, regional and national environmental conditions and trends; developing international and national environmental instruments, strengthening institutions for the wise management of the environment. Its mission: "To provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations."

12.10 In October 1974 in China, the Leading Team for Environmental Protection was officially established under the State Council, responsible for the development of guidelines, policies, and regulations; finalization of national plans for environmental protection; organization and coordination of the environmental protection efforts of local areas and State departments. In 2008 This was reorganised as the Ministry of Environmental Protection, an integral department of the State Council.

12.11 In 1980 in India, a the federal Department of Environment was created, with was turned into the Ministry of Environment and Forests in 1985.

12.12 On June 6 1986 in Germany the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety was established in response to the Chernobyl disaster. The then Federal Government wanted to combine environmental authority under a new minister in order to face new environmental challenges more effectively. Prior to this responsibilities for environmental issues were distributed among the ministries of the Interior, Agriculture and Health.

12.13 In 1990 the European Environment Agency was established by the European Union. Its task is to provide sound, independent information on the environment. It is a major information source for those involved in developing, adopting, implementing and evaluating environmental policy, and also the general public. Currently, the EEA has 33 member countries.

12.14 On August 14 1996 in Russia, the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Natural Resources were created, which were later, on May 28, 2008 combined to form the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment.

12.15 Dr Servettaz, Mayor Charles Bosson and their colleagues in Annecy achieved one of the most successful environmental campaigns in history. From a local, grassroots initiative, they identified what was later to be understood as a major global environmental issue - the eutrophication of fresh water sources. They established an original form of local political organization to tackle the issue. They developed a daring but highly effective solution involving large scale, expensive, and complex infrastructural investment. They carried out an extended campaign raising public awareness around related environmental issues. They saw the whole project through to a demonstrably successful conclusion over a period of 30 years. In doing so they established lake Annecy as a reference site globally for on-going monitoring and research into issues of fresh water conservation.

12.16 Their work began 25 years before any of the above environmental organizations existed, and was largely completed by the time the first of them was established.

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