Like many social and political movements, the green movement has been strengthened and annealed by the forces that oppose it. After James Watt was appointed to lead the Department of the Interior, for instance, membership in the Sierra Club grew from 183,000 to 245,000 in just 12 months.
Today, the green movement is again defined and galvanized by its command of issues like global warming and climate change, wetlands preservation, the Keystone pipeline, nuclear proliferation, hydraulic fracturing or “fracking,” fisheries depletion, species extinction and other important environmental concerns.
What distinguishes the green movement today from the earlier conservation movement is its emphasis on science and research. Speaking in spiritual tones and using religious metaphors, early environmentalists like Muir and Thoreau celebrated nature for its profound impact on man’s emotions and our souls. When Hetch Hetchy Valley in California was threatened by a dam, Muir exclaimed, “Dam Hetch Hetchy! As well dam for water-tanks the people’s cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been consecrated by the heart of man.”
Now, however, we are far more likely to call upon scientific data and empirical research to buttress arguments in favor of wilderness preservation, or against polluting industries. Politicians cite the work of polar researchers and use computerized climate models to battle global warming, and medical researchers rely on public health statistics to argue against mercury pollution. Whether these arguments succeed or fail, however, still depends on the vision, the passion and the commitment of the people who make up the green movement.
(Source: https://www.thoughtco.com)
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