The Environmental Movement

Transcription

1 SECTION 4 Rachel Carson A 1962 cartoon shows a man choking on fumes from a pesticide he uses to kill a fly. WITNESS HISTORY The Environmental Movement AUDIO An Environmental Wake-up Call There once was a town in the heart of America where all life seemed to live in harmony with its surroundings.... Then a strange blight crept over the area and everything began to change. Mysterious maladies swept across the flocks of chickens; the cattle and sheep sickened and died.... There was a strange stillness. The birds, for example where had they gone?... On the mornings that had once throbbed with the dawn chorus of robins, catbirds, doves, jays, wrens, and scores of other bird voices there was now no sound; only silence lay over the fields and woods and marsh.... No witchcraft, no enemy action had silenced the rebirth of new life in this stricken world. The people had done it to themselves. Rachel Carson, Silent Spring, 1962 Objectives Assess the causes and effects of the environmental movement. Analyze why environmental protection became a controversial issue. Terms and People Rachel Carson toxic waste Earth Day EPA Clean Air Act Clean Water Act Endangered Species Act Why It Matters The rights revolution of the 1960s and 1970s eventually influenced all aspects of American life including people s right to a clean and safe environment. The story told by Rachel Carson pointed out that human actions were harming not only the environment but people themselves. Public awareness of environmental issues prompted an important debate about the government s role in environmental regulations. Section Focus Question: What forces gave rise to the environmental movement, and what impact did it have? Reading Skill: Recognize Sequence As you read, record major events in the environmental movement in a flowchart like the one below. Rachel Carson publishes Silent Spring in Americans celebrate the first Earth Day in 1970.

2 Environmental Activists Speak Out In the 1920s, Progressives had worked to conserve public lands and parks. But no one thought to worry much about the ill effects of industrialization. In 1952, however, a blanket of deadly smog, caused by coal fires, engulfed the city of London, killing some 12,000 people. Ten years after the London smog, a book sparked the modern environmental movement. Silent Spring Sparks a Movement Coal smog is just one kind of toxic waste, or poisonous byproduct of human activity. Another is acid rain, or moisture in the air caused by the mixing of water with chemicals produced by the burning of fossil fuels. Toxic wastes are also produced when nuclear power is generated. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, scientists learned more about toxic wastes and other environmental threats. In 1962, biologist Rachel Carson s book Silent Spring described the deadly impact that pesticides were having on birds and other animals. Her book caused a sensation. Though the chemical industry fought back, the public was convinced by her argument. Carson did more than point to the dangers of chemicals and toxic waste. She also insisted that human activity drastically altered the environment and that humans had a responsibility to protect it. Her work eventually compelled Congress to restrict the use of the pesticide DDT. It also spurred widespread environmental activism among Americans. When a fire erupted on the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1969, activists instantly spoke out. The fire occurred when a spark ignited floating oil and debris byproducts of industrialization on the river s surface. Time magazine reported that the river oozes, rather than flows. Even more luridly, the magazine remarked that in the Cuyahoga, a person does not drown but decays. Inaugurating Earth Day Events like the Cuyahoga fire seemed to confirm the dire predictions of Silent Spring. One response to growing environmental concerns was a nationwide protest called Earth Day. Wisconsin senator Gaylord Nelson, who played the leading role in organizing the protest, wanted to shake up the political establishment and force this issue [environment] onto the national agenda. On April 22, 1970, close to 20 million Americans took part in Earth Day events across the nation. The yearly event attracted the support of many of the same people who had advocated civil and women s rights. It was also backed by a number of grassroots groups, including the Sierra Club, founded by John Muir in 1892, and the Wilderness Society, established in Historically, these groups had focused on conservation. With the rise of the environmental movement, however, they called for broader environmental protections. Vocabulary Builder compel (kuhm PEHL) v. to force someone to do something Earth Day, Then and Now Students march through the streets of St. Louis on the first Earth Day to protest pollution caused by cars (left); students on Earth Day in 2005 rush to break a world record for the most trees planted in an hour.

3 Superfund Sites, 2008 For: Interactive map Web Code: nep W cific ean USSIA N S 60 N N E 70 N 160 W CA OR AK WA NV CANADA 140 W ID AZ UT 22 N HI 20 N 158 W MT WY NM CO MEXICO ND SD NE TX KS OK MN CANADA IA MO AR LA WI IL MS IN MI TN AL KY OH Conic Projection mi km EPA Superfund site Love Canal GA WV PA NC SC VA FL NY VT NH 80 W DE MD 30 N NJ ME CT MA RI 40 N Love Canal, New York: The first designated Superfund site in 1983, Love Canal was successfully cleaned up and removed from the highpriority list in Map Skills In 1980, Congress established Superfund, a program financed by taxes on oil and certain chemicals, to clean up sites that had extreme environmental pollution. Today, more than 1,500 sites remain on the high-priority list. 1. Identify In general, where are most Superfund sites located? Why do you think this is so? 2. Draw Inferences Do sites in urban areas pose greater risks than sites in rural areas? Explain. 3. Synthesize Information Study the bar graph. What varied benefits does repurposing Superfund sites bring that would not be accomplished by just cleaning up the sites? A President Turns Environmentalist In 1969, President Nixon declared that the 1970s must be the years when America pays its debts to the past by reclaiming the purity of its air, its water and our living environment. Nixon had not come into office as an environmental activist. But the public s increasing concern with protecting the environment convinced him to support environmental reforms. Under Nixon s leadership, Congress created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in This federal agency s mission was to protect the entire ecological chain. In addition to cleaning up and protecting the environment, the EPA sought to limit or to eliminate pollutants that posed a risk to the public s health, such as toxic substances that cause cancer. Nixon also signed a number of environmental laws. The Clean Air Act (1970) combated air pollution by, among other things, limiting the emissions from factories and automobiles. The Clean Water Act (1973) sought to limit the pollution of water by industry and agriculture. The Endangered Species Act (1973) promoted the protection of endangered plants and animals. President Gerald Ford continued in Nixon s footsteps. In 1974, he created the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to make sure nuclear materials would be handled safely without harmful impacts on people or the environment. grow? How did the modern environmental movement

4 Bowers Landfill, Before Cleanup: Bowers Landfill in Ohio was a municipal dump for garbage and hazardous chemical and industrial waste for several decades starting in the 1960s. Bowers Landfill, 1991: After removing all of the contaminated soil, this site was completely restored for use as a wetland. Bowers Landfill, Today: Wetlands provide a safe habitat for a variety of plants and wildlife, and they also protect the surrounding ecosystem by preventing flooding. Environmental Setbacks As the 1970s drew to a close, a series of environmental crises made the headlines. They reinforced the public s concern about the environment and produced calls for even more far-reaching actions. Yet, at the same time, a number of people began to wonder if the government had enacted too many regulations. Rather than calling for more federal action, they tried to limit the government s role in environmental protection. Superfund Cleanup, 2004 Superfund sites 1,750 1,500 1,250 1,000 (900) Site cleanups completed (248) Sites restored for new uses One of Superfund s goals is to restore sites in ways that provide economic or environmental benefits to communities. The EPA Investigates Love Canal In 1978, a resident of Love Canal, a community near Niagara Falls in upstate New York, hung a sign from his home that read: Give me Liberty. I ve Already Got Death. This sign referred to the fact that residents of the community had exceptionally high rates of birth defects and cancer. Newspaper reporters and EPA investigators determined that these illnesses were caused by thousands of tons of toxic chemicals, which industries had been dumping in the ground for decades. One EPA administrator recalled the scene he witnessed following a heavy rain that sent toxic chemicals percolating up through the ground. I visited the canal area at that time. Corroding wastedisposal drums could be seen breaking up through the grounds of backyards. Trees and gardens were turning black and dying.... Puddles of noxious substances were pointed out to me by the residents. Some of these puddles were in their yards, some were in their basements, others yet were on the school grounds. Everywhere the air had a faint, choking smell. Children returned from play with burns on their hands and faces. Eckhardt Beck, EPA Journal, 1979 The Love Canal contamination, along with other events involving hazardous waste, prompted Congress to establish Superfund (see feature at top) in 1980.

5 Interaction With the Environment How can we balance economic development and environmental protection? The goals of economic growth and environmental protection are often in conflict. For example, power plants provide energy, but they pollute the air. Dams supply water, but they destroy natural habitats. Finding a balance between growth and conservation may involve trade-offs. Use the timeline below to explore this enduring issue Yellowstone First national park is established National Park Service Congress creates the National Park System Silent Spring Rachel Carson s book exposes dangers of pesticides Clean Air Act Congress establishes air quality standards Endangered Species Act Law offers protection for threatened species Kyoto Protocol United States signs international agreement on CO 2 emissions, but Congress fails to ratify it. A view of Yellowstone s Grand Canyon painted in There are good reasons... to permit ANWR drilling.... It could be done without wrecking the environment.... Only 2,000 acres of the 19 million-acre ANWR refuge would be subject to drilling.... Drilling could create 250,000 to 735,000 jobs nationwide.... [Drilling] in an environmentally sensitive fashion is important insurance against future energy shocks. Editorial, USA Today, 2005 A herd of caribou grazes on a plain near an oil-drilling facility in Alaska. The Search for Oil Alaska s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is a large nature preserve with an abundance of wildlife. It may also contain large deposits of crude oil. Some people want to drill for this oil, while others believe oil drilling would ruin the pristine wilderness. Drilling in the Arctic Refuge is not a path to energy independence or lower prices at the pump. The United States Geological Survey estimates that the Refuge has less than a single year s supply of oil that would not reach the market for at least 10 years. Meanwhile, the harm to wildlife and to our greatest wildlife refuge would be irreparable. Defenders of Wildlife TRANSFER Activities 1. Compare Why does the first source support drilling in the arctic refuge? Why does Defenders of Wildlife oppose it? 2. Analyze How might the first source have responded to the creation of the National Park Service in 1916? Explain. 3. Transfer Use the following Web site to see a video, try a WebQuest, and write in your journal. Web Code: neh-9002

6 Meltdown at Three Mile Island Shortly after the investigation at Love Canal, an accident occurred in the nuclear energy industry. On March 28, 1979, the core of the nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, began to melt after the reactor malfunctioned. When the plant threatened to release radioactive gas, the governor declared a state of emergency and shut it down. To reassure the public that plant managers had contained the accident, President Jimmy Carter and his wife traveled to Three Mile Island and toured the reactor. Even though the incident was contained and there proved to be no health risks, it had profound effects on America s energy policy. In the wake of the accident, Americans opposed nuclear energy, fearful of possible disasters. The government temporarily stopped building new nuclear power plants. Even though it later lifted the ban, no new American nuclear plants were ordered for more than a quarter of a century. In the 2000s, with energy shortages, many Americans began to call for building new nuclear plants. Questioning Environmental Regulation As more environmental regulations were passed, opposition to them grew. Conservatives complained that they stripped individuals of their property rights by restricting what they could or could not do with their land. Some argued that private property owners would do a better job of protecting the environment than the government because the owners had an interest in preserving the profitability of their land. Many people and especially industry leaders also worried that too much environmental regulation would hamper business and jobs by diverting funds to cleaning up the air and water. Therefore, as the 1970s came to a close, Americans remained divided about what role the government should play in regulating industry and protecting the environment. movement? Why did some people oppose the environmental 4 SECTION Assessment Comprehension 1. Terms and People For each item below, write a sentence explaining how it helped expand a right or provide a protection. Rachel Carson Earth Day EPA Clean Air Act Clean Water Act Endangered Species Act Progress Monitoring Online For: Self-test with vocabulary practice Web Code: nea Reading Skill: Recognize Sequence Use your completed flowchart to answer the Section Focus Question: What forces gave rise to the environmental movement, and what impact did it have? Writing About History 3. Quick Write: Organize the Material You need to give a speech describing environmental problems in your region and how they could affect the local economy. Outline topics and arguments, remembering to begin with a strong argument or a personal story and to end with your most compelling argument. Critical Thinking 4. Recognize Cause and Effect How did Rachel Carson s concern about DDT spark the environmental movement? 5. Make Comparisons How did the goals and tactics of the environmental movement compare with those of the women s movement? 6. Identify Assumptions What basic assumptions about the environment did opponents to environmental regulation have?