Environmentalism

Peterson del Mar, David

ISBN 10: 0582772974 / ISBN 13: 9780582772977

Published by Routledge, 2006

About this Item

The fate of the environment was one of the most important issues of the twentieth century and remains a vital problem, dominating public politics and private interest across the globe and in practice. This work presents an introduction to the debates, the movements, the successes and failures of environmentalism. Series: Short Histories of Big Ideas. Num Pages: 232 pages. BIC Classification: RN. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 199 x 130 x 14. Weight in Grams: 651. . 2006. 1st Edition. paperback. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland.

Seller Inventory # V9780582772977

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Environmentalism
• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication Date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0582772974
• ISBN 13: 9780582772977
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Environmental movements have produced some impressive results, including cleaner air and the preservation of selected species and places. But movements that challenged western prosperity and comfort seldom made much progress, and many radical environmentalists have been unabashed utopianists.

In this short guide, Peterson del Mar untangles this paradox by showing how prosperity is essential to environmentalism. Industrialisation made conservation sensible, but also drove people to look for meaning in nature even as they consumed its products more relentlessly. Hence Englandled the way in both manufacturing and preserving its countryside, and the United Statescreated a matchless set of national parks as it became the world's pre-eminent economic and military power. Environmentalismconsiders both the conservation and preservation movements and less organized forms of nature loving (from seaside vacations to ecotourism) to argue that these activities have commonly distracted us from the hard work of creating a sustainable and sensible relationship with the environment.

About the Author

David Peterson del Mar grew up in a very rural area as the son of a commercial fisherman and worked as a labourer for a sawmill. Over the past twelve years he has taught environmental history in Canada and the United States and has published four books on social history, including the award winning What Trouble I Have Seen: A History of Violence against Wives (1996).