Era of Earth Day

Earth, Wind, and Fire

Air pollution

Growing problem of smog

4-day New York City inversion, 1966

168 deaths

Water Pollution Disasters

Torrey Canyon, 1967

First supertanker spill

Santa Barbara Oil Spill

– Oil well blowout, Santa Barbara Channel, 1969

– 235,000 gal. over coastline, 800 sq.mi. of ocean

– Kills 1000s of birds & animals, several grey whales

A River Burns!

Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River fire, 1969

Population

– 1950s: control population to protect wilderness, nature

– Sierra Club supports population control, 1965

– David Brower asks Paul Ehrlich to write book

– Stanford biology professor

– The Population Bomb, 1967

– 3 million copies: Doom!

Environmental controversies

– Alaska pipeline, 1969-1973

– Supersonic Transport (SST), 1969-1971

– Everglades Jetport, 1969

– Cross Florida Barge Canal, 1969-1971

“Environment”

– Ecologist Paul Sears, Deserts on the March, 1935

– Dust Bowl; desertification worldwide

– Ecologist, ornithologist, conservationist William Vogt, The Road to Survival, 1948

– International bestseller

– A history of the planet

– Too many people abusing the land

– Globally interconnected problem: “environment”

– Biologist Fairfield Osborn, Our Plundered Planet, 1948

– Too many people abusing natural resources

International scientific cooperation

– 1948, United Nations Scientific Conference on the Conservation and Utilization of Resources

– Truman: real or perceived shortages or declining living standards a source of conflict and war

– 1948, UNESCO founds International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

– Conference in Lake Success, NY, 1949; first Red List of endangered species

– 1951: President Harry Truman creates commission about resources

– 1952, Resources for the Future established, funded by Ford Foundation; market-based solutions

– 1955 conference: “Man’s Role in Changing the Face of the Earth,” Princeton, New Jersey

– 1957: International Geophysical Year

– Remarkable precedent for international and interdisciplinary research about global environment

Rise of nature recreation

– Growing interest in preserving nature

– Skyrocketing attendance of national parks

Nature writing crowds bestseller lists

Skyrocketing  membership

– National Wildlife Federation: largest, richest

– 1970: 30% hunters; 20% opposed to all hunting

– National Audubon Society

– 1965–75: 8X growth; PR & glossy magazine

– Sierra Club: Most influential & best-known

– David Brower steers club to national prominence

– Sierra Club Books: Ansel Adams & Eliot Porter

– $10 million total sales by 1969

– Couldn’t delegate, overspent, ignored directors, lost tax-exempt status which hurt large contributions

– Ousted 1969

– Founded Friends of the Earth, John Muir Institute for Environmental Studies, & Earth Island Institute

A New Ecological Awareness

– Focus changes from human needs to nature

– Back to nature

– No plastics or chemicals

– Natural foods, natural fibers, natural products

– New edition of Nearings’ Living the Good Life, 1970

– New “Waldens”: the rural commune movement

– Explosion of backpacking, camping, outdoor activities

Thinking Ecologically

– Living responsibly

– René Dubos: “Think globally; act locally”

– Recycling centers established

– Energy-efficient houses

– Buying gas-efficient automobiles

– Back to the bicycle

– Bringing back public transportation

– Amtrak, 1970

– Technology for the people

– Whole Earth Catalog

– The personal computer