E
arly in the 17th century,
English philosopher and
scientist Francis Bacon
wrote of the need to control and
manage nature. By the end of the
18th century, in contrast, English
vicar Gilbert White was writing
in favor of a peaceful coexistence
between people and the natural
world. Yet in his lifetime, powerful
new steam engines unleashed the
ravages of industrialization—the
reaction against which would later
provide a major impetus for the
environmental movement.
Possibly the first systematic
analysis of humanity’s destructive
impact was American diplomat
George Perkins Marsh’s 1864
book, Man and Nature. Marsh
warned, among other things,
that deforestation could lead to the
creation of deserts, and he pointedout that resource scarcity was
generally the result of human
actions rather than natural causes.Renewable and clean
Before the Industrial Revolution,
most energy had been renewable—
the energy of human and animal
labor, wind- and watermills, and
sustainable wood. From the mid-
18th century there was a dramatic
shift to coal. The most efficient fuel
for firing furnaces and factories, it
came at a price—choking pollution
and the then-unknown rise in
atmospheric greenhouse gases.
In the 1880s, however, the key
to a new form of renewable energy
was provided by American inventor
Charles Fritts—a photovoltaic cell,
which could convert solar power
to electricity. German industrialist
Werner von Siemens soon saw itspotential for producing limitless
energy, but it took a century for
solar power to be widely adopted.
“Clean” hydroelectric power was
the first sustainable source capable
of generating electricity on a large
scale—joined in the late 20th
century by modern wind power, and
tidal, wave, and geothermal energy.An environmental ethic
In 1937, following the devastating
“Dust Bowl” caused by intensive
farming in the US, President
Franklin D Roosevelt wrote,
“A nation that destroys its soils
destroys itself.” In 1949, American
ecologist and forester Leopold
Aldo articulated a recurring theme
in environmental thought, by
advocating a “land ethic,” a
responsible relationship between
people and their local environment.INTRODUCTION
C. 1620
Francis Bacon’s work
espouses the idea that
man has dominion
over nature—a view
that is later termed
“imperial ecology.”1854
Written in a cabin
in the woods, Henry
David Thoreau’s book
Walden presents a
romanticized view
of the natural world.1883
The first working
photovoltaic solar
cell panel is built by
inventor Charles
Fritts in the US.1789
Gilbert White’s Natural
History and Antiquities of
Selborne records in great
detail the wildlife around
his rural home.1864
George Perkins Marsh
warns of the
destructive impact
that human action is
having on nature.1966
Lynn White argues that
Western—largely Christian –
anthropocentric worldviews
have placed humankind in an
environmental crisis.1971
UNESCO launch their
Man and the Biosphere
Programme to encourage
economic development
that is sustainable
and eco-friendly.294
US_294-295_Ch_9_Environmentalism_and_Conservation_Into.indd 294 12/11/18 6:26 PM