The post-war period saw many
governments legislating to ensure
the quality of air and drinking water
and establish national parks and
other protected areas. In 1968, the
world first found its collective voice,
when UNESCO (the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization) held the Paris
Biosphere Conference. This resulted,
three years later, in the creation of
the Man and Biosphere Programme.Growing awareness
Public concern for the environment
was marked by the establishment
of major conservation organizations.
The International Union for the
Conservation of Nature had been
established in 1948, and it was
followed by the World Wildlife Fund
(1961), Friends of the Earth (1969),
and Greenpeace (1971). After the1969 massive oil spill in Santa
Barbara, California, US senator
Gaylord Nelson proposed the idea
of a national event to highlight the
varied threats to the environment.
On the first Earth Day, which took
place on April 22, 1970, millions
turned out on marches across the
US. The scale of the event helped
the passage of the Clean Air, Clean
Water, and Endangered Species
Acts and led to the creation of the
United States Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA).
In 1973, German economist
Ernst Schumacher used the term
“natural capital” in his best-seller
Small is Beautiful to describe how
ecosystems provide us with
complex services. The concept
inspired American environmentalist
Gretchen Daily and others, who
argued that ecosystems are capitalassets which, when properly
managed, provide a flow of vital
goods and services.International cooperation
Two UN agencies—the World
Meteorological Organization and
the UN Environment Programme—
established the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in
1988 to assess the risk of human-
induced climate change.
The IPCC continues to monitor
climate change. In 1992, the Rio
Earth Summit, a UN initiative, was
unprecedented in both its size and
the scope of its concerns. It was the
first of a number of international
gatherings seeking, with much
success, to get global agreement on
greenhouse emissions. International
cooperation is now seen as key
to saving Earth’s environment. ■ENVIRONMENTALISM AND CONSERVATION
1987
The Indian NGO
Navdanya (“Nine
seeds”) is founded, to
preserve seed diversity,
promote fair trade, and
protect farmers.1991
The Sustainable
Biosphere Initiative
(SBI) report, published
in the US, argues for
increased funding for
ecological research.1988
The Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate
Change is established
in Geneva, Switzerland.The UN’s Rio Earth
Summit sets global
targets for cutting
greenhouse gas
emissions.1992
295
1981
Mark Schafer pioneers
Population Viability
Analysis (PVA) as a method
for estimating the likelihood
of a species’ extinction.2015
The Paris
Agreement on
Climate Change
is signed by 195
UN countries.1997
Gretchen Daily’s
Ecosystem Services
shows how humans
can derive benefits
from preserving the
natural environment.US_294-295_Ch_9_Environmentalism_and_Conservation_Into.indd 295 12/11/18 6:26 PM