Environmental groups 6
Contents
The environmental movement: an audit 144
A typology of environmental groups 146
The institutionalisation of the environmental movement 148
The resurgence of grassroots environmentalism? 155
A new civic politics? 160
The impact of the environmental movement 164
Conclusion 168
Further reading and websites 169
Key issues
◗ How powerful is the contemporary environmental movement?
◗ In what ways – size, organisation, strategy, tactics – do groups differ?
◗ How do groups exert influence?
◗ Why has there been a resurgence of grassroots activism?
◗ What impact have environmental groups had?Environmental pressure groups (EPGs) are probably the most visible expres-
sion of contemporary environmental concern. The publicity-seeking stunts
and daring deeds of the direct action protesters, whether tiny Green-
peace dinghies bobbing on the waves alongside ocean whalers or anti-road
protesters perched at the top of trees, have attracted enormous public atten-
tion. Most pressure-group activity, however, involves rather more mundane
conventional political activities such as lobbying and education. The rapid
growthof the environmental movement since the mid-1980s has provided
the resources for some groups to become highly professional organisations