Environmental groupsthis trend contrasts sharply with the revitalisation of the grassroots sector,
which has reaffirmed the importance of local activism and questioned the
effectiveness of the moderate insider strategy of the big groups. Thus there
is evidence of a new politics in the emergence of the environmental groups
as a significant political force, in the innovative repertoires of protest and
in the radical organisational forms and ideologies of ecological new social
movements. However, the institutionalisation of the mainstream movement
also suggests the continuing stability of established patterns of political
behaviour. The overall impact of the environmental movement, although
hard to measure, has been profound in setting agendas, shaping discourses
and influencing policy. Yet the continued marginalisation of environmental
considerations by policy elites fuels the rumblings of discontent and disap-
pointment within the movement. Much now depends on the ability of the
environmental movement to respond to the challenge of the transnational
agenda associated with the increasing internationalisation of environmen-
tal politics. At this level, as at national and sub-national levels, environmen-
tal groups are just one actor in the policy process, and therefore cannot be
judged in isolation. A complete assessment of the impact of the environmen-
tal movement, therefore, requires an understanding of their role within the
policy process, which is the subject of PartIII.
◗ Further reading and websites
Doherty ( 2002 )isanexcellent comparative analysis of the environmental
movement from the perspective of social movement theory. The special issue
ofEnvironmental Politics(1999,vol.8,no.1) covers many debates about the
environmental movement, and includes interesting comparative and coun-
try studies. Rootes ( 2003 )provides a systematic comparative analysis of envi-
ronmental protests in eight European countries, while Dryzek et al. ( 2003 )is
athoughtful comparative analysis of the environmental movement in Ger-
many, Norway, the UK and the USA. For specific countries, see Doyle ( 2000 )
on Australia; Rawcliffe ( 1998 )andRootes and Miller ( 2000 )ontheUK;and
Duffy ( 2003 )andBosso ( 2005 )ontheUSA. Visiglio and Whitelaw ( 2003 )isa
useful introduction to the issues raised by the environmental justice move-
ment. Doyle ( 2004 )offers an interesting comparison between environmental
movements in the ‘North’ and the ‘South’. For environmental movements
and transnational politics, see the special issue ofEnvironmental Politics(2006,
vol. 15,no.5).
International websites
Earth First! (http://www.earthfirst.org/)
Friends of the Earth International (http://www.foei.org/)
Global Justice Movement (http://www.globaljusticemovement.net/)
Greenpeace International (http://www.greenpeace.org/)
World Wildlife Fund (http://www.panda.org/)