The Globalization of Environmentalism AP World History Chapter 24 “Accelerating Global Interaction” (Since 1945)

Ever since the Neolithic Revolution Man has made an attempt to control his environment (slash and burn, irrigation, waste management, population density) Things increased dramatically with the industrial revolution As technologies increased, so too did devastation to the finite resources the planet As man mastered the planet, the planet answered back With increased globalization, good and bad things would happen Reliance on energy has consequences

Environmental Changes 3 major factors accelerated the impact of humans on the environment in the 20 th century: – Population explosion – New ability of humankind to tap the energy potential of fossil fuels  coal, oil, hydroelectricity, natural gas, nuclear power – Unprecedented economic growth as science and technology increased the production of goods and services

Environmental Changes Growing numbers of the poor and growing consumption of the rich = led to the doubling of cropland and depletion of the world’s forests and grasslands Numerous species of animals and plants = either endangered or extinct Increased numbers of other species = ex: cattle, pigs, chickens, rats, dandelions Massive air pollution in major cities Thinning of the ozone layer from released CFCs

Environmental Changes Most critical environmental transformation = global warming Caused by two major factors: – Increased burning of fossil fuels = emit heat-trapping greenhouse gases – Loss of trees = would otherwise remove carbon dioxide from the air

Environmental Changes Concerns with global warming: – Melting glaciers and polar ice caps – Rising sea levels – Thawing permafrost – Extreme hurricanes – Further species extinction

Green and Global 1 st wave of environmentalism = in the 1800s in the wake of the industrial revolution – Expressed a need for “scientific management” of nature – “Wilderness idea” = aimed to preserve untouched areas from human disruption – Creation of many U.S. national parks – No mass following or large global response Yellowstone National Park In Wyoming Established in 1872

Green and Global 2 nd wave of environmentalism = in the 2 nd half of the 1900s – Began with the publication in 1962 of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring – Exposed the chemical contamination of the environment that threatened both human health and the survival of many species – Generated an enormous response and launched the environmental movement in the U.S.

Green and Global This environmental movement spread to other parts of the West as well – Club of Rome = a global think tank headquartered in Europe – Germany = emergence of the Green Party Major concerns of Western environmentalists = pollution, wilderness issues, and opposition to development in untouched areas

Green and Global 1970s-1980s = environmental movements began in the Global South as well Environmentalism in the WestEnvironmentalism in the Global South National movement; many large national organizations More locally based Involved affluent members of the middle-class Involved poor people Engaged in political lobbying and corporate strategies Environmental movements often overlap with other movements for political and social reform More concerned with the rights of nature and wilderness protection More concerned with issues of: food security, health, and basic survival Relatively nonviolent movementMovements occasionally become violent  guerrilla warfare actions by “green armies”

Green and Global Late 20 th century = environmentalism became a global concern Led to the global “green revolution” – Legislation passed in many countries to limit air pollution – Pushed many businesses in a “green” direction – Fostered research on alternative and renewable resources – Stimulated UN conferences on global warming – Persuaded millions of people to “go green” and alter their way of life – Generated many international agreements addressing issues such as ozone depletion and global warming

Green and Global Major conflict between the Global North and Global South = developing countries often feel that Northern initiatives to address atmospheric pollution and global warming will prevent their industrial development Global South pushed to limit its emissions to cut down on pollution, but they didn’t create that pollution in the first place – Shouldn’t the industrialized countries accept more responsibility?

Results of Global Environmentalism “One world” thinking Focus on the common plight of humankind Marked a challenge to modernity Ideas of sustainability and restraint entered global discussions

From 1945 to the present, the demand for food supply increased, leading to the Green Revolution (Doc 1, 2, and 3). The Green Revolution led to new technology (Doc 5, 7, and 9). It also had successful and failed attempts to improve soil conditions in farms (Doc 4, 6, 8, and 10)

Green Revolution Implementation of research and development (science and technology) to increase agricultural production around the world. Perceived by some as “neo-colonial” for commercial use than sustenance. Led by Norman Borlaug in Mexico and financed by Rockefeller foundation used bioengineering and pesticides to stave famine and may have saved up to one billion people.

Back to the docs to be utilized persuasively as evidence Those societies that experienced the Green Revolution were also experiencing changes in their social structures. In Mexico, women were forced to work for free because the farmers couldn’t afford to pay wages to them and their husbands (Doc 7). The caste system in India was diminishing due to peasants rising to the middle and upper classes from increased in their food production (Doc 9). It would help to show how strong an effect this change had on Indian society if there was a newspaper article of an upper class Hindu man describing how offended he felt to have to accept people from the lower classes into his social class. Document 10 the Guatemalan National Coordinating Committee of Indigenous Peasants stated that the Green Revolution has made people lose respect for the indigenous seeds and has contaminated them. The members of the committee must also be concerned that the Green Revolution will lead Guatemalans to also lose respect of their cultural heritage Restated the grouping and related it to the prompt? Changes in social structures (a consequence) Yep. Used evidence from documents? Yep. One of the documents used was a POV? Yep. Additional document that is related to the argument and the prompt? Yep