Environmental Activism: A Reference Handbook

(Hardback)

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Description

A balanced presentation chronicling both the major events that sparked environmental activism and the nature of that activism in the past century. A massive oil tanker smashes through an outboard motorboat displaying a Greenpeace banner. A woman lives in a giant redwood tree for six months to prevent old growth forest logging. The environment has many defenders, but there are also detractors. Now the complex and controversial subject of environmental activism is summarized and explained in a single reference work. Beginning with an overview of activism in the past century, this volume puts organizations and their activities into historical context. Environmental Activism: A Reference Handbook first offers an American perspective and then a global one. It chronicles the major events that sparked environmental actions; aligns individuals with organizations, such as John Muir and the Sierra Club; and presents a balanced treatment of activities in both conservative and liberal political spheres. Separate chapters identify six eras of activism from 1900 to 2001 and include their characteristics, issues, strategies, and advocates. This is followed by summaries of the various types of organizations and their strategies, including direct action (ecoterrorism, monkey wrenching) as well as mainstream activity (lobbying, letter writing).

Reviews

"The straightforward, unbiased text makes no judgments as to the value of each group, but rather allows each charter and platform to speak for itself. 'Reports, Documents, Cases, and Testimony' is invaluable for researchers looking for primary-source materials ... This is a highly valuable resource for students researching environmental issues and for those interested in becoming personally involved in the movement." - School Library Journal "All libraries should carry this reference handbook because it covers some topics superbly, it has a considerable amount of contact information for organizations (including Websites), and there is no other book that covers this subject in this way that is so current." - American Reference Books Annual

Author Bio

Jacqueline Vaughn Switzer is assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ.