1960s Environmental Movement

People today do not understand the lasting effects that the Environmental Movement of the 1960s brought to our world. When the 1960s decade is mentioned, the first things that come to mind for many people are the Civil Rights Movement, and the generation of hippies – clearly demonstrating that the Environmental Movement is significantly underrated in the modern world. The events that took place in the 60s were certainly not the first efforts of the United States trying to form a more effective program regarding the environment. Efforts made by figures such as President Teddy Roosevelt in the 20s were important in paving the pathway for more to get involved in later years. The main reason for such progress in the environmental movement in the
These situations were anything from natural disasters to rising environmental problems that needed to be dealt with, and soon. In the 50s, over 200 people were killed in New York due to smog, says greenpeace.org. This was an event that really captured the public’s attention; along with any other problem in the world, people will not respond until it is almost too late, then they are willing to help change. According to PBS.org, worldwide levels of Carbon Monoxide were above 300 parts per million in 1960. This was most likely due to the increasing number of cars on the roads. Two years later, “Congress amended the Air Pollution Control Act of 1955 to fund a study conducted by the United States Surgeon General to investigate the health effects caused by automobile exhaust.” President Lyndon B. Johnson was one of many influential figures that was concerned with clean air and water quality during this time. With his help, Congress passed both the Clean Air Act and the Water Quality Act under Johnson’s presidency (greenpeace.org). This made a huge impact for the United States, because since 1970, air pollution in the country has been reduced by 50 million tons. Other acts of preservation and conservation were introduced during this decade as well. In order to protect endangered species and reduce the risk of extinction, the World Wildlife Fund was founded in 1961. The World Wildlife Fund was the second national organization that was formed in the United States that year. Following that, Congress passed the Wilderness Act in 1964, along with the Endangered Species Act in 1966. (worldwidlife.org). Once well-known figures became involved in the movement did change occur. Published in June, 1963, Rachel Carson’s best-selling novel, Silent Spring gave an important insight to the issue of pesticides and the environment.