| After the Second World War, much attention was given to developing the economy and significant industrialization took place. However, the environmental movement was weak and there was little government regulation to ensure the safety of the environment.In the 1960s, attention was finally shifted back to saving the environment. The Silent Spring, written by Rachel Carson in 1962, told the United States that it needed to protect the quality of its environment, which was being threatened by the expanding economy. The movement that grew out of this became the modern environmental movement in the United States. Presidents Kennedy and Johnson from 1961-1969 began a program of resource conservation. The Wilderness Act of 1964 increased the amount of land available to the National Wilderness System. The Congress, which was highly in favor of conservation efforts, passed 51 bills in 1965 aimed at
environmental protection.Public support for the environment also increased as a result of greater awareness and media support for the environmental movement. Popular pro-environment books also affected public opinion. In 1970, President Nixon helped to create the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Other influential political leaders included Senator Edmund Muskie and Gaylord Nelson. Nelson, who became both Governor of Wisconsin and a US Senator, created Earth Day and passed a variety of laws aimed at conservation.Many environmental activists formed or joined political interest groups during this era. The Sierra Club, Wilderness Society, National Wildlife Federation, Friends of the Earth, Environmental Defense Fund, and Natural Resources Defense Council also lobbied the government for greater protection of the environment. |
