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Environmentalism 1 May 2007 Volume 3, Issue 6
In honor of Earth Day and spring's return, this issue of World History to Go focuses on the topics that are key to keeping the Earth green now and in the decades to come. Emergence of Environmentalism
Climate Change: The FutureDespite our fragmentary knowledge of past climate events, knowing what to do in the future presents us with a great challenge. Population growth into coastal areas and onto marginal lands makes catastrophes more likely during periods of abrupt change. Increases in material consumption and energy use will continue to place stress on global ecosystems. The goal of sustainable growth in the developed world and the expectations for the same in the developing world remain elusive. In the words of Vaclav Smil, “If concerns about planetary warming will help to bring some sanity into the craven pursuit of economic growth and personal affluence throughout the rich world, and if they will aid in promoting control of population growth and responsible development policies in the poor world, then a warming trend might actually be an effective catalyst of desirable changes.” [From the article “Climate Change,” by Anthony N. Penna in the Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History.] Reinventing the Wheel
Inside the Berkshire Encyclopedia:
For more on these subjects, see articles on Deforestation, Erosion, Extinctions, Horticulture, Water, and Water Management. Although several kinds of fuel cells exist, developers are considering only one type, the proton-exchange membrane (PEM) cell, for cars. The modern work on fuel cells is all fairly recent, but the technical problems of the cells themselves have been mostly worked out, and the main obstacles concern building a worldwide infrastructure for hydrogen production and distribution. Fuel cell buses preceded passenger cars onto the road, appearing in the late 1990s. Fuel cell cars keep appearing in very small numbers (not really prototypes, but certainly not production scale vehicles, either). Most automobile developers are putting some varying level of R&D into fuel cell development. In addition, government labs in most industrialized nations are also researching the problems of manufacturing and distributing hydrogen production technologies. However, even with the presence of fuel cars on our roads, analysts don’t expect hydrogen vehicles to have a serious impact on internal combustion cars until 2015 or 2020. When hydrogen vehicles arrive, they promise a new era of sustainable, zero-emission cars and trucks. [From the article “Automobile,” by Jim Motavalli and Ann Johnson in the Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History.]
Earth Day Every DayIf you've been forwarded this newsletter, sign up to receive new issues of World History to Go twice a month.
Whether it's turning your coffee grounds into compost or tossing your old notes into the recycling, there are a thousand little ways to minimize your ecological footprint. To help make every day Earth Day, visit the Armchair Environmentalist. As I say there, it’s a website about the environment that won’t make you feel guilty! All of our environmental titles, from the Encyclopedia of Environmental History (2004) and the Armchair Environmentalist (2004) to the forthcoming Berkshire Encyclopedia of Sustainability and Cool Planet Guide focus on environmental solutions, not environmental problems. With warm regards, |
Although we try our best to honor the Earth every day, we do especially enjoy the annual celebration of Earth Day on 22 April. After a cold and rainy month, it seemed like the real beginning of spring. Our beloved 
Environmentalism as a popular social movement emerged during the 1960s. It is often said to have begun in response to the American biologist Rachel Carson's 1962 book Silent Spring, which warned of the dangers of persistent pesticides such as DDT. That book dealt with only one environmental issue but found a wider international readership than any previous book on an environmental subject. Environmentalism was expressed in the first Earth Day (22 April 1970), an event primarily in the United States, although it later received international observance. By 2000 the membership of environmental organizations reached 14 million in the United States, 5 million in Britain and Germany, and 1 million in the Netherlands. [From the article “Green or Environmental Movements,” by J. Donald Hughes in the 
Fortunately for the human race, alternative fuel technology has continued to develop, and replacements for the internal combustion engine may at last be practical. Fuel cell technology, which was first demonstrated in principle in 1839, can be compared to car battery technology: Both fuel cells and traditional car batteries produce electricity. The difference is that batteries store both their fuel and their oxidizer internally, which means that periodically batteries must be recharged, whereas fuel cells, like a car engine, can run continuously because their fuel and oxidizer are not sealed up inside them. 
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