Earth Day 25 years later

Journal Article · Tue Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1995 · EPA

OSTI ID:78125

Nelson, G

The idea of Earth Day 1970 was to have a national demonstration of environmental concern big enough to shake up the political establishment--get its attention, get some action, force environmental issues onto the political agenda of national priorities. The idea worked, thanks to the spontaneous response of millions of concerned Americans, and the event served as a wake-up call to the political establishment. Suddenly, the environment became a national political priority. Since Earth Day 1970, Congress has enacted nearly 40 major federal environmental laws addressing a wide range of issues, including clean air, clean water, energy conservation, hazardous wastes, and herbicides and other pesticides. Dozens of individual public land bills have been enacted since 1970 to designate or expand wilderness areas, wild and scenic rivers, national parks, and wildlife refuges. Perhaps most important, more than 80 percent of Americans now regard themselves as environmentalists. Since 1970 man has come a long way. After 25 years of researching, debating, and learning, increasing numbers of people recognize that the state of the environment is the key factor in determining this way of life and the quality of it.

• OSTI ID: 78125
• Journal Information: EPA, Journal Name: EPA Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 21; ISSN 0145-1189; ISSN EPAJDB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
IMPLEMENTATION
POLITICAL ASPECTS
POLLUTION ABATEMENT
POLLUTION REGULATIONS