Let’s get briefly into how environmental thought of global environmental leaders like Carson, Gore, Pinchot, Muir & Roosevelt shaped conservation efforts worldwide.
Rachael Carson
Rachel Carson is one of the leaders of modern environmental movement. Her book “Silent Spring” remains one of the most influential work for advocating protection of nature.
In her book, she showed how harmful pesticides are to animals, people, and the environment. Her work led to the complete banning of DDT in United States in 1972. It also paved the way for the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency.
She blamed the chemical industry for spreading damaging crops and risking human health.
Al Gore
Al Gore, politician and environmental activist, is the 45th vice president of United States. He served as VC from 1993 to 2001.
He shared the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2007 with United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for his environmental activism and work on raising global warming awareness.
“The earth has a rising fever and it will not heal by itself. Something basic is wrong. We are what is wrong, and we must make it right.”
Al Gore in his Nobel Lecture
After the industrialization, the temperature of our planet increased drastically. The average increase in the global temperature is termed as global warming.
Al Gore’s effort were documented in the ‘Inconvenient Truth’. The documentary sheds light on growing global issues like global warming and pollution. Global Warming was discussed by Al Gore in the documentary that won the Academy Award for best documentary for the year.
The documentary saw a sequel released a decade later in 2017 titled ‘An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power.
Al Gore also published “The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change” in 2013.
Gifford Pinchot
Gifford Pinchot (1865-1946), known as the Father of American Forestry, was an American politician and forester. Pinchot helped increase the number of national forests from 32 to 149 and their acreage to 193 million from 1898 to 1910.
He also became the leader of the US Forest Service, coming up with ways to cut down trees carefully and plant new ones.
In 1900, he founded the American Society of Foresters to increase awareness of forestry. Lots of his ideas are still used today.
His philosophy can be summarized in one of his statements regarding forests “..the greatest good of the greatest number in the long run.”
In honor of his leadership, the Columbia National Forest was renamed for Gifford Pinchot in 1949.
In The Fight for Conservation (1910), he stated that “the first principle of conservation is development, the use of the natural resources now existing on the continent for the benefit of the people who live here now.”
John Muir
John Muir (1838-1914), inspired by the simple beauty of nature, became a prominent voice for the preservation of nature and wilderness.
He was a Scottish-born American writer, environmentalist and advocate of U.S. forest conservation.
His environmental related work led to the creation of the National Park Service. Muir’s efforts and writings evoked public interest in nature at large.
Public interest and constant pressured made the US government to protect and preserve Yosemite and other iconic landscapes. His legacy lives on in over 400 national parks in USA.
He is known as John of the Mountains and the Father of America’s National Park, as well as the patron saint of the American wilderness.
He helped to preserve Yosemite Valley, Sequoia National Park, and other wilderness areas in America.
Theodore Roosevelt
26th President of United States, Theodore Roosevelt made a lasting impact on conservation and modern environmentalism.
He created the Forest Service and protected millions of acres as national forests in United States.
His work led to important laws; the Pure Food and Drug Act being most crucial.
Roosevelt’s commitment to saving nature changed how America takes care of the environment.
Roosevelt also established the Federal Reclamation Service in 1902. The service was designed to reclaim arid land for human use.
