0. Rise of Environmentalism
Subject: ESS | Author: Michel Onfray
About this Topic Book
For most of human history, the Earth was vast, its resources seemingly infinite, its ability to absorb our waste limitless. Our ancestors lived in intimate, often precarious, balance with the natural world, their impact largely confined to their immediate surroundings. The sky was a canvas for myth and navigation, the forests a source of both sustenance and danger, the oceans a mysterious and untamable frontier. The idea that humanity could fundamentally alter the chemistry of the atmosphere or unravel the intricate web of life on a global scale would have been the stuff of fantasy.
This book tells the story of how that fantasy became our reality. It is the story of an awakening.
"Rise of Environmentalism" charts the remarkable, and often reluctant, journey of how humanity came to understand its profound impact on the planet and the urgent need to protect it. It is a narrative that unfolds not in a single, linear progression, but as a series of reactions—to poisoned rivers that caught fire, to skies choked with smog, to a silent spring where the birds no longer sang, and ultimately, to the startling realization that the very climate that has nurtured civilization is now under threat from our own actions.
Our journey will begin with the ancient roots of environmental ethics, exploring the deep-seated wisdom within indigenous, Eastern, and Abrahamic traditions that have long called for stewardship and harmony with nature. We will then witness the seismic shift brought by the Industrial Revolution, a period of unprecedented progress that came at a steep ecological cost, sowing the seeds of the problems that would define the centuries to come.
We will trace the evolution of the environmental movement from a niche concern of conservationists and scientists to a powerful global force. We will meet the key figures who sounded the alarm, from the quiet courage of Rachel Carson to the passionate activism of modern-day youth leaders. We will examine the landmark events that served as wake-up calls—from the first Earth Day in 1970, which mobilized millions, to the discovery of the hole in the ozone layer, which proved that global cooperation was possible.
It is the story of how we are learning to see our world not as a commodity to be exploited, but as a home to be cherished. It is the story of our planet's awakening, through us.