Guides: Environmental Studies: Environmental Activism

Introduction

Environmental activism encompasses a broad range of actions by individuals, groups, or organizations that bring awareness to environmental concerns and work to protect the environment.

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Books

The New Climate Activism: NGO Authority and Participation in Climate Change Governance by Jen Iris Allan
Call Number: GE 220 A45 2020
Publication Date: 2020
In The New Climate Activism, Jen Iris Allan looks at why and how social activists came to participate in climate change governance while others, such as those working on human rights and health, remain on the outside of climate activism. The book explores why and how these activists brought their issues to climate change, and why some succeeded while others did not.
The Nature of Hope: Grassroots Organizing, Environmental Justice, and Political Change by Char Miller (Editor); Jeff Crane (Editor)
Publication Date: 2019
The Nature of Hope focuses on the dynamics of environmental activism at the local level, examining the environmental and political cultures that emerge in the context of conflict. The book considers how ordinary people have coalesced to demand environmental justice and highlights the powerful role of intersectionality in shaping the on-the-ground dynamics of popular protest and social change.
In Defence of Home Places: Environmental Activism in Nova Scotia by Mark R. Leeming
Publication Date: 2017
In Defence of Home Places examines the diversity of the environmental movement in Nova Scotia, its early accomplishments, and the disagreements that caused its eventual weakening and division. It places Nova Scotian environmental activism within national and international contexts and explores the choices and tactics that brought about its greatest successes and failures.
The Environmental Documentary by John A. Duvall
Publication Date: 2017
The Environmental Documentary provides the first extensive coverage of the most important environmental films of the decade, including their approach to their topics and their impacts on public opinion and political debate. The convergence of high profile issues like climate change, fossil fuel depletion, animal abuse, and corporate malfeasance has combined with the miniaturization of high quality recording equipment and the expansion of documentary programming, to produce an unprecedented number of important and influential documentary productions.
The First Green Wave: Pollution Probe and the Origins of Environmental Activism in Ontario by Ryan O'Connor
Publication Date: 2014
The First Green Wave traces the rise of Ontario's environmental movement. At the heart of the story is Pollution Probe, an organization founded in 1969 by students and faculty at the University of Toronto. The success of these actions inspired the founding of other environmental organizations across Canada and led to the development of initiatives now taken for granted, such as waste reduction and energy policy.
Environmental Justice and Environmentalism: The Social Justice Challenge to the Environmental Movement by Ronald Sandler (Editor); Phaedra C. Pezzullo (Editor)
Publication Date: 2007
Analysis and case studies from interdisciplinary perspectives explore the possibility and desirability of collaboration between the grassroots-oriented environmental justice movement and mainstream environmental organizations.

Terminology

Environmentalism: Movement and ideology that seeks to diminish negative human impacts on the environment.

Environmental ethics: Philosophy that considers humans' ethical relationship to the environment. There are many different ethics put forth, but environmental ethics often considers the responsibilities of humans to ensure continued access to adequate resources and livelihoods for future generations of people and other species.

Environmental justice: A movement that works against environmental injustice, as exposure to environmental harms is unequally distributed and disproportionately impacts marginalized communities.

Environmental racism: Also known as environmental discrimination or ecological apartheid, environmental racism is a form of systemic racism that leads communities of colour to be disproportionately impacted by environmental harms. Communities of colour often live nearer to toxic waste, landfills, major roadways, etc. by way of unintentional or intentional policies and practices. It also includes racialized communities having less access to environmental benefits, such as parks.