The Green Revolution

The Green Revolution recaptures the past thirty years of one of the most powerful movements in American history. The concern for the environment goes back more than a century, surely, but Kirkpatrick Sale shows that not until 1962, when Rachel Carson's Silent Spring electrified the country, did we begin to realize the terrible danger of man-made threats to our natural world. Our national environmental organizations and leading scientists have given us a new lexicon: acid rain, toxic wastes, biodiversity, the greenhouse effect. Even the word "green" has taken on a new meaning. Tragic events - at Bhopal, Love Canal, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl - that once would have been thought of as ephemeral are unforgettable warnings. Congress has responded with major legislation to protect the land, our forests, wildlife, water, and the air we breathe. Even so, as Sale reminds us, these years have not been an unmitigated triumph. The perils to the earth remain and in some ways are even more ominous. But never in the annals of social change has a movement gained as much popular support, never has it had such legislative and regulatory impact, never has it become so embedded in an entire culture. It may not save the world, but what else will?