What began with a focus on simple conservation grew to include health and safety, pollution and ozone destruction.
Environmental issues pervade modern society.
Phillip Shabecoff, in his book A Fierce Green Fire , unearths the crucibles of U.S. environmentalism, dissects its modern role and ponders its near future. Shabecoff opens with a description of the United States as it stood in virtual pristine splendor under Native American stewardship just prior to the European invasion. After briefly documenting 200 years of European expansion into a land of seemingly inexhaustible bounty, Shabecoff turns to the intellectual birth of U.S. environmentalism. Conservation victories, such as California s preservation of Yosemite, were few. Theodore Roosevelt s presidency was the first major respite from the country s historic wanton squandering of natural resources.