Changes in environmental quality during this period have stimulated efforts to protect and conserve the environment for future generations. Conservation takes many different forms around the world. The UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was a landmark for conservation. Population, relative wealth of natural resources, and degree of development all contribute to the severity of environmental damage, the location of that damage, and both the capacity and willingness to solve the problem. In order to participate in the global economy, poor nations often sell their natural resources and their environment to wealthier nations.
Environmental issues are truly global in causes and solutions.
These problems are multifaceted, linking economics to environmental and social justice issues. This course will focus on developing an understanding of the milestones of the conservation movement of the last 50 years and role of the United States in creating and solving environmental problems. International treaties addressing fishing, animal trade and global warming will be discussed. There will be some look into the past at the creation of conservation organizations worldwide. Their missions, methods, and histories will be examined.