Environmentalism

The book feels more like an extended bibliographic essay and I wish that it was longer. However, I the book is a excellent gateway to the basic contours of movements and environmental thinkers in contemporary environmentalism. The book is divided into two parts. Part 1 looks at what he terms the First Wave of Environmentalism (19th and early 20th centuries) and its three main movements: back to the land (British), Scientific Conservation (Germany), and Wilderness (United States). Part 2 looks at the Second Wave of Environmentalism from post World War II to the present. The narrative is a bit more haphazard her but the fundamental premise is that after 1945, countries prioritized economic growth over environmental concerns. Guha then shows the various responses to the ensuing pollution and degradation (or, as was the case in many Communist countries during the Cold War, non-responses). The books strengths lay in its simplicity and the way in which it connects thinkers in both the Global North and Global South together, showing the complex global network of thinkers. Most histories of environmentalism focus on events in Europe and North America but by focusing on thinkers in India, Latin America, and Africa, Guha shows how Environmentalism is not simply a fad for developed countries but one deeply rooted in local communities in the developed world as well.