Book Description

This unique collection of nearly 200 Primary Documents examines the evolution of concern about environmental degradation, pollution, climate change, and resource conservation in America from the Colonial period the present. This new third edition is filled with important updates and new coverage of documents published from 2010 to 2017 that discuss current thoughts on climate change, environmental reform, toxic chemicals, sustainable energy, gas drilling, oil pipelines, energy demand, clean energy, land management, marine life and more. Detailed historical introductions begin each chapter and precede each primary document, to provide a context for analyzing each document and will aid readers in better understanding the various stands taken in debates over how, why, and if our environment needs to be protected. Documents include the writings of naturalists, conservationists, scientists, philosophers, lawyers, judges, politicians, sociologists, artists and poets, as well as from government reports, federal, state, and local legislation, and court cases to provide balanced coverage. An in-depth General Introduction gives the reader a clear, succinct overview of the extremely complex environmental issues covered in this resource. Additional materials include Significant Dates in American Environmental History, Major National Environmental Organizations, a Detailed Glossary, Sources for Further Reading and a Cumulative Index. Documents include the writings of naturalists, conservationists, scientists, philosophers, lawyers, judges, politicians, sociologists, artists and poets, as well as from government reports, federal, state, and local legislation, and court cases. Readers will be introduced to documents illustrating Pollution in Plymouth Colony Harbor in 1668, John James Audubon on the Decimation of the Bison Herds in 1843, the Act Establishing Yellowstone National Park in 1872, excerpts from the Clean Air Act of 1955, the Supreme Court Decision of Sierra Club v. Morton in 1972, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, the United Nations Convention and Protocol on Ozone Depletion in 1987, Barak Obama's Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force on Stewardship of the Ocean, Our Coasts and the Great Lakes in 2010, and much more. Detailed historical introductions begin each chapter and precede each primary document, to provide a context for analyzing each document and will aid readers to better understand the various stands taken in debates over how, why, and if our environment needs to be protected. The Environmental Debate presents a wide variety of attitudes about environmental issues, to ensure balanced and complete coverage of the environmental debate. A Detailed Glossary and Cumulative Index complete the text. The Environmental Debate offers unequaled coverage of one of the most debated topics in American history. This updated third edition, with its broad array of perspectives, will be a welcome resource for students wishing to explore controversial environmental issues from as many different angles as possible.