ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a brief history of the environmental movement in the United States and Great Britain, along with an overview of the environmental movement today. It discusses in detail the many studies of environmental activism undertaken by social movement theorists and the key themes. The chapter then describes the most common philosophical positions held by environmentalists – shallow ecology, deep ecology, and ecofeminism. It addresses the involvement of religious groups in the environmental movement including a review of statistical studies of religious belief and their impact on environmental attitudes. Preservationist groups took up the environmental cause in both the United States and Great Britain in the nineteenth century. The dominant discourse in the early period of environmentalism was characterized by a preoccupation with preservation of wilderness areas and wildlife. A strong Christian and Jewish environmental movement has become established in Europe, Great Britain, and the United States of America.
