ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the evidence and debates about environmental movements. Environmentalism has a good claim to be the most significant social movement of the modern era. Beginning with an examination of the historical background, it shows how environmental groups are difficult to define as a single movement. Two forms of institutionalization are examined: the transformation of green parties and the growth of the large-scale environmental movement organizations such as Greenpeace. Divisions over questions of social justice, democracy continue to be evident in environmental movements, but they have rarely been visible publicly in the main environmental groups. Diani, Donati's typology was developed with Western Europe in mind where there has been a widespread trend towards institutionalization in environmental movement organizations. While the central political status of environmental problems in the early years of the 21st century seems to indicate that environmentalism has come a long way, it has been argued that environmental movements essentially run out of steam.
