ABSTRACT
Chapter 2 gives an overview of the human relationship with the rest of nature over the last 200 years. It looks at major trends in conservation, ecology, activism, and law in Europe and the US. The beginnings of the environmental justice movement are presented. The field of philosophy known as environmental ethics, including the ideas of intrinsic value and the rights of nature, is examined. The chapter closes with an overview of cooperation on a global scale, including United Nations summits, The UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Montreal Protocol to protect the ozone layer, and international work on designating the Anthropocene as a formal geological epoch.
