Accelerating Global Interaction 3

This section of the chapter focused more on world population growth as well as the global environment. There were three factors that greatly influenced the environmental changes. One factor was the explosion of human numbers, an unprecedented quadrupling of the worlds population in a single century. Another was the ever growing use of our fossil fuels such as coal and oil. The third factor is the rapid growth of our economy. The production of goods has been quickly increasing which means more energy is being used as well. These three factors were the foundation of the environmental change we are still facing today.
     Environmentalism was an effort to better our environment. It began in the nineteenth century when Romantic poets stated that the industrials, "dark satanic mills" were threatening our green and pleasant land. The second wave began in the West with a publication of a book. This book showed how bad our environment is becoming and inspired many people. By the early 1990's, almost 14 million Americans had joined environmental groups that aimed much of their effort at lobbying political parties and businesses. The trend soon spread worldwide. Soon the German environmental movement arose with the Green Party. It then spread farther east to India, the Philipines and Austrailia.