Emerson, Thoreau, and the 21st century environmental movement

Emerson and Nature

Emerson as the Architect of Modern Environmentalism

Today's environmentalist movement is concerned more about attitudes than using journals made out of recycled paper and compost heaps. While this is certainly an effective approach to environmentalism, it is by no means new. In fact, one of the most widely perpetuated ideas concurrent with environmentalism can be linked specifically to Emerson's remarks at the beginning of his essay, "Nature." Emerson states:

The charming landscape which I saw this morning, is indubitably made up of some twenty or thirty farms. Miller owns this field, Locke that, and Manning the woodland beyond. But none of them owns the landscape. There is a property in the horizon which no man has but he whose eye can integrate all the parts, that is, the poet. This is the best part of these men's farms, yet to this their warranty-deeds give no title (3).

His remarks, which suggest that no one can be said to own nature, are reminiscent to the environmentalist movement's foundational attitude -- that the earth belongs to all humankind, and should be respected as all must share it. Linking Emerson's remarks with this attitude can be best seen through examples of air and water pollution.

In much of the world, the modern environmentalist movement is targeting air pollution as a major contributor to global warming, as well as other global environmental issues. Often, the modern environmentalist movement calls for the shared earth attitude to campaign against pollution. Environmentalists suggest that those who drive, emitting emissions, could improve the air quality for everyone by walking or taking public transportation. International legislation championed by environmentalists, like the Kyoto Protocol, generally suggests that all countries should work together to preserve the earth that they all share. Finally, environmentalists tend to chide corporations for irresponsible use of emissions, arguing that their desire for profit is damaging not only the lungs of those who have to live within the surrounding vicinity, but also the future generations who will find their world destroyed.

In much the same way, environmentalists call forth this shared earth attitude to persuade against water pollution. They advocate against dumping water into oceans, lakes, and streams, suggesting that the corporations who do this do not own the bodies of water or the wildlife that calls the water home. In addition, modern environmentalists ask boat motorists to consider this attitude, as well as visitors to bodies of water who dispose of trash in the water.