Presenting a history and dispassionate evaluation of American environmentalism, this volume touches on issues in philosophy, political science, and sociology, and can serve as a general introduction to the field or as a textbook for courses in environmental ethics, environmental politics or American social history.

This book provides a much-needed clarification and expansion of the goals of the environmental movement. Focusing on America, the author traces the long history of the environmental movement and then examines in detail the current trend toward coevolution.

Thiele's book provides a comprehensive review of the national environmental movement. His analysis of the political, economic, social, and cultural factors underlying today's environmental problems also identifies changes needed in the next century. The opening chapter summarizes the history of the conservation movement in the US. Four waves of national environmental activity are presented, beginning with a period of conservation and responsible resource use from the mid-1800s to 1960. A second wave, identified as containment of environmental degradation by an industrial society, spans 1960s to 1980s. A period of co-optation, or mainstreaming environmentalism, is placed into the 1980s and the present decade. . . . Overall, a valuable blueprint for future environmental action. It should be widely read and is especially recommended for social, economic, and political scientists, ecologists, and those who consider themselves environmentalists. All levels.