Top 10 Environmental Movements in the World

Environmental Movements in the World: The environmental movements are the social and political movements that demand the conservation of our environment to improve the whole environment of the country. These types of movements are also known as the “green movement” or “conservation movement” that favours and demands the sustainable management of natural resources by changing existing public policies.

In this article, we are going to learn about the Top 10 Environmental Movements in the World, along with their impacts.

Top 10 Environmental Movements in the World

Earth Day was an environmental movement that started in the United States on April 22nd, 1970. Today it is celebrated as World Earth Day every year in almost every country. Here are some famous Environmental movements as mentioned below :

List of Environmental Movement in the World
Environmental Movement	Location	Year Started
Earth Day	United States	1970
Chipko Movement	India	1973
Greenpeace	International	1971
Extinction Rebellion	United Kingdom	2018
Sierra Club	United States	1892
350.org	International	2008
Friends of the Earth	International	1969
Fridays for Future	International	2018
Indigenous Environmental Network	International	1990
The Climate Reality Project	International	2006

Earth Day 1970

The Earth Day movement is an annual celebration that aims to aware people of environmental issues and promote conservation efforts. It is celebrated on April 22nd in the United States or the day of the spring equinox. The first Earth Day was held on April 22nd, 1970 in the United States of America. 20 million Americans started to protest against environmental ignorance and demanded a change. The day is credited to the modern environmental movements because it was the first movement by humans only for the environment.

Name	Earth Day
Year	1970
Location	United States of America
Founders	Senator Gaylord Nelson and Denis Hayes
Purpose	To raise awareness about environmental issues and demand for environmental protection and conservation.
Significance	Earth Day 1970 marked the beginning of the modern environmental movement in the United States. It led to the drafting process of so many significant environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Activities	Nationwide rallies, and educational campaign to aware citizens environmental issues. Millions of Americans participated in various events throughout the country.
Outcome	Contributed to enhance the public awareness about environmental concerns. It also led to a significant shift in environmental policy and regulation in the United States. The movement also inspired the global environmental movements.

Chipko Movement 1973

The Chipko movement is an Indian forest conservation movement that began in the Garhwal Himalayas region in the 1970s. The movement’s name comes from the Hindi word chipko. It means “to hug”. In this movement, the protesters hugged the trees to stop them from being cut. The people opposed to commercial logging and the government’s policies on deforestation at that time. The movement is considered the first and initial ecofeminist environmental movement in India. The movement used the Gandhian method of non-violent resistance.

Name	Chipko Movement
Year	1973
Location	India
Purpose	To protest against the deforestation by the commercial wings. The movement promoted the environmental conservation, particularly the protection of forests and different natural resources.
Leaders	Sundarlal Bahuguna, Gaura Devi, Chandi Prasad Bhatt
Origin	Started in the village of Mandal in the state of present Uttarakhand.
Means	Nonviolent protests like hugging trees to prevent deforestation.
Key Events	The movement became popular for the approach with the involvement of women villagers of Reni. They successfully prevented the felling of trees.
Significance	Raised the awareness about different environmental conservation and the rights of local communities over the natural resources.
Impact	Contributed in making laws and policies for forest conservation and community participation in forest management. The approch of the movement inspired similar movements worldwide.
Legacy	Considered a landmark in the Indian history of environmental activism. It also influenced the subsequent environmental movements and policies in India and globally.

Greenpeace Movement 1971

Greenpeace started in 1971 with a small group of volunteers who generally organized a music concert to raise funds. They aimed to sail a boat from Vancouver to Amchitka to start a protest movement against US militarism and their nuclear weapons testing activities. Greenpeace is an independent, nonprofit, and global network of campaigning organizations that use so many creative and peaceful protests to expose environmental issues and promote solutions. Greenpeace activists often directly target the companies or government bodies responsible for the environmental damages.

Name	Greenpeace
Year Founded	1971
Location	Canada
Founders	Irving Stowe, Dorothy Stowe, Ben Metcalfe, Marie Bohlen, Paul Cote, Jim Bohlen, and Bob Hunter
Mission	Promote peace, conservation of the environment, and confront environmental issues through a non-violent but taking direct actions.
Early Initiatives	Conducted anti-nuclear protests like a major protest against USA’s nuclear testing in Alaska in 1971.
Vessel	Used the Phyllis Cormack. It was a fishing boat that is for their early protests and campaigns.
Growth	Rapidly expanded its operations and influence by becoming an international environmental organization.
Key Achievements	Played a major role to ban nuclear testing, campaigned against whaling, and woked for protection of the marine ecosystems.
Legacy	Established itself gradually as one of the most prominent and influential environmental organizations in the world. They are known for their direct action campaigns in a creative way.

Extinction Rebellion 2018

Extinction Rebellion or XR is a global organisation today that started as an environmental movement. This organization generally uses nonviolent civil disobedience to force governments to take action against the exploitation of the environment. XR works to avoid the different tipping points in the climate system, biodiversity loss, and the risk of social and ecological collapse. XR is an international and decentralized movement that has informal conversations and connections. There are three parts of their mission including telling the truth, acting now, and going beyond politics.

Name	Extinction Rebellion
Year	2018
Location	United Kingdom and became an international movement
Founders	Roger Hallam, Gail Bradbrook, Simon Bramwell
Key Objectives	Urged the government to declare a climate and ecological emergency. Calling for net-zero carbon emissions by 2025.
Tactics	Non-violent civil disobedience, protests, road blockades, sit-ins, and other direct actions
Motivation	Concern over the lack of sufficient action from governments and institutions to address the climate crisis and biodiversity loss.
Participation	Hundreds of thousands of activists joined in this movement from different countries.
Impact	Raised global awareness of climate change and biodiversity loss. Influenced governmental policy discussions and declarations of climate emergencies in various jurisdictions.

Sierra Club Movement 1892

The Sierra Club was founded in 1892 in California to support wilderness trips in the Pacific Coast’s mountain areas. The club’s initial goals were to explore, enjoy, and make the mountain regions accessible to humans in a sustainable way. So many women joined in the movement from the beginning. The club became involved in different political actions for nature conservation. They helped to establish a series of new National Parks and a National Wilderness Preservation System in the USA. The Sierra Club fought to save the Grand Canyon from dams in 1960 which led to a public advertising campaign. Internal Revenue Service helped them to protect the Grand Canyon.

Name	Sierra Club Movement
Year Founded	1892
Location	San Francisco, California, United States
Founders	John Muir, Joseph LeConte
Mission	To explore and protect the wild places of the Earth. They started to practice and promote the responsible use of the Earth’s ecosystems and resources.
Key Activities	Organized hikes, camping trips, and outings to wild areas to promote appreciation and conservation of nature.
Advocacy Efforts	Campaigns to establish national parks, protect wild areas, and advocate for environmental conservation and preservation policies.
Membership	Initially outdoor enthusiasts, conservationists, and naturalists. Over time it included a diverse range of individuals concerned with environmental protection.
Impact	Played a major role in the establishment of several national parks, including Yosemite, Sequoia, and Mount Rainier. The conservation legislation such as the National Park Service Organic Act of 1916.

350.org Movement 2008

350.org is an international environmental organization that works on the climate crisis. Its stated with a goal to limit the use of fossil fuels and promote renewable energy by building a global and grassroots movement. The Fossil Free campaign of this organization, inspired by successful past movements, started in 2012 and has garnered support from over 1,500 institutions globally, managing a significant amount of assets, to divest from fossil fuels by October 2021.

Name	350.org
Founders	Bill McKibben, May Boeve
Year Founded	2008
Location	International Forum
Mission	To build a global grassroots movement to address climate change and search for the solutions to reduce atmospheric CO2 levels to 350 parts per million (ppm).
Activities	Organizing grassroots campaigns, demonstrations of the campaigns, conservation efforts, and educational initiatives focused on climate change awareness and direct action.
Significance	Played a major role in mobilizing the public support for climate action by raising awareness about the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Symbolism	The name “350” refers to 350 ppm that is considered the safe and upper limit for atmospheric CO2 concentrations to avoid catastrophic climate change impacts.
Global Reach	Operates in over 188 countries
Achievements	So many climate campaigns and initiatives, including the Global Climate Strikes and advocacy efforts to divest from fossil fuels.

Friends of the Earth Movement 1969

Friends of the Earth is a grassroots environmental campaigning community today that works to protect the natural world. They are the outspoken leader in the environmental and progressive communities. They use policy analysis and set campaigns to change the perception of the public, media, and policymakers. FOE is part of the growing movement led by peasant, family, indigenous, and artisanal food producers and workers.

Name	Friends of the Earth
Year Founded	1969
Location	United Kingdom
Founders	David Brower, Donald Aitken, Robert Orville Anderson, Irving Stowe
Mission	To ensure the environmental protection and sustainability through grassroots activism, advocacy, and campaigns
Focus Areas	Conservation, climate change, energy, biodiversity, sustainable agriculture, and environmental justice.
Achievements	Played key roles in the policy making such as the ban on ozone-depleting substances, promoting renewable energy, and protecting endangered species and habitats.

Fridays For Future Movement 2018

Fridays for Future is an international movement that was conducted by the school students who skip classes on Fridays to participate in environment movement demonstrations. The movement’s major goals was to put pressure on the policymakers to listen the scientists and take action to limit or set a cap for global warming. The movement began when Greta Thunberg and her fellow school students decided to continue striking against the Swedish policies until they provide a safe pathway in line with the Paris agreement.

Name	Fridays for Future
Year	2018
Location	International
Purpose	To demand urgent action on the climate change issues, particularly from governments and policymakers. They advocated for the stronger measures to address the climate crisis.
Founder	Greta Thunberg, Swedish climate activist
Date	Started in August 2018
Activities	Weekly strikes and protests where students and activists skip school or work on Fridays to participate in demonstrations demanding climate action.
Impact	Raised global awareness about the climate change by inspiring millions of young people to become climate activists. They influenced government policies and corporate actions on climate.
Legacy	Continues to be a prominent voice in the climate movement. They organized regular strikes and campaigns, and advocated for ambitious climate action at national and international levels.

Indigenous Environmental Network Movement 1990

The Indigenous Environmental Network was established in 1990 by some Indigenous peoples and individuals in the United States of America. The organization is a network of Indigenous peoples who fights for environmental justice and healthy communities.

The organization believes in the success to address the climate change that depends on limiting extraction to keep fossil fuels in the ground. They believe that social and economic systems need to be restructured. This is necessary to protect people and the environment.

Name	Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN)
Year	1990
Location	International
Founders	Tom Goldtooth, Enei Begaye
Purpose	To address environmental and economic justice issues impacting the Indigenous communities worldwide.
Focus	Advocated Indigenous rights, protection of Indigenous lands, resources, and cultures, and sustainable development.
Activities	Organizing protests, campaigns, and educational initiatives; participating in international environmental conferences and forums.
Key Issues	Opposition to fossil fuel extraction and infrastructure projects on Indigenous lands, protection of sacred sites, climate justice.
Achievements	Successful campaigns against environmentally harmful projects, raising awareness about Indigenous environmental issues on the global stage.

The Climate Reality Project 2006

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore founded The Climate Reality Project in 2006. It was a consolidation of the Alliance for Climate Protection and the Climate Project. They generally started their work on to reduce the Carbon pollution from burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas those are warming our planet and causing the climate change.

Name	The Climate Reality Project
Year	2006
Location	International
Founders	Former Vice President Al Gore
Purpose	To educate the public about climate change and action towards a sustainable future
Activities	Conducting educational programs, training climate leaders, organizing campaigns, hosting events such as Climate Reality Leadership Corps trainings and the annual 24 Hours of Reality broadcast.
Impact	Raised global awareness about climate change, mobilization millions of people to take action, influenced policy decisions and corporate practices towards climate mitigation and adaptation.

Other Environmental Movements in World

Here are some other popular Environmental Movements in World as mentioned below.

Popular Environmental Movements in World
Country Name	Movements
Africa	Green Belt Movement, Friends of the Earth Africa, Pan African Climate Justice Alliance, Let’s Do It Africa, Sustainable Energy Africa
India	Narmada Bachao Andolan, Save Silent Valley Movement, Save the Aravallis Movement, Narmada Bachao Andolan
Middle East	Arabian Gulf Initiative EcoPeace Middle East, Protect the Prophet, Save the Tigris, Arabian Gulf Initiative
Australia	Stop Adani Movement, Save the Kimberley, Climate Action Network Australia, Australian Conservation Foundation, Wilderness Society
Canada	David Suzuki Foundation, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Greenpeace Canada, Sierra Club Canada, Wilderness Committee
UK	Extinction Rebellion, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace UK, The Wildlife Trusts, Campaign to Protect Rural England
Germany	Fridays for Future, Ende Gelände, BUND – Friends of the Earth Germany, Campact Parents, for Future

Major Environmental Movements in India

Here are some Major Environmental Movements in India as mentioned below.

Environmental Movement	Location(s)	Description
Chipko Movement	India (mostly in Uttarakhand)	Early movement for nature conservation, stopped tree cutting, spread environmental awareness
Narmada Bachao Andolan	India (mainly along the Narmada river)	Movement against building big dams on the Narmada river in 1985
Jungle Bachao Andolan	India	Movement promoting local communities, sustainable living, and nature protection, inspiring others globally
Silent Valley Movement	India (in the state of Kerala)	Gained global attention, inspired similar movements worldwide
Bishnoi Movement	India (particularly in Rajasthan)	Early movement for nature and wildlife protection, promoting eco-friendly living; Bishnois seen as India’s first environmentalists

Read More :

• What is the Chipko Movement?
• Our Environment – Components, Importance & Types
• Meaning, Functions, and Reasons for Environmental Crisis

FAQs on Top 10 Environmental Movements in World

Who is the Biggest Environmentalist in the World?

Rachel Carson (1907–1964) is regarded by many as the founder of the modern environmental movement. Born in rural Pennsylvania, she went on to study biology at Johns Hopkins University and Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory.

Who is Father of Environmental?

Alexander von Humboldt is known as the Father of Environment due to his tremendous contributions in laying the foundations of modern environmental sciences in the late 18th century through his celebrated explorations and writings.

Who started the First Environmental Movement?

Rachel Carson brought the environmental movement into focus with the 1962 publication of Silent Spring, describing the impact of chemical pesticides on biodiversity.

What is Bishnoi Movement?

The Bishnoi movement is one of the first organized proponents of eco-conservation, wildlife protection, and green living.

Who Started Green Movement in India?

Pandurang Hegde started green movement in India.