I have titled this page "Environmental Meta-Communication" because that is what I/we will be doing within it; talking about how the environment is talked about. In other words, this is a site dedicated to the discussion and analysis of environmental media.
Before discussing the nuances of environmental media, it is important to have some understanding of the background of the environmentalism movement. While the first hints of awareness of the negative impacts humans have on the environment can be dated back to the industrial revolution, for the purposes of this blog, I will use the post-WWII movement as a true starting point for today's environmentalist forces.
After the Second World War, people worldwide were wary of the effects of nuclear fallout; a comparison that Rachel Carson drew in order to drive home the severity of the impact that chemicals have on the natural environment. Carson's book, Silent Spring, published in 1962, is largely credited as inciting contemporary environmentalism; it scared citizens, it infuriated corporations, and ultimately, it served its purpose. The book and its contents functioned as a mediator between the masses, the concerns they were facing in the environment, and the rapid expansion of technology after the war. It created a space which allowed people to voice their concerns, and demanded responsibility be taken by the corporations which had caused them. Rachel Carson's work was jarring and novel for its time, but most importantly, it set the stage for environmental media of all types to come.
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