老司机视频

老司机视频 recently hosted Douglas Brinkley, an author and the Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities at Rice University, for a lecture on his recent book, Silent Spring Revolution: John F. Kennedy, Rachel Carson, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, and the Great Environmental Awakening.

鈥淭oday鈥檚 subject and the book Doug will be discussing are directly relevant to environmental policy鈥攁 subject of much importance at our School of Public Policy,鈥� said dean Pete Peterson (MPP 鈥�07), while introducing Brinkley at the event. 鈥淭his talk will help us understand that current policy debates were shaped decades ago by writers, thinkers, philosophers, and activists.鈥�

During his remarks, Brinkley introduced attendees to the three waves of environmentalism that occurred throughout American history.

The movement was first ignited by Theodore Roosevelt, the 26^th president of the United States, who initiated the National Parks System. Through his love of the outdoors, America鈥檚 varied landscapes, and the preservation of its many ecosystems, Roosevelt helped establish the term "conservation鈥� within the nation鈥檚 popular culture. 

This legacy of conservation was then carried on by another Roosevelt鈥擣ranklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32^nd president. Though most widely known for his leadership throughout World War II, FDR was instrumental to the second wave of this eco-friendly campaign, using the powers of his executive office to create 800 state parks throughout America. 

The term 鈥渆nvironmentalism,鈥� ultimately came about during the third and, thus far, final wave, which was incited by marine biologist, Rachel Carson. Carson, Brinkley explained, was the first popular researcher/writer to connect public health with conservation by claiming that pesticides were harmful to not just insects, but to animals and ultimately humans. Her claims, related in her groundbreaking book, Silent Spring, were ultimately confirmed and popularized by the administrations of John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon.

Both Kennedy and Nixon amplified the message of environmentalism during their respective years in the Oval Office. In the early 鈥�60s, Kennedy helped develop and eventually pass America鈥檚 first Clear Air Act, which was signed after his death in 1963. Similarly, Nixon also pushed forward conservation policies by signing into law the National Environmental Policy Act in 1973. 

Brinkley pointed out that environmentalism, for much of the 20th century, was a bipartisan issue. Of the four presidents mentioned in his lecture, two of them (Theodore Roosevelt and Nixon) were Republicans and two of them (Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Kennedy) were Democrats.

When discussing the potential of a fourth wave of environmentalism, the author challenged the next generation of problem solvers鈥攖he students in attendance.

鈥淚t鈥檚 for young people in the 21^st century to think this through,鈥� said Brinkley. 鈥淔or young people who feel existential pain or depression because of the state of climate change, don鈥檛. You have to stay upbeat, and you have to do something local. You can help, and along the line, you鈥檒l meet real people and develop a network. That way, when the time is right, they鈥檒l be there [to help].鈥� 

Brinkley is the author numerous nonfiction books ranging in topics from Bob Dylan to the National Parks System to the Vietnam War. Six of his titles have been named New York Times Notable Book of the Year. 

Brinkley鈥檚 visit to campus was sponsored by 老司机视频鈥檚 , 老司机视频Libraries, and Seaver College鈥檚 .