SOCIOLOGY PROJECT

ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENTS

SUBMITTED BY-
POONAM(ba llb, 1st year)

SUBMITTED TO-
PROF. DEEPSHIKHA AGARWAL

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SIGNIFICANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENTS

Much of the conversation about environmental conservation started in the 19th century. A new
sense of respect and acknowledgment towards nature began among masses. A grave need to
protect it and conserve it for future generations arose. This was due to the fact how much both
the wars have destroyed the resources and lead to dramatic increase in pollution levels with the
onset of industrial revolutions. All these presented an emergency in dialogues and conventions
for putting a cap on this damage to the environment. The latest quintessential of such dialogues
is cop 27 which deliberated over putting a ceiling on temperature rise to 2 degree celsius.

For organisms to coexist in a healthy environment it further emphasizes on the importance of

conserving the planet. With the growth of human civilization and augmentation of amenities
such as construction of roadways, highways, buildings and development of technologies all these
was ominous for the environment and species coexisting with humans. Owing to increased use of
chemicals and diluting the air, water bodies and land inflicting harm to people and animals.
The objective of protection and enhancement of the environment often gave rise to a boarder
concern for the long run variability of the physical and biological world upon which sustained
human institutions.

At the same time, in 1970 a growing concern echoed was, exhaustion of existing resources.
The environmental movement began in the late 1950s and early 1960 which chiefly pivoted
around public land management. The wilderness act of 1964 created a national system of
wilderness areas and in 1968 acts were passed that provided for national systems for hiking trails
and wild and scenic rivers. All these activities lead to the uprising of the environmental
movement in the 1970s. Concerns about pesticides and degradation of groundwater arose in the
same period.
Throughout the 1970s environmental affairs took an international scope. Environmental
problems increasingly appeared to be transnational and global. These popular demands lead to
formulation of legislation for environmental conservation. Sever environmentalists hired
advocates on behalf of environmental objectives, seeking to restrict the degradation. The court
gave standing to individuals to protect their environmental rights and many laws provided that
citizens can sue to enforce them.

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MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENTS

★CHIPKO MOVEMENT-

Chandi Prasad Bhatt, said that it wasn’t necessary to do, but the mere threat was enough. The
concept of hugging trees was proved to be so powerful that it lead such a great wave of
awareness in the nation to protect the environment.
When we deliberate over chipko, the first image that comes to mind is of poor village ladies
hugging the tree saving them from being cut down by contractors, threatening their own lives. It
is a movement of women trying to protect their environment with a message to loggers: “Our
bodies before our trees.

The first battle took place in early 1973 in Chamoli District, when the villagers of Mandal, led by
Bhatt and the Dasholi Gram Swarajya Mandal, prevented the Allahabad - based sports good
company Symonds, from felling 14 trees into ashes. In 1974, the forest department marked trees
for felling in the Peng Murenda forest, near Reni village in Joshimath block, badly affected by
the massive Alaknanda flood of 1970. but the Reni women drove out t . Ihe contractor's laborers
on March 26, 1974. This was a turning point for Chipko, as it marked the first time that the
initiative by women, especially when their menfolk were not around.

IMPACT OF CHIPKO MOVEMENT

The transformation of Chipko from a struggle to control local resource use to a national
movement was influenced heavily by a growing global environmental concern. Chipko began
independent of global environmental consciousness, but in interacting with the rest of the world,
Chipko assumed a deep conservationist bearing.

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★ BISHNOI MOVEMENT

This movement occurred in the 1700s in Khejarli, Marwar region, Rajasthan state. The chief
objective of this movement was to prevent trees from being cut down by the king's soldiers for a
new palace. Bishnoi people, habitating in Rajasthan, have for centuries preserved flora and
fauna. They were notorious for nature loving people, protection of the environment, wildlife, and
plants is a part and parcel of their sacred tradition.

In the 15th century, a resident of the village, Jambhoji, had a vision that something gravely
ominous will occur if we keep altering the nature. Thereafter he became a sanyasi and was
known as Swami Jambeshwar Maharaj. He laid down 29 tenets for his followers which included
Jeev Daya Palan. Do not cut green trees. Nature protection was given foremost importance in
these tenets.
The Maharaja Abhay Singh of Jodhpur wanted to build a new palace and required wood for it.
To procure wood for the same his men went to the area around the village of jalnadi to fell the
trees. When Amrita Devi was aware of this she rushed to prevent it by hugging a tree but the axe
struck on her head and she died on spot. People from 83 surrounding villages rushed to prevent
the men from felling the trees and by the end of the day more than 363 had lost their lives.
The king felt remorseful and apologized and promised to never ask for timber from them, no
khejri tree would be cut and hunting would be banned near the Bishnoi villages. The village of
Jalnadi thus came to be called Khejarl. The Bishnois will go to any extent to protect the wildlife
and the forests around them.

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