Thoreau and Environmentalism: Then and NowFor two years beginning in 1845, Henry Thoreau lived in the Walden Woods where he wrote the book that made him one of America's first environmentalists. Although coming from a time when environmental conservation was far from a concern of most people, Thoreau was ahead of his time in his respect and admiration of nature. Nearly two hundred years later, environmentalism is a still-present issue in today's society because we have seemingly failed to heed Thoreau's warning. This essay will examine how Thoreau would respond to modern day environmental issues. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay Environmentalism was not a major concern for most people in the early 19th century. The 1800s were a period of expansion across the country, fueled by the United States' newly adopted idea of ​​manifest destiny, although it was environmentally damaging. While some worked to protect the environment, such as Benjamin Franklin's fight to end waste dumping in 1739, it was not until 1863 that the first environmental laws, the British Alkali Acts, were passed. adopted. (Feel Friendly) Modern environmentalism did not begin to take shape until a century later, when the United States created the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970 and the term "global warming" was coined. invented. In Thoreau's time, the majority of the population did not think about preserving nature. Through his work at Walden, it is evident that Thoreau cared deeply about nature. In the section titled "Spring", he states that "we need the tonic of wilderness", describing it as "indefinitely wild, unstudied and unsearched by us because unfathomable". Although optimistic about nature, Thoreau recognizes the pressure humans place on nature, that creatures are "serenely crushed like pulp," and urges us to heed the "[rain] of flesh and blood » (Thoreau, Walden). Thoreau was ahead of his time in environmentalism and left a resounding impact on the future of conservation. Thoreau's work paved the way for contemporary environmentalism. His writings and ideas about nature have influenced countless environmentalists, and he is widely considered the "father of this century's environmental movement" (Bowdoin). Richard B. Primack's book, Walden Warming: Climate Change Comes to Thoreau's Woods, examines climate change by tracking changes occurring in the Walden Woods. Primack compels his audience to reduce our impact on the environment by “living simply and wisely,” as Thoreau himself described it (Primack). In studying his impact on modern environmentalism, it is clear that Thoreau was not only an early environmentalist, but also an icon with a decisive influence on climate change as we see it today. If Thoreau were alive today, how would he play into environmentalism? ? With increased industrialization and deforestation, the condition of the wilderness has changed significantly since Thoreau's time. At the time of Thoreau's death in the 1860s, cumulative levels of deforestation stood at 0.8 billion hectares (1 hectare = 100 acres) worldwide, and since 2010 these figures have reached 1.8 billion hectares. hectares in the world (Williams). The ozone layer has been significantly depleted since the 1980s, and most.”