Cleaning a thousand waste-waters:

Abstract

Environmental history has made the relationship between man and nature the object of historical research, one major theme of which is the development of environmental protection. In analysing environmental protection, the key issues are the changes in nature caused by man. The emergence of the problems and their solutions result from man's knowledge of the function of the eco-systems and his choices of values. Water supply and sewerage were long considered to be merely technical and economic matters in urban centres, until the ill effects of water pollution forced us to see how these issues were connected to our health. In the late 1940s, water began to be considered as a natural resource indispensable to humankind. Water became an international social issue, and this strengthened demands in the industrialised and urbanised countries in the northern hemisphere to reduce water pollution. Using a Finnish example, this paper studies the process by which knowledge of the condition of water resources made people gradually aware of the problem, how they began to exercise influence and to act, which in turn eventually led to an improvement in the aquatic environment.

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For many useful comments, thanks are due to Marjatta Rahikainen, Riitta Hjerppe and Yrjo Kaukiainen and the anonymous referees.

For many useful comments, thanks are due to Marjatta Rahikainen, Riitta Hjerppe and Yrjo Kaukiainen and the anonymous referees.

Notes

For many useful comments, thanks are due to Marjatta Rahikainen, Riitta Hjerppe and Yrjo Kaukiainen and the anonymous referees.