A further look at the environment as a political issue

Changes in political commitment to environmental protection are described with reference to (1) content analysis of newspapers and periodicals, (2) public opinion and social survey data, (3) pressure group membership, and (4) new political institutions and environmental legislation. Various explanations for the rise and containment of the environmental movement are discussed. It is argued that containment has involved institutional adaptation to meet some of the less radical demands of the movement. Hence there has been, since the early 1970s, a continuing growth of environmental pressure groups involved in local and national planning issues. On the other hand, those groups that have remained anti‐establishment have fared less well. The de‐radicalization of the environmental movement has been accompanied by a fall‐off in political commitment to environmental protection.