Lawyer-scientist-based organizations like the Environmental Defense Fund, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund became major litigators fighting against a wide array of environmental issues including toxicity, pesticide hazards, and protecting sperm whales. Alternative groups also began forming during this time period. These groups took a more direct approach and used strategies like protest, civil disobedience, and even violence to further their agenda and "protect the Earth ". I doubt that the people of Easter Island or the Mayans had groups advocating environmental protection to such a degree. .
Evidence that the peoples of modern society are learning from past mistakes between the years of 1975-1995 should begin with the antinuclear movement. The nuclear emergency at Three Mile Island on March 28, 1979 was eventually averted but remains a good example. Direct-action groups such as the Abalone Alliance, Mothers for Peace, and Mobilization for Survival began to attract a great deal of attention to the issue of nuclear power's potential danger [Kline, 102]. Since then, construction of new nuclear power plants has been severely limited comparatively. Another large step towards environmental protection that occurred between 1975 and 1995 is the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency. It oversaw many new environmental laws and continues to do so today. It was sorely needed at the time; many environmental issues were plaguing the country, especially toxic waste issues. Prior to 1980 the US government had no way to deal with toxic waste dumps caused by emergency of leftover from careless business practices. With the passing of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, better known as Superfund, the government had financing to clean up these waste sites as well as pursue the parties responsible through legal means [Kline, 109].