It is said that those who fail to heed the past are condemned to repeat it. Environmental challenges that face Americans and the rest of the world today can indeed be compared to those of Easter Island and the Mayans. Thankfully, I do not believe we are on the same course as either of the two past failed civilizations. Modern societies have progressed and matured to the point that falling victim to creeping normalcy unto our doom is highly unlikely. American's, specifically from the 1960's to the present, have enacted legislation and supported non-governmental organizations specifically dedicated to the environmental protection of our country and the world. American environmental history will prove that the road the Mayans and Easter Island natives took is one that modern society can and will turn away from. .
Evidence of American environmental change can best be exemplified as early as 1960 with the mass reduction of DDT use. The insecticide was used widely and indiscriminately for years until Rachel Carson's publication of the book Silent Spring in 1962 [Kline, 83]. Once the American public learned of the widespread devastation that DDT caused throughout the food chain it was banned from use on a state and finally federal level. Had the American government not reacted to the evidence provided by Silent Spring certain wildlife populations could have been wiped out entirely. Environmental activism significantly increased during the 60's on the individual level too. The Sierra Club became much more publicly visible and active. Magazines, newsletters, books, and technical journals devoted specifically to environmental issues began rising in popularity. .
For the first time, television was used to bring public attention to the environment [Kline, 87]. Environmental landmarks in the form of legislation were nearly commonplace between 1960 and 1975. The US government passed the Air Quality Act of 1967, the Environmental Protection Act of 1970, the Clean Air Act of 1970, the Clean Water Act of 1972, and the Endangered Species Act of 1973 [Morris, 4/17/13].
