Timeline of Environmentalism

A timeline of major actions in the environmental movement.

Pre-1900s

• 30th Century BCE: The Indus River Valley Civilization begins recognising the effects of pollution on human health and practiced waste management and sanitation.
• 6th Century BCE: The Athenian Polis votes to protect nearby hills and mountains around Athens from deforestation and overgrazing as possibly the first acts of environmental protection in history.
• 1306: Coal burning is banned in England to prevent air pollution.
• 1730: Villagers in Bishnoi, India save a forest from state-sanctioned deforestation.

1900s

• 1936: The CNT oversees green projects in Revolutionary Spain, including the construction of greenhouses, reforestation, permaculture and the shutting down of polluting metal factories.
• 1957: Canadian women save the Wolseley Elm in Winnipeg.

1970s

• 1971: The four-year long Green Ban movement begins across Australia, where construction workers refuse to work on projects harmful to the environment or local communities.
• 1975: Greenpeace forces all countries except Iceland, Norway and Japan to stop whaling.
• 1976: The Franklin River Campaign begins in Tasmania, Australia to block the construction of a destructive dam. It is highly successful over its 7-year run.
• 1977: The Xapuri Forest Campaign begins in Brazil, as timber workers attempt to protect forests from deforestation and gain better working conditions.
• 1978: Residents of Emelle, Alabama, USA attempt to stop the construction of a hazardous waste landfill.
• 1979: The Alta River Campaign begins the Arctic Region of Norway as indigenous Saami and environmentalists stop the construction of a dam.

1980s

• 1980: Earth First! is founded to stop environmental destruction across the world via direct action.
• 1982: The Itoiz Ecovillages are founded in rural Spain, to show the world what a sustainable society might look like.
• 1983: The Appiko Forest Campaign begins in India, as people try to nonviolently stop deforestation.
• 1983: Environmentalists successfully block the destruction of the Daintree Rainforest in Queensland, Australia.
• 1984: The Danube River Campaign blocks the construction of the Danube Dam in Hungary.
• 1985: The Narmada River Campaign attempts to block the construction of the Sardar Sarovar dam in India.
• 1986: Greenpeace begins a campaign for a global ban of CFCs.
• 1987: Environmentalists successfully block the destruction of the forests in the Bukidnon region in the Philippines.
• 1987: The Phosphorite War begins in Estonia, leading to a complete ban on Phosophorite Mining and the downfall of the 'socialist' government.
• 1988: Rainforest Action Groups boycott Malaysian rainforest timber across Australia.
• 1988: The Federation of Community Forest Users is established in Nepal and India, over the coming years it will have great success in regenerating forests.
• 1989: Indigenous people in Ecuador protect land from oil drilling.
• 1989: Residents of Diamond, California, USA force Shell to close their refinery.

1990s

• 1990: Ogoni people struggle against Shell Oil in Nigeria.
• 1991: The ten-year long Mun River Campaign in Thailand begins as environmentalists protest the construction of destructive dams.
• 1991: Indigenous Cree in Canada protect Lubicon land from deforestation.
• 1992: The Earth Liberation Front is founded in Brighton, England to use direct action and guerilla warfare to defend natural ecosystems.
• 1993: Canadian environmentalists protect the Clayoquot Sound Forest from deforestation.
• 1994: The Zapatista Revolution and resulting Chiapas Conflict have strong elements of environmentalism among indigenous participants, notably the EZLN.
• 1994: Greenpeace leads the Great Bear Rainforest Campaign in Canada.
• 1995: The Battle of Brightlingsea ends live-animal exports from the towns port in the UK.
• 1995: The Junin Anti-Mine Movement begins, a 12-year long campaign to protect a community in Ecuador from mining.
• 1995: The Cascadia Free State is built to protect forests in Washington, USA
• 1995: Indigenous Nuxalk in Canada protect the Itsa Forest from deforestation.
• 1995: Indigenous U'was in Colombia protect traditional lands from oil drilling.
• 1995: The Global Ecovillage Network is founded following a conference in Scotland.
• 1996: Indigenous Sarayaku in Ecuador protect 200,000 hectares of land from oil drilling.
• 1997: The CIPO-RFM is founded to protect indigenous Mexican community's, including the destruction of environmentally destructive projects.
• 1998: The Green Belt Movement protects the Karura Forest in Nairobi, Kenya.
• 1998: The Minnehaha Free State is built to protect forests and indigenous land from highway construction.
• 1998: Rainforest Action Network gets Home Depot to reduce its use old-growth lumber in its products.
• 1999: Talamancan residents stop the drilling of oil in a region of Costa Rica.

2000s

• 2000: The Jökla River Campaign begins in Iceland as environmentalists resist the construction of a dam and aluminum smelting plant.
• 2000: Greenpeace pressures Coca-Cola to phase out HFC refrigeration for Olympic Games in Australia.
• 2001: Can Masdeu is founded as a squat in Barcelona, Spain to raise awareness around climate change.
• 2001: The Plachimada Campaign begins as citizens close a coca-cola factory.
• 2002: The Esquel Anti-Mine Movement begins as citizens in Argentina stop the construction of a new gold mine.
• 2002: The Rosia Montana Anti-Mine Movement begins as citizens in Romania attempt to stop the construction of a new cyanide mine over 11 years.
• 2002: Indigenous Asubpeeschoseewagon in Canada blockade the Grassy Narrows territory to stop it from logging.
• 2002: English residents and environmentalists prevent Heathrow Airport expansion.
• 2004: Canadian environmentalists protect the Cathedral Grove forest remnants in British Columbia.
• 2005: Environmentalists in Sofia, Bulgaria close a polluting landfill.
• 2005: Argentinians block the construction of environmentally destructive paper mills along the Uruguay River.
• 2005: Indigenous Sakhalin's in Russia stop the construction of new oil drilling sites.
• 2005: Greenpeace and Sea Shepards force Japanese seafood company Nissui to sell stakes in Whale hunting ships.
• 2006: Cayman Islanders attempt to close dolphin parks and stop the import of dolphins to the country.
• 2006: The Oaxaca and Zaachila Revolutions in Mexico are informed strongly by environmentalism.
• 2006: Indigenous Bangladeshis manage to halt the construction of a coal mine.
• 2006: South Korean environmentalists protect Gyeyang Mountain against golf course development.
• 2007: Indigenous Algonquins try to block uranium mining in Ontario, Canada.
• 2007: Environmentalists in Xiamen, China stop the construction of a chemical factory.
• 2007: The Mabira Forest Campaign saves the Mabira Forest in Uganda.
• 2007: Environmentalists prevent construction of coal-fired power plant in Kingsnorth, UK.
• 2008: Protests across Greece stop the construction of five new coal-fired plants across the country.
• 2008: Indigenous Peruvians strike to protect the rainforests.
• 2008: Greenpeace forces Unilever to stop buying palm oil products from Indonesia.
• 2008: Professor G.D. Agarwal holds several hunger strikes to stop the construction of dams along the Ganges River in India.
• 2008: Students in Chengdu, China begin a campaign to stop the construction of a petrochemical plant.
• 2008: The Xingu River Campaign begins as indigenous Brazilians attempt to protect the Xingu River from damming.
• 2009: Unist'ot'en is founded by indigenous Americans in so called 'British Columbia, Canada' to protect forests from oil development.
• 2009: Canadian environmentalists campaign against seal hunting and manage to block it in several countries.
• 2009: Anishinaabe Kweag in Canada protect the Alliston Aquifer from a waste dump.
• 2009: Environmentalists in Guangzhou, China stop the construction of a polluting rubbish incinerator.
• 2009: Greenpeace protects Indonesian forests against Asia Pulp and Paper.

2010s

• 2010: Ruin Academy is squatted in Taipei, Taiwan to research ecological cities.
• 2010: National Parks in New Zealand are protected from mining.
• 2010: The Las Crucitas Anti-Mine Movement begins as citizens in Costa Rica work to stop the construction of a new a gold mine.
• 2010: The Florida Keys Environmental Coalition in the USA acts to clean up and protect against oil spills.
• 2010: The Casco Viejo Campaign in Panama sees citizens try to stop environmentally destructive developments.
• 2010: Indian farmers and fishermen stop the construction of the Nagarjuna coal plant in Sompeta, Andhra Pradesh.
• 2010: Sri Lankan fishermen stop building of seaplane platform in Negombo Lagoon.
• 2010: Veterinarians in Sri Lanka strike for better treatment of elephants.
• 2010: The Khimki Forest Campaign begins as citizens in Russia attempt to stop deforestation.
• 2010: The Enbridge Anti-Oil Campaign begins in Canada.
• 2011: African fishermen and Greenpeace win better international fishing practices.
• 2011: The Cherán Revolution is partially inspired by efforts to protect local forests from deforestation.
• 2011: The Puna Anti-Mine Movement begins as citizens in Peru stop the construction of a new silver mine.
• 2011: The Cajamarca Anti-Mine Movement begins as citizens in Peru work to stop the construction of a new gold mine.
• 2011: Environmentalists in Dalian, China force the closure and moving of a chemical factory.
• 2011: Environmentalists in Haining, China close a solar power plant over pollution issues.
• 2011: Isiboro Secure Park is defended from destruction by armed indigenous militants in La Paz, Bolivia.
• 2012: University students and staff get Vanderbilt University to stop investing in third world land-grabbing.
• 2012: Greenpeace stops Shell Oil drilling in the Arctic Ocean around Russia.
• 2012: Polish beekeepers get the government to ban genetically modified corn, leading to bans in other EU countries.
• 2012: Students in Shifang, China stop the construction of a copper factory.
• 2012: The Rojava Revolution is deeply influenced by environmentalism.
• 2012: Greenpeace stops the construction of the Prirazlomnaya oil drilling site at an Arctic site in Russia.
• 2012: Sea Shepards protect Antarctic whales from Japanese whalers.
• 2012: Environmentalists and students in Ningbo, China stop the construction of an oil refinery.
• 2013: University students and staff get the University of Hawaii to stop investing in fossil fuels.
• 2013: The Gezi Park Uprising attempts to protect city parks and rural forests in Turkey from destruction.
• 2013: The Sarasota Bay Campaign protects Sarasota Bay from destruction by a hotel company in Manatee County, Florida, USA.
• 2013: The Mi'kmaq Uprising protects traditional land from oil drilling.
• 2013: University students and staff get the University of Glasgow to stop investing in fossil fuels.
• 2013: The Barton Moss Community Protection Camp is built to stop fracking in the UK.
• 2014: Environmentalists in Pungesti, Romania block the construction of fracking sites near the town.
• 2015: University students and staff get the University of London to stop investing in fossil fuels.
• 2015: University students and staff get the Trinity College to stop investing in fossil fuels.
• 2016: The 'Make Rojava Green Again' campaign begins to protect and restore the environment in Rojava.