Timeline of Environmentalism

A timeline of major actions in the environmental movement.

Pre-1900s

• 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.

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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 1979: The Alta River Campaign begins the Arctic Region of Norway as indigenous Saami and environmentalists stop the construction of a dam.
• 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.
• 1984: The Danube River Campaign blocks the construction of the Danube Dam in Hungary.
• 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: Environmentalists successfully block the destruction of the Daintree Rainforest in Queensland, Australia.
• 1989: Indigenous people in Ecuador protect land from oil drilling.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 2001: Can Masdeu is founded as a squat in Barcelona, Spain to raise awareness around climate change.
• 2002: The Esqul 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.
• 2004: Canadian environmentalists protect the Cathedral Grove forest remnants in British Columbia.
• 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.
• 2006: South Korean environmentalists protect Gyeyang Mountain against golf course development.
• 2007: Indigenous Algonquins try to block uranium mining in Ontario, Canada.
• 2008: Indigenous Peruvians strike to protect the rainforests.
• 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.

2010s

• 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 Khimki Forest Campaign begins as citizens in Russia attempt to stop deforestation.
• 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: Isiboro Secure Park is defended from destruction by armed indigenous militants in La Paz, Bolivia.
• 2012: Students in Shifang, China stop the construction of a copper factory.
• 2012: The Rojava Revolution is deeply influenced by environmentalism.
• 2013: The Gezi Park Uprising attempts to protect city parks and rural forests in Turkey from destruction.
• 2013: The Mi'kmaq Uprising protects traditional land from oil drilling.
• 2016: The 'Make Rojava Green Again' campaign begins to protect and restore the environment in Rojava.