ed in the nineteenth century. These groups lobbied Congress for wildlife preserves and helped form many national parks in the United States that are still present today.The first political era which showed a shift in American attitudes toward environmental management was the 1960s. In the next few decades, new environmental organizations were formed such as Friends of the Earth (FoE), Greenpeace, and the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC). The new organizations helped to form and promote the first Earth Day in 1970.Since 1950, world trade has increased twelve fold, while global wealth only five times (Goldsmith, 91). Although there has been an increase in global wealth, there has also been an enlargement in the amount of poverty, unemployment, social disintegration, and environmental destruction. This is proof that free trade is not successfully accomplishing the goals it was intended for and causing more harm than before. Liberal trading was designed to improve our standard of living, yet, as noted on page 219 of Free Trade: the Great Destroyer, they have been decreasing in the United States since 1980. The environment is our greatest wealth and we cant afford to lose it.Environmental policies and free trade are very different in aspects such as institutional structure, rules, and norms. These differences suggest a good deal of conflict, yet their similarities indicate a pattern for their intersection because they are both based on cooperation. On the negative side, cooperation at the international level slows policy making. However, emphasis on cooperation creates tension over national supremacy. Free trade is based on the belief that economic growth presents the greatest opportunity for expanding social welfare. However, natural limits can place bounds on the amount of human activity.As mentioned previously, free trade is not the answer for our global concerns. There will always be a society where some have more ...
