From Preserving Nature, to Saving the Planet

I swear by the New York Times for general news, but particularly for the Book Review. Really interesting podcast here: http://papercuts.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/07/book-review-podcast-theodore-roosevelt-wilderness-warrior/

Jonathan Rosen reviews Douglass Brinkley’s biography of Theodore Roosevelt, Wilderness Warrior. As a history minor and lover of biographies and historical fiction, this book is definitely going on my TBR list (although it is 900 pages long- so it might be a while). Rosen describes Roosevelt’s largely unpopular campaign to preserve the United States’ forests during a time of economic instability, 1907, which met heavy opposition from big industries dependent upon natural resources provided by the Grand Canyon and other wildlife refugees created by the president. Roosevelt was finally able to successfully carry out legislation to create these preserves through the support of his fellow elitist gentlemen hunters. While their motivation may have been self-serving, Roosevelt’s concern for nature seems truly ahead of his time, for it is rather uncommon for a president to put environmental issues at the front of his agenda, particularly during rough economic times.

I am constantly searching for parallels between today and the past, and notice more and more how little seems to change over the years. Roosevelt’s wilderness conservation “crusade” seems to bear an eerie resemblance to the struggles the contemporary administration faces in mitigating the complex climate crisis. The main aberration between the two scenarios is the gravity of the situation the world finds itself in today. Despite frightening proof of the devastating, and proliferating consequences of climate change, the imminent climate change legislation still faces bonified resistance, especially from the sneaky members of the lobbying firm, Bonner & Associates ( http://www.huffingtonpost.com/pete-altman/climate-bill-scams-exposi_b_249081.html ). Apparently, there will always be selfish creeps out there, trying to sabotage progressive legislation. Fortunately, I perceive that climate change is becoming more ingrained in this country’s rhetoric, which will with hope, facilitate the course of necessary change.