The modern American environmental movement is four decades old . Movement began in the 1960s and was sanctioned in 1970 with creation of Earth Day . It has been a constant battle to protect our environment from pollution, overpopulation, global warming, etc. Nixon founded the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970 and signed a flurry of landmark environmental laws , including the Clean Air Act , the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act -- the vanguard of a new government ethic . Recent concerns over climate change have given new urgency to the movement .
The modern American environmental movement is four decades old . Movement began in the 1960s and was sanctioned in 1970 with creation of Earth Day . It has been a constant battle to protect our environment from pollution, overpopulation, global warming, etc. Recent concerns over climate change have given new urgency to the movement .