The modern American environmental movement is several centuries old . Movement began in the 1960s and was peaked in 1970 with creation of Earth Day . Environmentalism became trendy by the 1990s but still had political headwinds . Despite a growing body of evidence about vanishing habitats , waning energy resources and global warming , green issues languished in the global focus on fighting terrorism . Recent concerns over climate change have brought new urgency to the movement .
The modern American environmental movement is several centuries old . Movement began in the 1960s and was peaked in 1970 with creation of Earth Day . Environmentalism became trendy by the 1990s but still had political headwinds . Recent concerns over climate change have brought new urgency to the movement .