History of Environmental Law

Modern environmental law emerged from public outcry over visible pollution. Rachel Carson's 1962 book 'Silent Spring' documented how DDT pesticide bioaccumulated through food chains, thinning raptor eggshells and silencing birdsong. The Cuyahoga River in Cleveland caught fire in 1969—the thirteenth time industrial pollution had ignited the waterway. These events catalyzed the environmental movement: the first Earth Day in 1970 drew 20 million Americans to rallies, and Congress responded with an unprecedented burst of legislation. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA, 1970) established the requirement for environmental impact statements on major federal actions, creating the foundation for all subsequent environmental law.