Examkin

Question

Difficulty: EasyDebates about the Environment after 1900

Source: Wangari Maathai, Kenyan environmentalist and founder of the Green Belt Movement, Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, 2004.

"In Kenya, the Green Belt Movement was born out of a desire to address the basic needs of rural women. They reported that their streams were drying up, their food supply was less secure, and they had to walk further and further to get firewood... We came to understand that environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict are intimately related. Tree planting became a natural choice to address some of the initial basic needs. It was simple, attainable, and guaranteed quick, successful results."

The efforts described in the passage most directly reflect which of the following developments in the late twentieth century?

  1. The growth of grassroots environmental movements in response to resource depletion and habitat lossAnswer
  2. B
    The success of the Green Revolution in establishing eco-friendly, chemical-free farming methods
  3. C
    The complete homogenization of global culture under Western ecological standards
  4. D
    The revival of mercantilist economic policies to regulate imperial resource extraction

Answer

The growth of grassroots environmental movements in response to resource depletion and habitat loss
The correct answer is correct because the Green Belt Movement, founded in Kenya in 1977, is a prominent example of a grassroots environmental movement in the late twentieth century. It mobilized local populations, particularly rural women, to plant trees to combat deforestation, soil erosion, and water scarcity, illustrating how modern environmentalism developed in response to severe resource depletion.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the main focus of the passage.
The text describes Wangari Maathai's Green Belt Movement planting trees in Kenya to address environmental issues like drying streams and firewood scarcity.
Understanding the source's content is necessary to connect it to broader historical trends.
2
Contextualize the movement within late twentieth-century global history.
The Green Belt Movement (founded in 1977) represents local, community-driven responses to ecological problems.
This places the local Kenyan event into the global context of debates about the environment and sustainability after 1900.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the trend that matches this context.
The option referring to the growth of grassroots environmental movements directly matches the movement's nature and goals.
Grassroots environmentalism emerged globally in the late 1900s to counter resource depletion, which aligns perfectly with Maathai's description.

Key Concept

Grassroots environmental movements and resource conservation after 1900
Rate this question

Topics

Debates about the Environment after 1900

More questions from this topic