Environmentalism in 1880

As the environmental movement looks towards the future, it can sometimes forget its past.
london fogLondon's fogs are famous, but they've also been deadly. Image by Myk Reeve
This series is an attempt to provide a bit of perspective on how the environmental movement got to where it is today. So far we’ve covered a 1306 coal ban in England, an Indian emperor dedicated to protecting wildlife in 250 B.C., environmentalism in the Roman Empire, Benjamin Franklin’s environmental impact, the massacre of a tribe of environmentalists in 1778 and the forestry management programs of the Japanese Edo period.

Today we’ll begin in London in 1880, where years of pollution were about to take a heavy toll.

If you recall the first article in the series you’ll remember that England had been dealing with the ill effects of coal pollution for centuries. In 1306 King Edward had even banned the burning of coal with little in the way of results.