Abstract
This chapter approaches what is here defined as the age of green. The development of a collective environmental mindset is discussed as a response to human need for meaning and guidance. Building on the outcomes of historical and philosophical movements (e.g. French Revolution and the Enlightenment), a parallel is made between modern environmentalism and religious thought, with the age of green fulfilling a gap left by the decline of Christianism in the West. Beyond that, the philosophical roots of modern environmentalism are also broached, particularly addressing the work of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Likewise, the history of sustainability as a concept is revisited, mainly through the examination of the various efforts and conferences promoted by the United Nations since the 1970s. Finally, the chapter discusses the complex association between environmentalism and ideology, as well as the manifestations of the age of green in practice, notably in politics and consumption habits.
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Fracarolli Nunes, M., Lee Park, C. (2021). The Age of Green. In: Business Ethics and Environmental Fraud. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73800-6_4
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