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Since the birth of the environmental movement in the 1960s, activists have branched off to follow a variety of paths, each with its preferred methods of action. In recent years, the focus has largely been on personal actions, things each individual can do to help the planet, and and encourage political regulation. Some environmentalists, however, have taken a different, more aggressive, approach that involves direct confrontation with polluters, developers, and anyone else believed to be harming the environment.
Eco-terrorism, as it has become known in the mainstream, has its roots in the first days of the environmental movement. As early as the 1970s, a band of animal activists in the United Kingdom formed a group they called the Animal Liberation Front, or ALF. The group, which to this day remains a leaderless band of covert cells, established a network they compared to the Underground Railroad in which freed animals could be taken to safe houses, shelters, and find veterinary care.
ALF also targeted butcher shops, circuses, slaughterhouses, and other establishments thought to commit acts of cruelty against animals. These acts of vandalism were never directed towards humans, and us such were considered "non-violent" by ALF, but caused an estimated £250,000 of damages in the group's first year of operation.
If "eco-terrorism" was born of the early actions of ALF, it came of age in the 1990s during the campaigns of the Earth Liberation Front, or ELF. Borrowing the structure and some of the resources from ALF, the ELF has become known as a younger sister organization of the former.
Officially founded in the United Kingdom in 1992, the group had spread throughout Europe by 1994 and is now known to be active in 17 countries. The stated goal of ELF is to wage "economic sabotage and guerrilla warfare to stop the exploitation and destruction of the environment." The group's most notable attacks have used arson, including one that caused significant damage to the Vail ski resort in 1999 and another, in 2003, that caused and estimated $50 million in damages to a condominium complex. These actions led the FBI to classify the group "the top domestic terror threat" and earned them the official label of "eco-terrorists."
But What is Eco-Terrorism?
The FBI and most of the mainstream media refers to groups like ALF and ELF as "eco-terrorists." In this sense, the term describes a person or group committing acts of terrorism in the name of the environment.
Many environmental activists, notably Paul Watson of Sea Shepherd, have a different understanding of the term. They believe that eco-terrorists are those committing acts of destruction against the environment.
Obviously, your understanding of the term depends on your opinion and convictions. Whichever side you fall on, there is something to learn from the actions of groups like ALF and ELF but the jury is still out on the final meaning of their lesson.
Find out more about the balance between taking action and eco-terrorism on Focus Earth: June 27, 2009: The Roots of Eco-Terrorism and Saving the Whales.
Watch this and other great video clips from Focus Earth in our video player.
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Let's Declare This July Fourth Interdependence Day!
How to Go Green: In the Community
How to Go Green: Why to Go Green
