Alexander von Humboldt and the Birth of European Environmentalism

Europeans first began to seriously express concerns about environmental damage between the second half of the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century. Often, it was the natural scientists sent by European kingdoms to their colonies on other continents who raised concerns about the excessive exploitation of the environment. At that time, Europeans viewed other continents as vast reservoirs of resources to be exploited for their own benefit, completely disregarding the needs of indigenous populations as well as those of local ecosystems.

Among the natural scientists, the German philosopher and explorer Alexander von Humboldt deserves a special place. He was one of the first scientists to guess the connection between human activity and environmental degradation and to warn against the depletion of natural resources. During his explorations, when he arrived at Lake Valencia in Venezuela, he was informed about the lowering of the water level of the lake by the worried local inhabitants. He soon realized that deforestation, carried out to create more arable land, was the cause. The massive cutting of trees left the soil unprotected, increasing evaporation and ultimately leading to the lake’s drainage.

Humboldt was instrumental in raising awareness within the scientific community about the dangers of environmental degradation caused by human activity. Undoubtedly, he played a key role in the birth of European environmentalism. Several scientists followed in his footsteps, successfully encouraging European kingdoms to make new laws to protect the environment in their colonies.

More than two centuries ago, Alexander von Humboldt understood that climate change also had a human component, highlighting the need for us to avoid the overexploitation of natural resources. Seen from today’s perspective, unfortunately, Humboldt’s warnings fell on deaf ears. Nowadays, humans continue to exploit the environment relentlessly. The 2015 Paris Agreement, which aimed to limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, seems like a worthless piece of paper.

Worryingly, in 2024, this limit has already been exceeded. According to Copernicus, the European Commission’s programme to monitor climate change,

2024 was the first year with global temperature more than 1.5°C above the pre-industrial level; 11 months of the year saw the global-average surface air temperature above this threshold. The combined average temperature for 2023 and 2024 is 1.54°C above the pre-industrial level. [1]

Today more than ever, following the example of Alexander von Humboldt, scientists, Europeans and not, should campaign against the massive exploitation of the environment. And we citizens of the world should stand with them. Especially we, the citizens. Rulers need to understand that agreements must finally be put into place.

[1] https://climate.copernicus.eu/global-climate-highlights-2024#:~:text=2024%20had%20a%20global%20average,%C2%B0C%20above%20that%20level.

Sources:

Wulf A., The Invention of Nature: The Adventures of Alexander von Humboldt, the Lost Hero of Science. London: John Murray, 2015.

Grove R., Green Imperialism: Colonial Expansion, Tropical Island Edens and the Origins of Environmentalism, 1600-1860. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995.

Casetta E., Filosofia dell'ambiente. Bologna: il Mulino, 2023.

Picture from Wikipedia