doi: 10.18178/ijssh.2025.15.5.1261
Environmental Conservation in Early 20th-Century America: A Perspective from Oil Development
Miao Zhang
- Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics, Kanazawa Seiryo University, Kanazawa, Japan
- Manuscript received June 20, 2025
- accepted August 4, 2025
- published October 23, 2025
Abstract
This paper examines the historical relationship between oil development and environmental conservation in early 20th-century America, with a particular focus on the tensions between rapid industrial growth and emerging conservationist thought. Drawing on case studies from Venice and Huntington Beach in California, it analyzes how local communities, municipal governments, and federal authorities responded to the environmental consequences of oil development. The study explores the development of conservationist ideologies, such as Gifford Pinchot’s “wise use” principle and Theodore Roosevelt’s national conservation policy, and traces their influence on early regulatory frameworks. Through an interdisciplinary review of historiography, legal structures, and policy responses, the paper highlights how environmental conservation evolved from forest and water management to encompass urban and coastal environments affected by oil activities. It argues that sustainable environmental governance in this period was shaped not only by top-down initiatives but also by civic engagement, local resistance, and democratic institutions. Ultimately, the study suggests that the lessons from early 20th-century America-particularly the integration of science, public participation, and institutional reform-remain highly relevant for contemporary environmental policy-making.
Keywords
- oil development
- environmental conservation
- early 20th-century America
- conservation policy
- urban environmental history
How to Cite
Miao Zhang, "Environmental Conservation in Early 20th-Century America: A Perspective from Oil Development," International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, vol. 15, no. 5, pp. 177-183, 2025. https://doi.org/ 10.18178/ijssh.2025.15.5.1261
Copyright & License
Copyright © 2025 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).