NEWS, OPINION + ANALYSIS
ENVIRONMENT
Fifty years ago experts doubted Americans would pay to save the environment. Only some of their fears are still true
“I’m still pinching myself. I can’t believe it happened.” ▸ P.64
IN 1972, NEWSWEEK PUBLISHED A COVER story warning the world about the need to clean up the Earth. A little more than 50 years later, some of those warnings are still being issued—and ignored.
When the article was first published on June 12, 1972, the environment was at the top of many Americans’ minds. The Environmental Protection Agency was not yet two years old, the third Earth Day had just been celebrated, and a slew of federal policies with promises to protect the environment were beginning to take hold. What came next was decades of progress chartered by those early labors.
President Joe Biden has a lofty aspiration of reducing U.S. emissions by up to 52 percent in 2030, achieving a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035 and a net zero emissions economy by 2050.
However, some experts argue that Biden’s goals are only that—aspirational—and that more change is needed if the U.S. hopes to make a real difference.
Some Prioritize Sustainability
A half century ago, experts doubted Americans would be willing to pay more money and disrupt their lives to help save the planet, according to the 1972 Newsweek report. They also wondered if company sustainability efforts would help build brand loyalty.
“Yet even with environmentalism an established fact of American life, many experts are beginning to wonder just how far the public—not business or government—is willing to go,” the Newsweek report said. “For whether he likes the notion or not, the consumer will pay the lion’s share of the tab for a cleaner environment, either in higher prices, higher taxes or—more likely—both.”
Time has shown that they needn’t have worried on either front: modern Americans are more than willing to change their ways to save the environment.
In 2021, a study conducted by Simon-Kucher & Partners examined purchasing patterns among 10,000 people in 17 countries and found that 85 percent of people have changed their purchase patterns to more sustainable options. In the U.S., the study found that 61 percent of Americans felt that sustainability was an important factor when deciding where to purchase goods, but that number dropped when it came to spending money. According to the research, despite their good intentions, only 34 percent of people surveyed spent more money on a sustainable product.
