environmentalist

views updated Jun 11 2018

en·vi·ron·men·tal·ist / enˌvīrənˈmen(t)l-ist; -ˌvī(ə)rn-/ • n. 1. a person who is concerned with or advocates the protection of the environment.2. a person who considers that environment, as opposed to heredity, has the primary influence on the development of a person or group.DERIVATIVES: en·vi·ron·men·tal·ism n.

environmentalist

views updated May 11 2018

environmentalist
1. One who holds that damage to the natural environment resulting directly from human activity is so severe as to present a challenge to the survival of many habitats and ultimately perhaps to the continuance of life on Earth, and can be redressed only by major reforms of the way people live and industries function.

2. One who holds that the environment exerts a more important role than heredity in determining the characteristics of individuals (i.e. favouring nurture in the debate over the relative contributions of nature and nurture).

About this article

environmentalist

All Sources -
Updated Aug 08 2016 About encyclopedia.com content Print Topic