> In the late 1980s, or maybe the early 1990s, the Economist argued
> that environmental consciousness rises late in long booms and recedes
> in recessions. They pointed to the 1960s and the 1980s as examples.
This is also the thesis of "Fluctuating Fortunes," by Berkeley political scientist David Vogel. He talks about not just environmental but other kinds of business regulation too.
Seth