Rumors of "The Death of Environmentalism" have not been greatly exaggerated
This report--really more of an essay--is currently making the enviro e-mail rounds: The Death of Environmentalism
Of course, few of us are going to have time to read this 37-page-long essay, so let me highlight some key points.
Thesis: ". . .the environmental community’s narrow definition of its self-interest leads to a kind of policy literalism that undermines its power."
Key point # 1: Environmentalists have gotten too wonky
". . . we are arguing that all proposals aimed at dealing with global warming. . .must be evaluated not only for whether they will get us the environmental protections we need but also whether they will define the debate, divide our opponents and build our political power over time. . . It is our contention that the strength of any given political proposal turns more on its vision for the future and the values it carries within it than on its technical policy specifications.[emphasis mine]"
Well, this social science major couldn't agree more. I think we need more global thinkers running the show. Of course, I also think that political philosophers should run the world (Rousseau in '08!), so you can take that any way you want.
Key point # 2: Environmentalists pigeonhole environmental concerns and reinforce the perception that they are a "special interest"
"The concepts of 'nature' and 'environment' have been thoroughly deconstructed. Yet they retain their mythic and debilitating power within the environmental movement and the public at large. If one understands the notion of the 'environment' to include humans, then the way the environmental community designates certain problems as environmental and others as not is completely arbitrary."
Of course, few of us are going to have time to read this 37-page-long essay, so let me highlight some key points.
Thesis: ". . .the environmental community’s narrow definition of its self-interest leads to a kind of policy literalism that undermines its power."
Key point # 1: Environmentalists have gotten too wonky
". . . we are arguing that all proposals aimed at dealing with global warming. . .must be evaluated not only for whether they will get us the environmental protections we need but also whether they will define the debate, divide our opponents and build our political power over time. . . It is our contention that the strength of any given political proposal turns more on its vision for the future and the values it carries within it than on its technical policy specifications.[emphasis mine]"
Well, this social science major couldn't agree more. I think we need more global thinkers running the show. Of course, I also think that political philosophers should run the world (Rousseau in '08!), so you can take that any way you want.
Key point # 2: Environmentalists pigeonhole environmental concerns and reinforce the perception that they are a "special interest"
"The concepts of 'nature' and 'environment' have been thoroughly deconstructed. Yet they retain their mythic and debilitating power within the environmental movement and the public at large. If one understands the notion of the 'environment' to include humans, then the way the environmental community designates certain problems as environmental and others as not is completely arbitrary."
Exactly. Global warming is not "an environmental problem." It is a problem. However, I don't entirely agree that the environmental community does designate some problems as environmental and others as not, or even if it's a bad idea for us to do that.
Anyway, I'm sure we can look forward to more commentary on this article when it migrates from enviro listserves to the paramedia like Grist and Alternet.
posted by Waage on Wednesday, November 17, 2004
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