Q: Why has the environmental movement suffered so many setbacks?
Posted on | July 11, 2009 | No Comments
A: I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that it might be due, in part, to people like the ones mentioned in this New York Times article entitled Disillusioned Environmentalists Turn on Obama as Compromiser. This may not be an entirely popular position for me to take; however, I sat there and watched throughout all 8 years of the Bush administration as nearly every piece of environmental legislation that could have helped slow down global warming got pushed aside, vetoed, or simply ignored. And, like many people, when President Obama took office, I had renewed hopes for the struggle against global warming. But frankly I think it’s naive, impatient and even selfish to assume that in less than 6 months in office, Obama can suddenly undo the damage that 8 years of Bush ignoring the environment did. Obama was very clear this past week when he expressed his disappointment at the G8 summit that a greater push against global warming could not be agreed upon. However, he also acknowledged that the US had been ignoring the problem for years, and that those days were over. He acknowledged the fact that the United States needs to lead. Isn’t that simple acknowlegement that we’re finally ready to address the problem a step in the right direction?
And isn’t it possible that the environmental movement has taken so long to really get started due, in part, to the extreme language and actions of environmental groups? We’ve known about problems with energy efficiency and the lack of fossil fuels since the late 60′s and early 70′s. Why, more than 30 years later, are we still struggling? Is it possible that some environmental activists inability to understand compromise delayed real action on the issue?
I don’t mean to take an accusatory stance as I think that many environmental groups serve an incredibly useful purpose; but I believe it’s utterly useless and a waste of time to jump on the case of someone so obviously aware of and concerned with the problem of global warming who is actually sitting in the White House. I support the President and I trust that he has the best interests of the country in mind, and I also trust that he will see the proper legislation through as soon as he is able. In the meantime, I hope that the most extreme voices of the movement don’t damage the progress that has actually been made so far. Because I am all about efficiency, and there is nothing efficient about wasting our precious energy bickering.
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