Why the Environmental Movement may be It's Own Worse Nightmare

I do admit, that I support and believe the work in which environmentalists are doing is important and has the possibility to change the world for the better. However I see some inherent flaws in their approaches. Below you will see the problems I have with the current Environmental Movement as we have it today. I know this will not sit well with some people, and I know I am not alone with thinking these things.

The Problems as I see Them...
1. Excessive use of Science - This may be the biggest problem, the use of science is great for those who understand what it is being used to describe, but for many the science goes in one ear and out the other. It becomes too complex to comprehend. And attempts to reduce the information fails at conveying the information thoroughly and accurately. Or we read conflicting scientific arguments with vastly different numbers. The use of science ends up destroying the credibility in which the environmental movement hopes to gain and use to advance the case for preserving the earth.

2. Doomsday Approach -In Lester Brown's newest Plan B book, Plan B 3.0, he is pushing a sense of urgency in making changes to save the world. In this urgency, Brown compares to the United States following the attacks on Pear Harbor. He describes the rapid change the US went through in converting factories to further and advance the war efforts. This push was made possible due to a common enemy, with the environmental issue the enemy is ourselves. Also what is lacking from this doomsday approach is that of signs of our impending demise due to environmental destruction. Going back to Brown's push for urgent change, the devastation of the attacks on Pear Harbor were clearly visible. With concern with the environmental movement, our own impact is not as clear due to the twisting of science. Respiratory problems are explained away, SMOG is visible for a majority of large cities, but it would be an inconvenience to change our ways, and plus all the cool cars, those advertised heavily and viewed by pop-culture as the best, are the ones which pollute the most, in many cases.

3. We need a sign - As mentioned before the results of the attack on Pear Harbor were clear, the attacks on the environment are long term and lasting effects. For years scientist have been predicting that the increase in Global Warming would lead to an increase in stronger and frequent hurricanes. Yet following Hurricane Katrina and the other hurricanes of the summer of 2005, little to nothing was said about the connection between Global Warming and the strength of these storms. This has to do, I feel, to dealing with the great tragedy these storms were.

4. we are our own worse enemy - One of the main problems facing the Environmental movement is that we are our own worse enemy. This is contrasted again with Brown's call to World War II mobilization, at that point there was an enemy and they were easily identified. But now the enemy we face is ourselves. It is our own inability to change our destructive ways. It is also our unwillingness to change these ways which will ultimately hurt the most. The things that will help us to realize we need to change are occurring all around us, but we have explained these signs away or allowed them to be contradicted and then forgotten, or the science has gotten in the way and we have become confused or heard too much of the science and have become apathetic to the problem.

Another area in which we have become our own enemy is by making being Green trendy. It has all of a sudden become cool to be green. Just like during the late '80's and early '90's, when it was cool to wear MC Hammer style parachute pants. Being green has become marketable, and fashionable but in the end it is still a trend, and sadly trends pass. The making of the environmental movement trendy has brought a lot of attention to global warming, our use of coal and petroleum based products, but sadly it has done little in changing out habits or pushing government to require higher fuel-efficiency standards for automobiles as well as change habits that will positively impact the planet. My fear in making the environmental movement trendy is that the message will be lost or reduced.

In my efforts to summarize the short comings of the environmental movement I am sure I overly simplified these ideas, forgotten some, and/or overstated these things I see. For more information about this topic please read Death of Environmentalism. It is the manifesto of two guys seeking to change the way the environmental movement is headed and possibly move it to a place where more can be gained and solutions can be found. As for me, I do not have any sure where to go from here. I have ideas floating in my head but I have yet to flesh them out into some sort of coherent idea from the Christian perspective as well as from personal response.