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Environmental skepticism

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Environmental skepticism is an umbrella term that describes those that argue that particular claims put forward by environmentalists and environmental scientists are incorrect or exaggerated, along with those who are critical of environmentalism in general. The use of the term is contested. Supporters of environmentalists argue that "skepticism" implies an open-minded attitude to empirical evidence and that their opponents are in fact advocates for predetermined positions reflecting ideological commitments or financial interests.

Environmental skeptics have argued that the extent of harm coming from human activities is less certain than some scientists and scientific bodies claim, or that it is too soon to be introducing curbs in these activities on the basis of existing evidence, or that further discussion is needed regarding who should pay for such environmental initiatives.[1] Others argue that such widespread skeptical doubts have not developed independently, but have been "encouraged by lobbying and PR campaigns financed by the polluting industries". This process has been termed a form of denialism, and that, in the US particularly, "large donations [have been made] to Senators and Congressmen and [have] sponsored neoliberal think tanks and contrarian scientific research. ExxonMobil, the oil major, has been accused by Friends of the Earth and others of giving millions of dollars to a long list of think-tanks and lobbyists opposed to Kyoto."[1]

The popularity of the term was enhanced by Bjørn Lomborg's book The Skeptical Environmentalist.[2] Lomborg approached environmental claims from a statistical and economic standpoint, and concluded that often the claims made by environmentalists were overstated. Lomborg argued, on the basis of cost benefit analysis, that few environmentalist claims warranted serious concern.

Analysis of skepticism

A recent study of the environmental skepticism movement found that the overwhelming majority of environmentally skeptical books published since the 1970s were either written or published by authors or institutions affiliated with conservative think tanks. The authors identified four defining themes in the movement:

  1. The "denial of the seriousness of environmental problems and dismissal of scientific evidence documenting these problems"
  2. The "question[ing of] the importance of environmentally protective policies"
  3. The "endorse[ment of] an anti-regulatory/anti-corporate liability position"
  4. And the promotion of the idea that "environmentalism [is] a growing threat to social and economic progress and the ‘American way of life’"

They "conclude that scepticism is a tactic of an elite-driven counter-movement designed to combat environmentalism, and that the successful use of this tactic has contributed to the weakening of US commitment to environmental protection."[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "'Denial lobby' turns up the heat". London: The Observer. 2005-03-06. Retrieved 2008-02-07.
  2. ^ Lomborg, Bjørn; Bjorn Lomborg (2004). Global crises, global solutions. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-60614-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Jacques, P.J. (June 2008). "The organisation of denial: Conservative think tanks and environmental scepticism". Environmental Politics. 17 (3): 349–385. doi:10.1080/09644010802055576. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

Examples of skeptical works and analyses of skepticism

  • Bethell, Tom, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Science, Washington, DC, Regnery Publishing, Inc., 2005 ISBN 0-89526-031-X
  • Huber, Peter, Hard Green: Saving the Environment from the Environmentalists, New York, Basic Books, 2000 ISBN 0-465-03113-7
  • Lomborg, Bjørn, The Skeptical Environmentalist: Measuring the Real State of the World, Cambridge & New York, Cambridge University Press, 2001 ISBN 0-521-01068-3
  • Mooney, Chris, The Republican War on Science, Basic Books. ISBN 0465046762.
  • de Steiguer, J.E. 2006. The Origins of Modern Environmental Thought. The University of Arizona Press. Tucson. 246 pp.
  • Chase, Alston, In a Dark Wood: The Fight over Forests & the Myths of Nature, New Brunswick, N.J., Transaction Publishers, 2001 ISBN 0-7658-0752-1
  • Driessen, Paul, Eco-Imperialism: Green Power, Black Death, Kenmore, NY, Merrill Press, 2003 ISBN 0-939571-23-4
  • Essex, Cristopher and Ross McKitrick, Taken By Storm: The Troubled Science, Policy and Politics of Global Warming, Toronto, Ont., Key Porter Books, 2003 ISBN 1-55263-212-1
  • Michaels, Patrick J., The Satanic Gases: Clearing the Air about Global Warming, Washington D.C., Cato Institute, 2000 ISBN 1-882577-92-2
  • Ortega Y Gasset, Jose, Meditations on Hunting, Montague, MI, Wilderness Adventures Books, 1995, ISBN 1-885106-18-1
  • Reisman, George, The Toxicity of Environmentalism, Laguna Hills, CA, The Jefferson School of Philosophy, Economics & Psychology, 1990 ISBN 1-931089-01-9
  • Swan, James A., In Defense of Hunting: Yesterday and Today, San Francisco, HarperSanFrancisco, 1995 ISBN 0-06-251237-4
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