DOCSLIB.ORG

Editorial the “New Conservation”

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Editorial the “New Conservation” Editorial The “New Conservation” A powerful but chimeric movement is rapidly gaining the characters of older conservation icons, such as Henry recognition and supporters. Christened the “new con- David Thoreau, John Muir, and Edward Abbey, are de- servation,” it promotes economic development, poverty famed as hypocrites and misanthropes and contempo- alleviation, and corporate partnerships as surrogates or rary conservation leaders and writers are ignored entirely substitutes for endangered species listings, protected ar- (Lalasz et al. 2011). eas, and other mainstream conservation tools. Its pro- The new conservationists assume biological diversity ponents claim that helping economically disadvantaged conservation is out of touch with the economic realities people to achieve a higher standard of living will kin- of ordinary people, even though this is manifestly false. dle their sympathy and affection for nature. Because its Since its inception, the Society for Conservation Biology goal is to supplant the biological diversity–based model has included scores of progressive social scientists among of traditional conservation with something entirely dif- its editors and authors (see also letters in BioScience, ferent, namely an economic growth–based or human- April 2012, volume 63, number 4: 242–243). The new itarian movement, it does not deserve to be labeled conservationists also assert that national parks and pro- conservation. tected areas serve only the elite, but a poll conducted by Institutional allies and supporters of the new conser- the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association vation include the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and the National Park Hospitality Association estimates the Long Now Foundation, the Nature Conservancy, and that 95% of voters in America want continued govern- the social-justice organization The Breakthrough Institute ment support for parks (National Parks Conservation (Nordaus & Shellenberger 2011). The latter write—in Association 2012). Furthermore, Lalasz et al. (2011) argue the style of the Enlightenment—that, “We must open that it should be a goal of conservation to spur economic our eyes to the joy and excitement experienced by the growth in habitat-eradicating sectors, such as forestry, newly prosperous and increasingly free [persons]. We fossil-fuel exploration and extraction, and agriculture. must create a world where every human can not only The key assertion of the new conservation is that af- realize her material needs, but also her higher needs.” fection for nature will grow in step with income growth. The manifesto of the new conservation movement is The problem is that evidence for this theory is lacking. In “Conservation in the Anthropocene: Beyond Solitude and fact, the evidence points in the opposite direction, in part Fragility” (Lalasz et al. 2011; see also Kareiva 2012). In because increasing incomes affect growth in per capita the latter document, the authors assert that the mission ecological footprint (Soule´ 1995; Oates 1999). of conservation ought to be primarily humanitarian, not Other nettlesome issues are ignored, including which nature (or biological diversity) protection: “Instead of kinds of species will persist and which will not if the pursuing the protection of biodiversity for biodiversity’s new economic-growth agenda replaces long-term pro- sake, a new conservation should seek to enhance those tection in secure protected areas? Related questions natural systems that benefit the widest number of peo- include: ple, especially the poor” (emphasis added). In light of its Would the creation of designated wilderness areas be humanitarian agenda and in conformity with Foreman’s terminated? Would the funds to support the new con- (2012) distinction between environmentalism (a move- servation projects be skimmed from the dwindling con- ment that historically aims to improve human well-being, servation budgets of nongovernmental and government mostly by reducing air and water pollution and ensuring agencies? Is conservation destined to become a zero-sum food safety) and conservation, both the terms new and game, pitting the lifestyles and prosperity of human be- conservation are inappropriate. ings against the millions of other life forms? Is it ethical Proponents declare that their new conservation will to convert the shrinking remnants of wild nature into measure its achievement in large part by its relevance to farms and gardens beautified with non-native species, people, including city dwellers. Underlying this radically following the prescription of writer Marris (2011)? Will humanitarian vision is the belief that nature protection for these garden-like reserves designed to benefit human its own sake is a dysfunctional, antihuman anachronism. communities admit inconvenient, bellicose beasts such To emphasize its radical departure from conservation, as lions, elephants, bears, jaguars, wolves, crocodiles, and 895 Conservation Biology, Volume 27, No. 5, 895–897 C 2013 Society for Conservation Biology DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12147 896 Editorial sharks—the keystone species that maintain much of the ecosystems elsewhere in less affluent places. A third wild’s biological diversity (Terborgh & Estes 2010; Estes thing we know is that anthropogenic climate change et al. 2011)? is probably the greatest threat to civilization (Gleick The new conservationists assume the benefits of eco- et al. 2010). nomic development will trickle down and protect bio- I must conclude that the new conservation, if im- logical diversity. Even if that assumption were borne out, plemented, would hasten ecological collapse globally, I doubt that children growing up in such a garden world eradicating thousands of kinds of plants and animals will be attuned to nature or that the hoped-for leap in and causing inestimable harm to humankind in the long humanity’s love for the wild will occur once per capita run. consumption reaches a particular threshold. Finally, I believe that those who donate to conservation Most shocking is the dismissal by the new conser- organizations do so in full confidence that their gifts will vationists of current ecological knowledge. The best benefit wild creatures and their habitats. The central issue current research is solidly supportive of the connection is whether monies donated to the Nature Conservancy between species diversity and the stability of ecosystems. and other conservation nonprofit organizations should It has firmly established that species richness and ge- be spent for nature protection or should be diverted to netic diversity enhance many ecological qualities, includ- humanitarian, economic-development projects such as ing productivity and stability of terrestrial and marine those proffered by the new conservation on the dubi- ecosystems, resistance to invasion by weedy species, ous theory that such expenditures may indirectly benefit and agricultural productivity; furthermore, research biological diversity in the long run. shows that greater species and genetic diversity reduces Traditional conservationists do not demand that hu- transmission rates of disease among species (Tilman manitarians stop helping the poor and underprivileged, 2012). but the humanitarian-driven new conservationists de- In contrast, implementation of the new conservation mand that nature not be protected for its own sake but would inevitably exclude the keystone species whose that it be protected only if it materially benefits human behaviors stabilize and regulate ecological processes and beings. enhance ecological resistance to disturbance, includ- ∗ ing climate change (Terborgh & Estes 2010). For these Michael Soule´ reasons and others, conservationists and citizens alike 212 Colorado Avenue, Paonia, CO 81428, U.S.A., ought to be alarmed by a scheme that replaces wild email [email protected] places and national parks with domesticated landscapes containing only nonthreatening, convenient plants and ∗A more literary version of this essay that highlights the intrinsic value animals. of biological diversity can be accessed at www.michaelsoule.com. The globalization of intensive economic activity has ac- celerated the frenzied rush for energy and raw materials and is devouring the last remnants of the wild, largely Literature Cited to serve the expanding, affluent, consumer classes in industrialized and developing nations. At current rates Estes, J. A., et al. 2011. Trophic downgrading of plant earth. Science 333:301–306. of deforestation, dam construction, extraction of fos- Foreman, D. 2012. Take back conservation. Raven’s Eye Press, Durango, sil fuels, land clearing, water withdrawal, and anthro- Colorado. pogenic climate change, it is expected that the 2 ma- Gleick, P. H., et al. 2010. Climate change and the integrity of science. jor refugia for biological diversity on the globe—the Science 328:689–690. wet, tropical forests of the Amazon, and Congo Basin— Kareiva, P. 2012. Failed metaphors and a new environmental- ism for the 21st century. Available from http://www.youtube. will be gone by the end of this century (Mackey et al. com/watch?v=4BOEQkvCook (accessed April 2013). 2013). Lalasz, R., P. Kareiva, and M. Marvier. 2011. Conservation in the an- Is the sacrifice of so much natural productivity, beauty, thropocene: beyond solitude and fragility. Breakthrough Journal 2: and diversity prudent, even if some human communities http://thebreakthrough.org/index.php/journal/past-issues/issue-2/ andcompaniesmightbeenriched?No.Theworthof conservation-in-the-anthropocene/.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Suggested Reading List
    Community Read 2013—Suggested Reading List We here at Longwood Gardens started thinking about Sand County Almanac as we began to seriously plan for our new Meadow Garden a few years ago. We have spent a considerable amount of time learning, reading, thinking and talking. The Longwood Library and Archives staff encourage you to continue your reading beyond Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold. Here, we review a short list of titles on the life of Aldo Leopold, the conservation movement (local and national), gardening thoughtfully in your own yard, and nature in our contemporary world. You will find these titles at public libraries, local bookstores, and elsewhere in your community. Let us know if you find these suggestions interesting and useful. Email us your comments at [email protected] Berry, Wendell. Bringing it to the table: On farming and food. Counterpoint, 2009. This book, introduced by Michael Pollan, brings together a selection of Wendell Berry’s best essays on farming, farmers and food. He writes cogently about the importance of connecting to one’s local environment. Berry’s writing centers around the fact that our connection to the land has been made abstract by the industrialized food system and, as a result, we are neglecting our care of it. He calls for a return to ethics in our relationship with the land through the food we eat and the local environments we live in. Bowe, Alice. High-impact, low-carbon gardening: 1001 ways to garden sustainability. Timber Press, 2011. This book is a good primer for gardeners wishing to start using more sustainable gardening practices.
    [Show full text]
  • Kristen Gaston American Environmental Movement: From
    Kristen Gaston American Environmental Movement: From Preservation to Pragmatism The environmental movement of the twenty-first century encompasses a wide array of fields of study, such as sociology, political science, history, biology, and ecology. However, the movement began to truly take form and gain momentum in the mid-twentieth century as new environmental problems began to surface in the United States and around the world. The decades of the 1960s and 1970s in the United States marked a shift in the environmental movement‟s focus from one of preservation and conservation to one of practical and international solutions to emerging environmental concerns in American society. To understand this shift in focus, it is essential to have a basic understanding of the environmental movement prior to the 1960s. In the beginning of the twentieth century, a popular Progressive movement existed in the United States. The Progressives, according to Benjamin Kline, believed the materialism of the industrial boom “had eroded the purity of the American soul and simple values of the past.” With the realization that the country had gone as far west as possible, it had become increasingly important to use the nation‟s natural resources more responsibly.1 The Progressives and many Americans turned to the government to manage and regulate the conservation of nature‟s resources, believing this was the only way to effectively regulate the use of resources.2 Although Kline claims the conservation movement concentrated on creating “policy of responsible, efficient, and planned use of resources,”3 it appears that the Progressives focused mostly on the preservation of resources from the wilderness, specifically lumber.
    [Show full text]
  • Greenpeace, Earth First! and the Earth Liberation Front: the Rp Ogression of the Radical Environmental Movement in America" (2008)
    University of Rhode Island DigitalCommons@URI Senior Honors Projects Honors Program at the University of Rhode Island 2008 Greenpeace, Earth First! and The aE rth Liberation Front: The rP ogression of the Radical Environmental Movement in America Christopher J. Covill University of Rhode Island, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/srhonorsprog Part of the Environmental Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Covill, Christopher J., "Greenpeace, Earth First! and The Earth Liberation Front: The rP ogression of the Radical Environmental Movement in America" (2008). Senior Honors Projects. Paper 93. http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/srhonorsprog/93http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/srhonorsprog/93 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Honors Program at the University of Rhode Island at DigitalCommons@URI. It has been accepted for inclusion in Senior Honors Projects by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@URI. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Greenpeace, Earth First! and The Earth Liberation Front: The Progression of the Radical Environmental Movement in America Christopher John Covill Faculty Sponsor: Professor Timothy Hennessey, Political Science Causes of worldwide environmental destruction created a form of activism, Ecotage with an incredible success rate. Ecotage uses direct action, or monkey wrenching, to prevent environmental destruction. Mainstream conservation efforts were viewed by many environmentalists as having failed from compromise inspiring the birth of radicalized groups. This eventually transformed conservationists into radicals. Green Peace inspired radical environmentalism by civil disobedience, media campaigns and direct action tactics, but remained mainstream. Earth First’s! philosophy is based on a no compromise approach.
    [Show full text]
  • WORLD CONSERVATION STRATEGY Living Resource Conservation for Sustainable Development
    WORLD CONSERVATION STRATEGY Living Resource Conservation for Sustainable Development Prepared by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) with the advice, cooperation and financial assistance of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (F AO) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) ~ '1 IUCN WWF The Symbol The circle symbolizes the biosphere-the thin covering of the planet that contains and sustains life. The three interlocking, overlapping arrows symbolize the three objectives of conservation: - maintenance of essential ecological processes and life-support systems; - preservation of genetic diversity; - sustainable utilization of species and ecosystems. WORLD CONSERVATION STRATEGY Living Resource Conservation for Sustainable Development Prepared by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) with the advice, cooperation and financial assistance of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (F AO) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) 1980 ~ ~ IUCN WWF The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN, UNEP or WWF concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Copyright© IUCN-UNEP-WWF 1980 All rights reserved First published 1980 Second printing 1980 ISBN 2-88032-104-2 (Bound) ISBN 2-88032-101-8 (Pack) WORLD CONSERVATION STRATEGY Contents Preamble and Guide Foreword I Preface and acknowledgements ·II Guide to the World Conservation Strategy IV Executive Summary VI World Conservation Strategy 1.
    [Show full text]
  • The Too Polite Revolution
    THE TOO POLITE REVOLUTION Why the Recent Campaign to Pass Comprehensive Climate Legislation in the United States Failed Petra Bartosiewicz & Marissa Miley January 2013 Prepared for the Symposium on THE POLITICS OF AMERICA’S FIGHT AGAINST GLOBAL WARMING Co-sponsored by the Columbia School of Journalism and the Scholars Strategy Network February 14, 2013 4-6 pm Tsai Auditorium, Harvard University CONTENTS Introduction..............................................................................................3 Opportunity of a Generation, or Was It?.................................................10 USCAP – The Ultimate Compromise.....................................................19 From Earth Day to Inside the Beltway....................................................28 Taking the House.....................................................................................38 Struggle in the Senate..............................................................................52 Grassroots vs. Big Green.........................................................................71 Conclusion...............................................................................................78 2 INTRODUCTION Passage of an economy-wide cap on greenhouse gas emissions has been one of the great, unrealized ambitions of the environmental movement of this generation. With the effects of global warming already in our midst, and environmental catastrophe very much a threat in this century, curbing man-made emissions of carbon dioxide, the gas that most significantly
    [Show full text]
  • Conservation Conversations
    CONSERVATION CONVERSATIONS Addressing 21st Century Conservation Challenges to Benefit Our People, Economy, and Environment A COLLABORATION AMONG: Conservation Conversations • Boise State University’s Andrus Center for Public Policy is an unprecedented • Colorado State University’s Salazar Center for North American collaboration among institutes Conservation and research centers at nine • Ecosystem Workforce Program the University of Oregon and universities that explores Oregon State University the conservation challenges • University of California-Berkeley’s Institute for Parks, People, and of the future and identifies Biodiversity specific policies, programs, and • University of Colorado’s Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural strategies to help secure the Resources, Energy, and the Environment at Colorado Law long-term health of the nation’s • University of Montana’s O’Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain natural resources, wildlife, and West landscapes, and broaden the • University of Wyoming’s Ruckelshaus Institute for Environment benefits for all Americans. and Natural Resources • Utah State University’s Institute of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Content 4 Introduction 6 Biodiversity Conservation Effectiveness within US Protected Areas 8 Reframing Conservation as an Economic Driver and Stimulus to Rural Communities 10 Another Way of Knowing: Indian Tribes, Collaborative Management & Public Lands 12 From Parallel Play to Co-Management: Conserving Landscapes at Risk of Wildfire in the American West 16 Transboundary Conservation: Migration and Fragmentation Across Conservation Landscapes 20 Carbon Sequestration and Climate Justice in Cities 22 Environmental Justice, Equity, and Inclusion for Indigenous Americans 24 Conservation and Outdoor Recreation: Challenges and Solutions to Keeping Parks and Public Lands from Being Loved to Death Introduction At the beginning of the 20th century, a movement began to conserve America’s lands, waters, wildlife, and other natural and cultural resources.
    [Show full text]
  • Climate Change Policy in the European Union
    Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2012 Climate change policy in the European Union: examining the Emissions Trading System Tabitha Marie Cale Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Political Science Commons Recommended Citation Cale, Tabitha Marie, "Climate change policy in the European Union: examining the Emissions Trading System" (2012). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 3662. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/3662 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY IN THE EUROPEAN UNION: EXAMINING THE EMISSIONS TRADING SYSTEM A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Political Science by Tabitha Cale B.A., University of Florida, 2005 M.A., Louisiana State University, 2010 December 2012 Acknowledgements I would like to thank my all of my committee members, but especially Dr. Kate Bratton, Dr. Leonard Ray and my advisor Dr. William Clark for all of their help, advice, and support. I would also like
    [Show full text]
  • Learning Conservation and Sustainable Development: an Interdisciplinary Approach John Schelhas* and James P
    Learning Conservation and Sustainable Development: An Interdisciplinary Approach John Schelhas* and James P. Lassoie ABSTRACT and diverse ecotone, spawning theoretical and empirical work that addresses both the conflicts and compatibilities between Conservation and sustainable development (CSD) represent conservation and sustainable development. At an academic one of the most important new ways of thinking in natural re- source management and policy. Cornell University has developed level, this is bringing about changes. Conservation and sus- an interdisciplinary graduate minor to include this approach in tainable development (CSD) issues cut across many of the tra- its curriculum. The concept of CSD involves working toward en- ditional disciplinary boundaries, including ecology, agricul- vironmental, social, and economic goals simultaneously. Al- tural sciences, and the social sciences, and also require com- though sustainability is sometimes criticized as a vague concept, bining academic approaches with collaborative processes of CSD can be operationalized by developing indicators for differ- governance and decision-making. ent goals through collaborative processes, and seeking positive This paper describes the philosophy, organization, and in- sum solutions that, while not fully solving problems of sustain- structional methods of the two core courses in Cornell Uni- ability, make concrete advances across these indicators. The versity’s Graduate Minor in Conservation and Sustainable graduate minor at Cornell University provides students
    [Show full text]
  • The New American Conservation Movement: New Strategies, Focus and Organizations for the 21St Century
    UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones 5-1-2012 The New American Conservation Movement: New Strategies, Focus and Organizations for the 21st Century Amy Deanna Northrup University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations Part of the Civic and Community Engagement Commons, Environmental Health and Protection Commons, History Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, and the Place and Environment Commons Repository Citation Northrup, Amy Deanna, "The New American Conservation Movement: New Strategies, Focus and Organizations for the 21st Century" (2012). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 1603. http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/4332584 This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/or on the work itself. This Dissertation has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE NEW AMERICAN CONSERVATION MOVEMENT: NEW STRATEGIES,
    [Show full text]
  • PF1-3 Kien Dang SPERI
    Exploring the Human Ecology Practical Area (HEPA）a practical model for living in harmony with nature in Northern Central Vietnam Presenter: Kien Dang On behalf of Social Policy Ecology Research Institute (SPERI) Human Ecology Practical Area (HEPA) Outline Introduction to SPERI/HEPA, HEPA Farmers Field School (FFS) Focus areas HEPA site HEPA FFS ecological farming training program Forest regeneration/conservation efforts Biodiversity conservation activities (initial) Introduction to SPERI Social Policy Ecology Research Institute Mission: study/research and take actions with disadvantaged EM communities to stimulate traditional belief towards nature, enriching ethical principles in nurturing human/nature relationships Covers 5 key themes, 12 project sites in 3 countries in the Mekong region A member of IPSI since 2011 Map of project sites HEPA site Introduction to HEPA HEPA: in full term - Human Ecology Practical Area Located in the border (13km) between Vietnam and Lao PDR in the remote northern central Born 2002: 285.4 ha; Now 2014: > 400 ha; Why birth of HEPA Extremely heavy deforestation/illegal logging/wildlife hunting occurred over the borders that causing landslides, great losses => SPERI and local people, local government initiated a forest conservation movement to tackle issues HEPA established as a conservation site 2002 and integrated a FFS ecological training program in 2006 for education Introduction to HEPA-FFS Farmers Field School (FFS): an important Functional Program within HEPA FFS training program started 2006 FFS training dedicated to ecological farming practices, local knowledge to nature, traditional wisdom, indigenous forest species conservation; Introduction to HEPA-FFS Teaching framework combine traditional wisdom and Permaculture knowledge for our own-philosophy: 1.
    [Show full text]
  • From Arbor Day to Earth Day OVERVIEW OBJECTIVES
    Activity If Trees From Arbor Day Could Talk to Earth Day 4 Teacher Page Time Frame 5 Class periods + Web Research OVERVIEW Key Words Arbor Day Conservation From Arbor Day to Earth Day Earth Day has students analyze the Environmentalist influence of diverse forms of public opinion on the development of environmental Teacher Pages public policy and decision making from the early industrial Overview .................. 1 age through the postwar era. Objectives................. 1 Lesson Plan ............. 2 Students will understand the Class Extensions...... 2 effects of rapid industrialization Team Teaching…..2-3 on the environment and the Links......................... 3 emergence of the conservation References .............. 3 movement and then compare it Application................ 4 Answer Key……..…5-6 to the modern environmental movement. 1882 Celebration of Arbor Day at Garfield Place. Frank Leslie's Illustrated Student Pages Newspaper Essay....................1- 4 Worksheet 1 ............. 5 OBJECTIVES Worksheet 2 ............. 6 Worksheet 3 ............. 7 National Standards for History Bibliography ............. 8 • The student will understand the effects of rapid industrialization on List of Characters ..... 9 the environment and the emergence of the first conservation Worksheet 4 ........... 10 movement. Sample Sketches11-12 (Era 6, The Development of the Industrial United States: Standard Test ........................ 13 1D) Reflection……..…...14 • The student will compare the environmental movement with the conservation movement. (Era 9, Postwar United States: Standard 3b) National Council for Social Studies Standards • The student will relate personal changes to social, cultural, and historical contexts. (Standard IV, Individual Development and Identity) Page 1 of 6 Activity If Trees From Arbor Day Could Talk to Earth Day 4 Teacher Page Lesson Plan Day 1 Set the stage for this activity by leading a group discussion answering the following questions.
    [Show full text]
  • From Citizens to Consumers: the Countercultural Roots of Green Consumerism
    From Citizens to Consumers: The Countercultural Roots of Green Consumerism A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts Philip A. Wight August 2013 ©2013 Philip A. Wight. All Rights Reserved. 2 This thesis titled From Citizens to Consumers: The Countercultural Roots of Green Consumerism by PHILIP A. WIGHT has been approved for the Department of History and the College of Arts and Sciences by Kevin Mattson Connor Study Professor of Contemporary History Robert Frank Dean, College of Arts and Sciences 3 ABSTRACT WIGHT, PHILIP A., M.A. August 2013, History From Citizens to Consumers: The Countercultural Roots of Green Consumerism Director of thesis: Kevin Mattson When did American environmentalism shift from a focus on collective political action to an obsession with personal lifestyles? This thesis investigates three distinct bodies of environmental thought spanning the 1950s and the mid-1970s to answer this question. The three eco-political philosophies studied here are liberal, eco-socialist, and countercultural environmentalism. The heart of this thesis is the debate among key environmental thinkers—John Kenneth Galbraith, Stewart Brand, and Barry Commoner—concerning the role of individual consumers and the importance of public policy. This debate can be viewed as supply-side (producers) versus demand-side (consumers) environmentalism. This thesis argues America’s modern paradigm of libertarian, demand-side environmentalism and green consumerism stems from specific values, ideas, lifestyles, and worldviews representative of American counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s. In championing individual consumer choice, contemporary environmentalism has largely rejected liberal and eco-socialist prescriptions of collective political action and social democratic governance.
    [Show full text]