Libertarianism: An Ecological Libertarianism and wilderness are necessary for each others survival – As Gary Snyder states: “wild doesn’ t mean Consideration disorderly; it means a different kind of order.” A different kind of order is what we as a living species desperately need. Grant Mincy Industrial Utility In the vast arid lands of the Arckaringa Basin in Australia a major shale oil discovery has been made. Linc Energy has discovered across 16 million acres of land an estimated 133 233 billion barrels of shale oil that lies beneath the region"s lithology. #o matter ho$ much of this oil is recoverable using modern technology% the discovery is sure to be valued in the trillions at current market value. &eter Bond% chief e'ecutive of Linc Energy% is marketing a deposit that has the potential to transform the global oil industry. )is is an incredible *nding $ith incredible conse+uences. ,il is a highly sought after commodity as it currently fuels much of the developed $orlds economy along $ith other fossil resources such as coal. Investment in this ne$ discovery $ill suit $ell for investors. )ere is a lot of money to be made and the sheer volume of the discovery points to long-term production of the resource. )is has major im(lications for the economy of the area as $ell. &roduction $ill raise demand for $orkers of all ability levels and educational backgrounds. )e immensity of this discovery is sure to plunge Australia into the latest energy boom. /hale energy. /preading $ildly across the 0nited /tates and 1anada% giant shale reserves have been exploited% increasing domestic energy production and causing economic booms across the region. 2here there are booms% ho$ever% the business cycle illustrates a bust is sure to follo$ es(ecially $hen heavy government subsidies are needed to maintain the boom. Artificial bubbles al$ays burst. 3or this reason a number of people protest shale energy s(eculation. /hale energy is not productive enough to pay for itself% $hich is $hy governments have started heavily subsidizing natural gas extraction. It is true that the shale bubble has lo$ered energy costs in the short term% but this is because lenders% investors and government subsidies have lo$ered (rices for consumers the /hah% /onia. <)e /(read of #e$ ?iseases. )e 1limate 1onnection.= Rale 5not so6 secrete mega investors in shale energy are ta'-payers. As Environment 360. Rale University. 2009. for the jobs boon, it is important to note that the high $age )e 0niversity of Fennessee% Bno'ville. <Little Book of 1onHict Kesolution.= opportunities are for s(ecialized labor. )e majority of jobs 0FB ConHict Resolution Program. Kno'ville, F# 1995. produced are lo$ $age truck drivers% $ell pad o(erators and so )oreau, Henry David. Resistance to Civil Government. 1849 on. 2hen the shale bubble bursts% as al$ays% the lo$-income% $orking class and middle class $ill shoulder the economic 2agner% 7elinda B. /(ace and &lace% Land and Legacy. 1ulture% Environment burden. Big money $ill be made for investors $hile communities and 1onservation in the A((alachian /outh. Ed Benita 8o$ell% 2002. 0niversity of Ih Press. deal $ith the economic bust and captured markets that follo$ production. )ere is also an environmental movement protesting shale energy production. )is movement is fro$ned upon by many movement libertarians. )ere are good reasons $hy as many mainstream environmentalists $ould use the po$er of the state to interfere $ith voluntary contracts and the rights of individuals to decide $hat to do $ith their property. )ere is also reason, ho$ever% to support a libertarian case against such industrial activity as $ell such as com(ulsory pooling la$s and the ever (o$erful eminent domain. 3or an example. 7ichael 8inrichs% director of public affairs for the :ordan 1ove Energy &roject and the &aci*c 1onnector ;as &ipeline% said eminent domain $as not their <preferred method= of obtaining development rights% adding. <2e"d much rather come to an e+uitable agreement $ith the lando$ners.= >ery noble of a com(any to only use coercive force after they fail to reach their desired agreement $ith property o$ners. Any libertarian should ackno$ledge that eminent domain is a gross violation of property rights. 1om(ulsory pooling la$s are just as intrusive. Along $ith gas extraction comes road and $ell pad construction, noise and air pollution, increased smog% increased $ater pollution and giant tanker trucks utili4ed for the transportation of large volumes of fresh$ater for hydraulic fracturing and transportation of the harvested resource. In this arid region of Australia% any undisturbed $ilderness is soon to be industriali4ed Wor)s "ited* for the attainment of this resource% just as the rural lands of the /tates and 1anada have been industriali4ed. )is is of course true Abbey% Edward. Desert Solitaire. McGra$-8ill. 1968 for all extractive industries be it mountainto( removal coal Armsworth% &aul EF Al. Ecosystem /ervice Science and the 2ay 3orward for mining in Appalachia% open-pit mining in the great open $est or 1onservation. 1onservation Biology% >ol 21, #o. 6. /ociety for 1onservation large timber operations in the &acific #orth$est 5just to name a Biology. 2007. fe$6. Berry% 2endell. )e Long Legged 8ouse. 8arcourt% Brace O 2orld, Inc. 0nited States of America. 1965. Berry% 2endell. The Agrarian Standard. Orion Maga4ine. 2002. Bee8ive Collective. The Frue Cost of Coal. No Co(yright 1attan% #acha. <1limate 1hange /et to Boost 7e'ican Immigration to the 0S, Says Study.= The Christian Science Monitor. 2010. 1heng% / Atony et al. <&lace= as an Integrating 1once(t in #atural Kesource &olitics. &ro(ositions for a /ocial Science Kesearch Agenda. Faylor and 3rancis. /ociety and Natural Resources. 16:87 -104. 2003. 1hurchill et al. Angler 1onHicts in 3isheries 7anagement. 3isheries% >ol. !N% #o.2. 2002. $$$.fisheries.org ?ecker, Daniel J and Lisa C. Chase. Human Dimension A((roaches to Citi4en In(ut: Keys for ,f course it $ould be irresponsible to call for the halt all fossil energy production overnight. #o responsible environmentalist 3ranklin% :erry. <&re(aring for an 0ncertain 2orld: Falking 2ith :erry should call for such an activity as our infrastructure $ould 3ranklin. The Forestry Source. Corvallis OK, 2008. collapse. )e very (rivileged argument that utility rates should be 3reyfogle% Eric F. Bounded &eo(le% Boundless Land. /tewardshi( Across raised to pay for <green= infrastructure is also irresponsible as this Boundaries. ed. Richard #ight and Peter Landues. Island Press% 1998. $ould grossly impact lo$-income households. )ere is reason, ;ro9man% &eter et al. Kestarting the 1onversation. 1hallenges at the Interface ho$ever, to call for free, liberated markets where the creative labor of Ecology and Society. 3rontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2010. human beings long to conduct can begin a transition economy. 3or if $e lived in a truly free5d6 market system% $ithout state 8eifet4% Konald. <Leadershi( 2ithout Easy Ans$ers.= )e Belkna( &ress of 8arvard University Press. Cambridge, Massachusetts. London, England. intervention, the modern, centrali4ed fossil fuel industries $ould surely crumble under their enormous cost. 2ithout federal Kobbins% :im. <Anger ,ver 1ulling of Rellowstone"s Bison.= )e #e$ Rork involvement in energy markets% fossil energy *rms 5among the Fimes. Ne$ Rork, 2008. largest corporations on the planet) $ould instead focus on the Kolle, /u. <7easure of &rogress for 1ollaboration: 1ase /tudy of the A((legate creation of ne$ energy models and internal risk-pooling to &artnershi(.= United States Forest Service. Ashland, OK 2002. examine alternatives to high-risk projects. 2ithout state collusion, in other $ords, $hat $ould develop is an devouring one another even more vigorously and ecosystem service approach to natural resource management, $ith ferociously than we already are. adaptive collaboration and a reliance on the resources of local communities. I $ill e'(lore these opportunities in this essay as I )e more $ilderness and o(en spaces that are preserved the less $ish to build the libertarian case for the environment, and $hy space $ill be available for industries and governments to e'(loit. more self-described libertarians should engage the environmental 2ilderness (reservation $ill slo$ the industrialization of the movement. (lanet and it $ill halt the gro$th of governments. &rotection of the environment $ill liberate us from consumerism% po$er and Jefferson Over Hamilton unjust technologies. It $ill liberate us from our gro$th mentality. It $ill liberate nature and ourselves from centralized (o$er and )e mainstream libertarian movement in the 0nited /tates ties its technological su(remacy. 2ho are $e to deny the holy e'perience idealism to the founders of the early government. 7any in the of wildness and wilderness for ourselves and future generationsG mainstream movement champion individual rights% small limited government, constitutional representation and classical liberalism. Libertarianism and $ilderness are necessary for each others At the time the early 0nited /tates government $as being survival As ;ary /nyder states. <$ild doesn"t mean disorderly@ it constructed many arguments and debates occurred among the means a different kind of order.= A different kind of order is $hat founders% but arguably the greatest of $hich occurred between $e as a living s(ecies des(erately need. )omas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. In 8amilton"s vie$ it $ould be irresponsible to (lace much democratic control in the hands of the (eople. 8amilton and other federalists believed the country should be ruled by the economic ruling class the elite% the educated and the privileged. 3ederalist :ohn :ay put it as bluntly as possible. <)ose $ho o$n the country ought to govern it.= )ey favored a strong national government, a broad interpretation of the constitution and put national unity above individualism and states rights.