James Randerson writes at the Guardian:
Watermelon is a word that tells you what is wrong with the climate change debate.
For some libertarians, it is the insult that expresses what greenies and climate scientists are really up to. Behind all the acronyms and the jargon, they say, is a conspiracy to promote a nakedly political aim – anti-big business; anti-free market; pro-tax increases. In short, green on the outside but red on the inside.
The full conspiracy theory requires an impressive degree of paranoia, but one of the reasons the jibe is so persistent is that, if we’re honest, there is a grain of truth to it – at least among some in the green movement and on the left.
In the old days they used to use the term “conservationist” to describe people who were concerned about maintaining a healthy environment. In the ’70s the word “enviromentalist” replaced conservationist. Almost immediately, man went from being the stewards of the land to earth’s worst enemy.
Most of the lip service “enviromentalists” I know have no idea how interconnected our technologies are. The think you can somehow keep your personal computers, MRIs on demand, cell phones, and the like, while prohibiting the mining of rare metals, taxing energy use, and micro-regulating every industry. Most of them don’t have a clue what implementing draconian environmental laws would have on their net worth, earning potential, or standard of living. Not to mention the societal ramifications.
My better half (a dyed green environmentalist) keeps wondering why her new dishwasher doesn’t work worth a crap. I mention that perhaps the banning of phosphates and energy efficiency regulations make detergent manufacturers produce less effective detergents and dishwasher manufacturers make less effective washers. The next time she runs a load it’s the same complaint, but total rejection of my explanation. It’s like there’s this huge disconnect between cause and effect for them.
Hey Geoff, this was published in the Guardian. Accepting that there is a “grain of truth” in the watermelon insult is crossing a rubicon there.
“…a grain of truth in it…”? And the ocean is damp plus a bit salty.
There are real environmentalists — people who only ask for (occasionally demand) good stewardship like reducing soot from fuels and solvents from industrial processes, or minimizing toxic pesticides while still optimizing agriculture. They are pro-wealth and pro-development, mostly, and they have become a tiny part of the “green” movement. I count myself such a person.
The “green” movement looks socialist-statist because its leaders constantly make socialist-statist comments, propose socialist-statist policies, and the elected ones pass socialist-statist laws. If it walks like a duck and it (does that) like a duck, it’s a (doing that) duck.