donderdag 9 juli 2020

Environmental humanism


"Environmental humanism will eventually triumph over apocalyptic environmentalism, I believe, because the vast majority of people in the world want both prosperity and nature, not nature without prosperity. They are just confused about how to achieve both. For while some environmentalists claim their agenda will also deliver a greener prosperity, the evidence shows that an organic, low-energy, and renewable-powered world would be worse, not better, for most people and the natural environment.
While  environmental alarmism may be a permant feature of public life, it need not be so loud. The global system is changing. While that brings new risks, it also brings new opportunities. Confronting new challenges requires the opposite of panic. With care, persistence, and I dare say, love, I believe we can moderate the extremes and deepen understanding and respect in the process. In so trying, I believe we will bring ourselves closer to the transcedantal moral purpose most peope, perhaps even some currently apocalyptic environmentalists, share: nature and prosperity for all"

Zo besluit Michael Shellenberger zijn  'Apocalypse Never'. Met dit boek pleit Shellenberger nogmaals om niet in de paniekval van de milieu-activisten te stappen. Met techniek, kernenergie en optimisme kunnen we de ingeslagen weg van vooruitgang en welvaart blijven bewandelen en die weg ook begaanbaar maken voor dat deel van de wereldbevolking dat nu nog in armoede leeft. 

Een heldere bespreking/samenvatting van het boek in The Australian

There is a recurring puzzle in the history of the environmental movement: Why do green activists keep promoting policies that are harmful not only to humans but also to the environment? Michael Shellenberger is determined to solve this problem, and he is singularly well qualified.