Paul Kingsnorth has a thought-provoking essay on the subject:
We are not environmentalists now because we have an emotional reaction to the wild world. Most of us wouldn’t even know where to find it. We are environmentalists now in order to promote something called “sustainability.” What does this curious, plastic word mean? It does not mean defending the nonhuman world from the ever-expanding empire of Homo sapiens sapiens, though some of its adherents like to pretend it does, even to themselves. It means sustaining human civilization at the comfort level that the world’s rich people—us—feel is their right, without destroying the “natural capital” or the “resource base” that is needed to do so.
It is, in other words, an entirely human-centered piece of politicking, disguised as concern for “the planet.” In a very short time—just over a decade—this worldview has become all-pervasive. … The success of environmentalism has been total—at the price of its soul.
Kingsworth followed up on his piece with a conversation with authors Lierre Keith and David Abram and has more on his blog.
(Photo: Animal rights activists and environmentalists shout slogans and hold banners during a protest to demand action to combat global warming as experts hold UN climate talks, on December 3, 2011 in Durban. By Stringer/AFP/Getty Images)
The Dish 
