what is neo environmentalism
Answers
Neo-environmentalism is a progressive, business-friendly, postmodern take on the environmental dilemma. It dismisses traditional green thinking, with its emphasis on limits and transforming societal values, as naive. New technologies, global capitalism and western-style development are not the problem but the solution. The future lies in enthusiastically embracing biotechnology, synthetic biology, nuclear power, nanotechnology, geo-engineering and anything else new and complex that annoys Greenpeace.
Neo-environmentalism is beginning to make waves in certain circles. Brand gives talks all over the world arguing the case for megacities and GM crops; British writer Mark Lynas gets airtime to promote nuclear power and attack his former green friends as "Luddites"; US writer Emma Marris argues in her book Rambunctious Garden that there is no real wilderness left to protect; scientist Peter Kareiva, who works for the world's biggest conservation group, the Nature Conservancy, argues that conservation should aim to protect wild nature not for its own sake, but if and because it benefits humans. The Earth, say the neogreens, belongs to homo sapiens now. The value of nature is measured by what we can do with it.
It is simply the latest variant on the old Wellsian techno-optimism which has been promising us paradise for over a century. The neo-environmentalists are growing in numbers at present not because their ideas are new, but because they offer a business-friendly worldview which, unlike the tiresome old green message, is designed to make people feel comfortable about their plane flights and their iPads. Science and business will provide. Nature will adapt. Optimism is permitted again. Indeed, it is almost mandatory.
Answer:
Neo-environmentalism is a postmodern, liberal, and progressive solution to the environmental problem.
Explanation:
- Neo-environmentalism views conventional green thinking as foolish because it places too much focus on boundaries and changing societal norms.
- Global capitalism, new technologies, and development in the West are not the issue; they are the answer. The future lies in fervently embracing biotechnology, synthetic biology, nuclear power, nanotechnology, geo-engineering, and everything else novel and challenging that irritates Greenpeace.
- Neo-environmentalism is starting to gain traction in some areas. Mark Lynas, a British writer, get airtime to push nuclear power and brand his old green allies as "Luddites." Brand gives speeches across the world presenting the case for megacities and GM foods.
- While scientist Peter Kareiva, who works for the world's largest conservation organisation, the Nature Conservancy, contends that conservation should aim to protect wild nature not for its own sake but if and because it benefits humans, contrary to US author Emma Marris' claim in her book Rambunctious Garden, there is no real wilderness left to protect.
- The Earth now belongs to homo sapiens, according to the neogreens. What we can do with nature determines how valuable it is.
It is merely the most recent iteration of the well-worn technological utopianism that has been promising us paradise for more than a century. Neo-environmentalists are becoming more prevalent right now, not because their beliefs are novel, but because they present a pragmatic worldview that, in contrast to the stale old green message, is intended to make people feel good about their aeroplane travels and iPads. We will get it from science and business. Nature will modify. We can once again be upbeat. It is practically necessary, in fact.