{"id":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issue/environmentalism","schemaVersion":2,"name":"Environmentalism","category":"Nature","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issue/environmentalism","json":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issue/environmentalism.json","ask":"","position":"Caring for the environment and being an environmentalist are not the same thing. Environmentalism centers its politics around the concept of “the environment,” which is either a poor synonym for everything, or an unscientific idea that nature stands apart from people. This leads environmentalists to reify nature as the guiding star for their political claims, falsely asserting dubious positions regarding overpopulation, planetary boundaries, and climate catastrophe as established facts. Tactical choices compound upon this shaky political foundation, producing alarmist rhetoric and abstract protests that neither reflect the prevailing scientific evidence on disasters and warming nor move the public to act. Instead, mainstream environmentalism habitually produces fatalism and polarization.","faq":[{"question":"What is environmentalism?","answer":"Environmentalism refers to social movements that aim to protect nature and reduce human impacts on the environment. Environmentalist thought encompasses approaches ranging from conservation and pollution control to limitations on private consumption."},{"question":"What do environmentalists believe?","answer":"Environmentalists generally seek to protect nature, reduce pollution, conserve resources, and mitigate climate change. They disagree about how to achieve these goals. Some emphasize reducing consumption and development, while others favor technological innovation, clean energy, and economic growth that reduces environmental impacts."},{"question":"Why are environmentalists against nuclear power?","answer":"Not all environmentalists oppose nuclear power. Opposition historically arose out of concerns over accidents, radioactive waste, weapons proliferation, and high costs, as well as broader skepticism of large technologies developed by centralized, technocratic institutions. Many environmentalists now support nuclear energy technologies for their ability to provide abundant, reliable, low-carbon electricity with a minimal environmental footprint."}],"experts":[{"name":"Ted Nordhaus","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/people/ted-nordhaus"},{"name":"Alex Trembath","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/people/alex-trembath"},{"name":"Seaver Wang","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/people/seaver-wang"}],"startHere":[{"title":"The Death of Environmentalism","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/articles/the-death-of-environmentalism","date":"2010-06-16"},{"title":"Twilight of Environmental Idols","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/twilight-environmental-idols-what-comes-after-environmentalism","date":"2022-09-26"},{"title":"Not Dead Yet","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/not-dead-yet","date":"2016-04-22"}],"latest":[{"title":"The Original Environmental Economist: RIP Uncle Bill","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/the-original-environmental-economist-rip-uncle-bill","date":"2026-11-01","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"The Climate Hushing Is Coming from Inside the House","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/the-climate-hushing-is-coming-from-inside-the-house","date":"2026-07-08","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"Against Climate Lawfare","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/against-climate-lawfare","date":"2026-03-23","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"The Cruelty Is the Point","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/food-agriculture-environment/the-cruelty-is-the-point","date":"2026-03-20","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"The Microplastics Panic","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/food-agriculture-environment/the-microplastics-panic","date":"2026-03-05","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"No, a Substation Did Not Make the San Francisco 49ers More Injury Prone","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/no-a-substation-did-not-make-the-san-francisco-49ers-more-injury-prone","date":"2026-02-20","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"Can Abundance Include Nature?","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/can-abundance-include-nature","date":"2026-02-13","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"After Revelatory Environmentalism","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/after-revelatory-environmentalism","date":"2026-01-30","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"The Best Things in Life Are Free (For Everything Else, There’s Abundance)","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/food-agriculture-environment/the-best-things-in-life-are-free-for-everything-else-theres-abundance","date":"2025-10-15","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"Why We Love Marx and Hate Environmentalists","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/food-agriculture-environment/why-we-love-marx-and-hate-environmentalists","date":"2025-09-10","type":"Analysis"}],"policyHub":"https://thebreakthrough.org/policy?topics=agricultural-r-d-2%7Cnational-environmental-policy-act%7Cmining-and-processing-regulation%7Ccritical-mineral-public-investment","policyAreas":[{"slug":"agricultural-r-d-2","name":"Agricultural R&D","records":3,"url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/policy?topics=agricultural-r-d-2"},{"slug":"national-environmental-policy-act","name":"National Environmental Policy Act","records":3,"url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/policy?topics=national-environmental-policy-act"},{"slug":"mining-and-processing-regulation","name":"Mining and Processing Regulation","records":2,"url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/policy?topics=mining-and-processing-regulation"},{"slug":"critical-mineral-public-investment","name":"Critical Mineral Public Investment","records":1,"url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/policy?topics=critical-mineral-public-investment"}],"policyRecords":[{"id":249763,"title":"The Procedural Hangover","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/the-procedural-hangover","type":"Report","date":"2025-07-24","stance":"none","subject":"","subjectUrl":"","summary":"","authors":"Alex Trembath; Elizabeth McCarthy; Lauren Teixeira; Alex Smith; Marc Levitt"},{"id":249055,"title":"Shifting the Cost of NEPA Reform","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/shifting-the-cost-of-nepa-reform","type":"Analysis","date":"2025-06-23","stance":"none","subject":"","subjectUrl":"","summary":"","authors":"Elizabeth McCarthy"},{"id":248687,"title":"The Widening Vacuum of NEPA Law","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/the-widening-vacuum-of-nepa-law","type":"Analysis","date":"2025-06-13","stance":"none","subject":"","subjectUrl":"","summary":"","authors":"Marc Levitt"},{"id":248684,"title":"RELEASE: Breakthrough Institute Hires Marc Levitt, Former Senior Advisor to the EPA","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/press/release-breakthrough-institute-hires-marc-levitt-former-senior-advisor-to-the-epa","type":"Statement","date":"2025-06-13","stance":"none","subject":"","subjectUrl":"","summary":"","authors":"Alex Smith"},{"id":206338,"title":"The GML Isn't All Bad","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/environmental-politics/the-gml-isnt-all-bad","type":"Analysis","date":"2023-09-07","stance":"none","subject":"","subjectUrl":"","summary":"","authors":"Peter Cook; Seaver Wang"},{"id":200190,"title":"TESTIMONY: BTI President Ted Nordhaus to the U.S. House of Representatives","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/press/testimony-bti-president-ted-nordhaus-to-the-u-s-house-of-representatives","type":"Testimony","date":"2023-07-18","stance":"none","subject":"","subjectUrl":"","summary":"","authors":"Breakthrough Staff"},{"id":195542,"title":"Getting Critical Minerals Right","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/getting-critical-minerals-right","type":"Report","date":"2023-06-29","stance":"none","subject":"","subjectUrl":"","summary":"","authors":"Peter Cook; Seaver Wang"},{"id":158797,"title":"Assessing Federal R&D Funding for Agricultural Climate Mitigation","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/food-agriculture-environment/from-lab-to-farm","type":"Report","date":"2022-12-12","stance":"none","subject":"","subjectUrl":"","summary":"","authors":"Dan Blaustein-Rejto; Emily Bass; Guido Núñez-Mujica; Jasmine Yu"},{"id":123472,"title":"Agricultural Research and Development: How to Grow Enough Food for Everyone With the Least Carbon Emissions","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/food-agriculture-environment/agriculture-research-and-development-growing-food-for-the-next-generation","type":"Report","date":"2022-09-18","stance":"none","subject":"","subjectUrl":"","summary":"","authors":"Alex Smith; Dan Blaustein-Rejto"},{"id":111870,"title":"The Inflation Reduction Act Neglects Agriculture Research. That's a Mistake.","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/food-agriculture-environment/the-inflation-reduction-act-neglects-agriculture-research-thats-a-mistake","type":"Analysis","date":"2022-08-02","stance":"none","subject":"","subjectUrl":"","summary":"","authors":"Alex Smith; Dan Blaustein-Rejto"}],"dateModified":"2026-11-12T08:26:15-08:00"}