Report
Environmentalism
Our 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.
Start here
Three pieces the team says to read first
Environmentalism work
Research, analysis and everything we have put on the record: comments, testimony, statements, letters and endorsements.
Showing 13–18 of 72
Sort Newest Oldest
Analysis
State Power Without State Capacity
Effective regulatory reform requires more than just breaking things
· Ted Nordhaus
Analysis
Shifting the Cost of NEPA Reform
Paying to avoid judicial review doesn’t address the incentives driving litigation
· Elizabeth McCarthy
Analysis
The Widening Vacuum of NEPA Law
A unanimous Supreme Court gutted decades of NEPA law, creating space the Trump Administration will gleefully fill
· Marc Levitt
Analysis
How California Regulated Itself Into an Energy Crisis
Ensuring gasoline affordability will require compromising on the environmental regime
· Lauren Teixeira
Analysis
After the Green Vortex
Why Energy Policy Bipartisanship Could Be Closer Than We Think
· Ted Nordhaus
13–18 of 72
Who to talk to
Ted Nordhaus
Founder and President Email
Latest: The Original Environmental Economist: RIP Uncle Bill
Questions
What is environmentalism?
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.
What do environmentalists believe?
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.
Why are environmentalists against nuclear power?
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.