I think part of the problem is that many of us have been on spring break this week.
I asked for and received a reaction from a "high-level" representative of one of the environmental groups mentioned in the article. Here's what he said: "They never talked to us before this was published. They sent me an email saying I could write a 300 word response that they would post in their web. I talked to Katrina their publisher to no avail. Leah Hair, Bill Ruckleshaus, and several others also wrote. They are practicing junk journalism on the left." Have the environmental groups been co-opted? Perhaps. I guess this goes back to the age-old debate: when do you compromise your sense of idealism for the reality of what small gains are possible in the society in which we live. Many admirable souls will not give up the fight. Others reluctantly recognize that they cannot give up their cars, their computers, their consumptive lifestyles, travel and food choices to reduce CO2 emissions enough to make a difference. And the environmental groups? Are they trying to fight the battle or have they given up and are happy with minor victories? I clearly agree that they have not been that effective in their work at the national level or international level for that matter. But how much can we really expect? I don't know. Pamela S. Chasek, Ph.D. Executive Editor, Earth Negotiations Bulletin IISD Reporting Services 300 East 56th Street #11A New York, NY 10022 USA Tel: +1 212-888-2737- Fax: +1 646 219 0955 E-mail: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) www.iisd.org<file:///C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\pam\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\www.iisd.org> IISD Reporting Services - Earth Negotiations Bulletin www.iisd.ca<file:///C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\pam\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\www.iisd.ca> Subscribe for free to our publications http://www.iisd.ca/email/subscribe.htm From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Geoffrey Wandesforde-Smith Sent: Friday, March 19, 2010 4:21 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [gep-ed] Johann Hari in The Nation http://www.thenation.com/doc/20100322/hari Did I miss something - I don't think I did, I'm just checking - or has the publication of Johann Hari's essay, "The Wrong Kind of Green: How Conservation Groups Are Bargaining Away Our Future," in the March 22, 2010, issue of The Nation passed entirely without comment, here? Is there, perhaps, a sense that it is so polemical as to be not worth the bother? Just curious. Geoffrey. ------------------------------------ Geoffrey Wandesforde-Smith Emeritus Professor of Political Science University of California, Davis To unsubscribe from this group, send email to gep-ed+unsubscribegooglegroups.com or reply to this email with the words "REMOVE ME" as the subject. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to gep-ed+unsubscribegooglegroups.com or reply to this email with the words "REMOVE ME" as the subject.
