Four Kinds of Environmentalists

I think there are four types of environmentalists. The first kind are the normal people who like nature. They go hiking, they like to be outdoors, they think trees and lakes and animals are nice to look at and that fresh air is good for you. The second kind are the people who love nature so freakin’ much that they dedicate their lives to it and it’s all they think about. Darfur? Child rape? Inner city crime? Let someone else worry about those things, I’m more worried about these trees being cut down. That’s the second kind. Then there are the people who call themselves environmentalists because it’s cool, and they want to look good to their friends, and because they feel guilty if they act as though they care about the environment. The last kind of environmentalist is the kind that wants to accomplish certain things that have nothing to do with the environment, except that by calling themselves an environmentalist it helps them get what they want.

I’m the first kind of environmentalist. I love nature. I love camping, hiking, the ocean, animals, the outdoors, etc. I used to want to be an oceanographer when I was a kid. My family would drive from Los Angeles to Utah every summer when I was a kid to go camping and hiking in the Uinta mountains. I want there to be places like that for my kids so I can take them camping, and I want them to be able to catch fish and be able to eat them without worrying about mercury levels. I think man has a responsibility to take care of the earth, I don’t like the idea of animals suffering, etc.

I know people who are the second kind and they’re good people. They just happen to care about the environment on a level that I find almost unhealthy or obsessive. It’s almost as though they think animals and the earth are more important than human beings, whereas I believe without human beings the earth and everything on it has no purpose. I treat the earth as something God gave us to take care of, they treat the earth as though it were God.

Celebrities like actors, musicians, and politicians often fall into the third category. Many of them don’t really know anything about nature and wouldn’t care about it except that if they don’t then people won’t like them, and not only would that hurt their feelings but it might affect how much money they make. These people buy hybrid cars not because they want to help the environment, but because it makes a statement about what kind of person they are. These are the people who like the idea of carbon credits because it would allow them to do whatever they want in terms of driving large cars, flying on jets, etc., and then they could pay for the forgiveness of their environmentally-unfriendly indulgences by buying some carbon credits and the guilt just disappears. “Hey! How can you drive that SUV and claim you’re for the environment?”

“Don’t worry, I’m actually carbon neutral because I buy carbon credits.”

“Oh, ok, that’s awesome. Good job man!”

All the fun without the guilt. And if you’re a politician then all you have to do is say you’re “green” and do a few token things to make it look as though you’re concerned about the environment and all sorts of people will vote for you without taking a closer look.

The fourth type of environmentalist want to accomplish something and environmentalism is merely the vehicle. For some it’s power, for other it’s money, and for many it’s both. Take Al Gore, for example. If the US adopts a carbon cap and trade program where people buy carbon credits he stands to make a bundle of cash, not to mention that he’s invested in all sorts of other “green” initiatives, the kind that might benefit from government subsidies or outright cash infusions. For others, it might be about having more control over how the country works, and environmentalism is a great way to get laws passed that give certain people control over where you live, what you eat, where you work, what education you get, etc. Sound like a conspiracy theory? Well, yes, my theory is that there is a sort of conspiracy, although I think it’s less of a conspiracy and more a situation of individuals doing what seems to be of benefit to them, and occasionally banding together when they find others who are like-minded (case in point, Al Gore’s Oscar award–it helps Hollywood feel good about itself while furthering Al’s own objectives).

The trouble with the fourth kind of environmentalist is that they manipulate the other three kinds. The third kind they have almost complete control over, and likewise with the second kind. The first kind they have limited control over, because those people have other priorities besides the environment, but they do wield influence with that group and because it is the largest group it is the biggest target of their marketing campaigns.

The cure to being manipulated is the truth. Not the misnamed An Inconvenient Truth, but the real truth. It’s hard to find if you get all your information from the most popular news sources or your friends, but it’s out there. And if the environment is really that important, isn’t it worth it to do the research to find out how to really make a difference, vs. participating in a carbon credit system that might actually increase carbon output?