Anti-environmentalism refers to the ways in which groups in society seek to counter the effects of ideology and environmental movements, to divert and reduce public concern about the environment, to attack left-leaning environments, and to persuade politicians to improve environmental regulation. Environmentalists argue that the only solution to climate change will come from humans that mix less with Earth, or stop bothering altogether. In the eyes of many anti-environmentalists, environmentalism is radical and "anti-human".
Some anti-environmentalists have argued that the Earth is not absorbed as it is maintained by some environmental activists, because the Earth defends itself long before humans arrive, and it will continue to defend itself long after humans disappear. Another important argument made by anti-environmentalists is that it is for the sake of the economy, and more particularly the creation of jobs, to be anti-environment. Renowned anti-environmental groups include oil producers and mining companies.
Because the nature of anti-environmentalism is a polarizing subject, it has produced numerous conflicts throughout North America, including the Dakota Pipes at Standing Rock, North Dakota, and Alberta Oil Sands. The Dakota Pipeline, a four-country oil pipeline that will carry 470,000 barrels of oil a day from North Dakota to Illinois, evokes reactions from environmentalists, as well as indigenous communities living in South Dakota, especially the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. These groups have concerns about the ethics of the pipeline and also the pollutants that will be flowed into the water supply of South Dakota residents. Environmentalists have similar complaints related to Alberta Oil Sands. Anti-environmentalists argue that the economic benefits to be generated from both projects outweigh the negative effects on the environment and those living in these areas.
Video Anti-environmentalism
History in North America
Concerns about the impact of human activity on the environment in Canada began in 1960 and pollution is one of the main concerns today. Throughout the 1960s, more emphasis was placed on nature conservation, as the natural environment began to be seen not only as a sight, but essential to human survival. Public awareness of the environment turned into action with the development of activist groups such as Greenpeace. This concern was later reflected in the decision made by the Canadian government, as seen with Canada ratifying the Kyoto Protocol in 2002 under the leadership of Jean Chrà ©  © tien of the Liberal Party. Critics of the environmental movement described Greenpeace as a radical group, which featured the actions of "domestic extremism".
During his tenure as President of the United States, Bill Clinton made progress toward environmentalism and sustainability. Throughout the 1990s, Clinton signed numerous executive orders committed to conserving many aspects of the environment including animals, forests and wetlands. In 1993, Clinton and Gore organized the Forest Conference which was considered the beginning of a comprehensive long-term policy development in which workers, businesses and communities dependent on timber sales would be supported. That same year, Clinton issued an executive order for a federal agency to increase the use of alternative fuel vehicles and reduce the use of ozone depleting substances. In addition, Clinton pioneered the environmental justice movement, ensuring that low-income and minority citizens do not disproportionately feel the impact of industrial pollution, and minimize the dangers associated with pipeline development.
Clinton's successor, President George W. Bush stated in his campaign platform that he would "ensure that the federal government, which is the largest polluter in the country, obeys all environmental laws" and that the United States will even exceed the established standards. Despite his election, Bush was almost of what he promised during his campaign, reversing the Clinton administration's initiative on drinking water, and advocated for oil exploration in protected areas. The Bush administration is also moving forward in withdrawing its support of the Kyoto Protocol, a global worldwide warming treaty created in 1997. Bush stated that he will work with allies to the United States to reduce greenhouse gases but will not implement any dangerous plans. economic and hurt American workers.
From the 1980s, Mexico encountered rampant deforestation to create space for pasture. Tropical forests covered 50% of Tabasco's state in 1940, which was subsequently reduced to 10% by the end of the 1980s. The result is massive national soil erosion. In 1985, 17% of Mexican soils were classified as total erosion, while nearly 50% of the land was classified as accelerated erosion, or signs of impending erosion. The coastline of Mexico is experiencing other problems, such as gasoline exploitation because there is a relaxed regulation about gasoline. In 1992, this produced 1,000 barrels of gasoline leaking into the city's sewer system in Guadalajara, where gas and chemicals produced an explosion that killed nearly 200 people. Following this event, in 1994, President Bill Clinton issued an executive order demanding that the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation and Agreement Between the Governments of the United States and the United Mexican Government Concerning the Establishment of the Commission's Border Environmental Cooperation was enforced so as to be in line with American environmental policy.
One study conducted in the mid-1980s of twelve urban areas around the world concluded that Mexico City residents had the highest cadmium levels in their blood. The concentration of pollutants impacts the surrounding ecosystem, as well as the people in the area. These effects include birth defects and high rates of gastrointestinal disease. Also in the 1980s, the Mexican government implemented various anti-pollution policies in Mexico City. These policies include vehicle emissions checks, introducing unleaded gasoline, and installing converters on vehicles to help reduce the pollution created by buses and trucks. Another study in Mexico determined that five million tons of contaminants were released into the atmosphere each year; ten times more than in the previous decade. Vehicles and industrial plants are found to be major contributors of contaminants to the atmosphere. In addition, the faeces become airborne in Mexico during the winter months, resulting in the population being diagnosed with various respiratory diseases.
Denial Machine
There have been many scientific studies, which have analyzed organized campaigns to cast doubt among lay people and politicians, who have done so-called "rejection machines". The process of creating doubt within a community is difficult and requires many moving parts to be effective. If done correctly, the effect of the rejection machines on the public is huge. These types of machines have previously been used in the tobacco industry, and in today's world can be found in discussions of climate change. It all started with big companies and trickled down to politicians, closing organizations, the media, and into the lap of ordinary citizens. Koch Industries is a prime example of this. Since 1997, Koch Brothers has spent over a hundred million dollars to fund alternative meteorological theory. These groups are disguised as think tanks and the goal is to spread false ideals and attack climate change scientists. Big companies not only channel money into denial groups, but they also pay the politicians. Politicians like Mitch McConnell have been paid millions of dollars from the oil and gas industry to prevent pro-environmental legislation from being passed. The combination of politicians and denial groups spreading propaganda causes much uncertainty in the general public.
Conflicts
Alberta oil sands
Alberta's oil sand has also been a point of contention between environmental and anti-environmental activists. Anti-environmentalists claim that oil sands have enhanced Canadian relations with the United States because Canada is their number one foreign oil supplier.
As well, oil sands have brought a safe source of energy to Canada, as well as tremendous economic benefits for Alberta. There are several environmental efforts to reduce the impact of mining involved in Oil Sands operations against animal species, although environmental groups are not satisfied. Environmental groups such as Greenpeace are concerned about the environmental, social and health impacts of Oil Sands, particularly on the First Nations community in Alberta.
Standing Rock
The source of this conflict is that on January 25, 2016, Dakota Access announced that it received permission approval to move forward with the construction of a four-country crude pipeline that will carry 470,000 barrels of oil a day from North Dakota to Illinois. Anti-environmentalists defended the construction of Pipes as it will create thousands of jobs, making the United States more energy-efficient and creating more cost-effective methods of transporting oil to major refining markets. The Standing Rock Sioux tribe disputes this because the pipes will flow through their communities, smear their sacred lands and contaminate their water supply. What happens in the next ten months is a response from the Sioux community, protesters and environmental groups in the form of peaceful protests in which over 400 arrests are made by local law enforcement. 26 Environmental groups responded to the event with an open letter condemning the actions of North American banks that helped fund the pipeline, and encouraging them to stop contributing future payments.
The effects of climate change
Climate change has been in effect for some time now. Scientific evidence in the last 50 years has proven climate change to be real, and dangerous by providing scientific evidence for the relationship between human carbon emissions and unlimited climate change. Examples of the increasingly dangerous effects of climate change can be seen in different parts of the world. This effect is seen in the Arctic region because the loss of ice volume increases rapidly. In the mid-1970s there was a shift because the annual volume loss was about 147 mm.yr-1 in equivalent water, followed by a faster loss in the last decade. As the heat continues to rise, harmful effects can also be seen in the warmer regions of the world. For example, hot areas consumed by agricultural fields have increased in number of fires, vector-borne diseases, and ultimately created a decline in agricultural production. Droughts and below-normal rainfall and above-normal temperatures in 2010 and 2011 affect four areas: the southern United States, western Russia, Western Australia and East Africa, and the entire continent is affected. In all these cases, drought reduces crop yields and leads to an increase in wildfires. The South half is experiencing an extreme and continuous drought from mid-2010 to September 2011, with the biggest impact in Texas. The Texas drought quake center has the lowest point of historic rainfall of up to 66% below normal, coupled with one of the hottest summers recorded in 2011. Global warming helped fuel a devastating 2005 storm season, the researchers said. Their study adds to the turbulent scholarly debate over the role of climate change in spurring a more intense storm. About half of the ocean's warmth the previous year was due to global warming, says study coauthor Kevin Trenberth. According to research, the 2005 hurricane season is a record with 28 named storms. The season is extended beyond the normal November close, which lasts until December 30th. It was the first year recorded with three category 5 storms. Researchers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said there was an 80% chance of an above-average storm season with four to six major storms that year. Sea-level temperatures are key because hurricanes are essentially heat engines. They draw energy from the warm ocean waters and release it in a tremendous storm.
Global relations
Since the early 1990s, major issues around the world on how countries must overcome the concept of climate change have created some tension. As a result, from this tension, global relations (especially between developed and developing countries) have diminished in quality. For example, Kyoto and Copenhagen Conference at the end of the 2000s gave rise to issues that rolling the nuclear electrical energy use in Japan and nuclear radiation detected on the coast of other countries in the Pacific. Finally the argument was resolved between Japan and the United Nations opposition forces, led by major key powers in the West such as the United States, in the Copenhagen Accord. The Copenhagen agreement itself hosted a major controversy, led by promises from developed and developing countries to reduce advocacy for action against climate change. In other words, in an effort to create a regime that complements the core UN beliefs that often relate to the beliefs of Western society, the attitude of past imperialism is carried out on a global scale. Previous events reflect the same concept, when Indonesia experienced widespread drought between 1993 and 1997. During this period, rice, source of food and staple food in Indonesia, suffered heavy losses in production, causing unrest due to dramatic price increases of rice and political instability. China played a key role during this period, as the country made settlements for rice subsidies, as China experienced an overflow of crops over the same period. This increased Indonesia's debt to China, canceling the progress made by both countries during the Settlement of Indonesia's Debt Obligations to the 1990 China conference.
Maps Anti-environmentalism
Recent anti-ecology
In the last few decades, conservative political parties in North America have supported the anti-environmental agenda. In Canada, the main owner of this agenda in the past was Stephen Harper, former Prime Minister of Canada. In 2014, Environment Canada released its annual emissions trend report, which shows that Canada will not meet its emission reduction target as promised in 2009. In fact, Canada is on track to boost its emissions by 2020. While the Harper government initially committed to reducing emissions, Harper later said it would be "crazy" to limit oil and gas emissions as oil prices rose higher
This is consistent with Harper's decision to withdraw Canada from the Kyoto Protocol in 2011. The main reason given for this by Harper is that Canada is unsuccessful in meeting its protocol targets. In the following years, the Harper government made it difficult for environmental groups to operate in Canada. Environmental charities often experience audits by the federal government that result in reduced productivity and risk of losing their charitable status. In addition to; scientific institutions were eliminated, or confronted with obstacles such as reduced government funds, and enforced regulations that made it increasingly difficult for government scientists to discuss their work with the media. Scientific positions including the National Science Advisor, which was the intersection between the scientific community and the government, were abolished in 2008. Harper also lifted significant environmental policies that had previously existed; Canada Environmental Assessment Act. Later, a new version of the law was drafted, which critics say allows the government to choose which projects are assessed for their ecological impact and which are not.
In 2015, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made climate change a major concern during the first months of his leadership. In 2016, Trudeau signed the Paris Treaty outlining the roads to be followed by the international community to keep global warming up to 1.5Ã, Â ° C above pre-industrial levels. Trudeau also changed the name of Canadian Environment to Canada's Environment and Climate Change which is an important milestone for environmentalists, as it recognizes that climate change exists and is just as important as other environmental issues.
Recently, President Barack Obama pledged to make the United States more environmentally conscious, and implement the Clean Power Plan, invest significantly in clean energy, and raise the standard for our fuel economy; this reduces pollution and is also economical. Obama also made a collective agreement with China to reduce emissions from both countries, and to reduce emissions in the United States by 27% by 2025. The current state of environmental affairs in the United States has drastically changed once again with the new Donald Trump. administration. Trump has been open about his plans to change or withdraw fully from many climate changes and the current United States environmental agreement is involved, such as the Paris Treaty. Because this agreement is voluntary, the United States will not face punishment if they refuse to participate. However, because the United States is the second largest carbon emitter after China, their lack of participation in the agreement will greatly impact global efforts to reduce carbon emissions. While in 1999, President Bill Clinton announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would enforce the toughest standard for now, the Trump Administration recently instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to remove climate change pages from its website. EPA employees have stated that if the page is removed, years of research on global warming will be lost, as well as detailed data on emissions and links to scientific global warming research. On June 1, 2017, Trump announced that the US would stop all participation in the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation. Trump stated that "the Paris Agreement will damage the (US) economy," and "put (US) at a permanent loss."
In Mexico, the economy and population are pressing the environment causing increasing pollution and depleted natural resources. Mexico has implemented an environmental, legal and institutional framework to minimize its negative impact on the environment, and it is now common for sustainable development to be incorporated into policy-making. This has resulted in improved air quality in urban areas, where previously many people saw negative impacts of pollution on their health. In addition, water management becomes more decentralized, which has helped the city develop its own water and wastewater infrastructure. It has also produced safer drinking water for the Mexican population.
However, there are persistent challenges for Mexico in an effort to be more sustainable. One of these challenges is that policy-making needs to be accompanied by capacity building within communities to implement policies. Deforestation is also still rampant in Mexico, occurring on one of the highest levels in the world. The OECD recommends strengthening the implementation of legislation on nature conservation and reducing pollution through inspections. The OECD also recommends increasing funding that Mexico receives from private, public and international sources so that infrastructure, especially those related to wastewater, can be implemented more effectively. Investment in water infrastructure makes up about 50% of Mexico's needs, as only a quarter of urban sewage is treated.
Recent collaborative developments between the three North American countries are North America's Climate, Energy and Environmental Partnership. The partnership was announced by Justin Trudeau, President Barack Obama, and President Enrique Peà  ± a Nieto on June 29, 2016, at the North American Leaders Summit in Ottawa, Canada. The main pillars for this partnership include; promote clean and safe energy; reducing climate pollutants; promote clean and efficient transport; protect nature and advance science and demonstrate global leadership in tackling climate change.
Anti-environmentalism and society
One of the main factors that anti-environmentalism is still an ongoing problem is American policy and its influence on society. People's views are influenced by American policy. American policy is a very influential source for the people of the United States. Most of the anti-environmental Republican. People's views can be changed based on the information they receive whether it is true or not. This usage can be seen in the effect on news on the people of the United States. New outlets that support Republicans tend to report more about the Republic's views and are likely to challenge the existence of climate change. Their motive is to promote anti-environmentalism and other issues. The Democrats also have new stations supporting their party, news sources will show how climate change is real and why people should be pro-environment. The elites of both sides also have a profound influence on the public's view of environmental issues. People look toward them to receive information about ongoing issues in the United States.
See also
- Climate change denial
- Criticisms of environmentalism
- Fossil fuel lobby
- Movement of Wise use
References
Source
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- Terry, A. (2009, August 31). Pros and Cons: Alberta Oil Sands. Retrieved 20 March 2017, from http://globalnews.ca/news/66591/pros-and-cons-alberta-oil-sands/
- Thorbecke, C. (2017, 28 October). Timeline of the Dakota Access Channel Demonstration. Retrieved 20 March 2017, from http://abcnews.go.com/US/timeline-dakota-access-pipeline-protests/story?id=43131355
- US. Library of Congress. (n.d.). Mexico: Environmental Conditions. Retrieved 20 March 2017, from http://countrystudies.us/mexico/51.htm
- Volcovici, V. (2017, 24 January). Donald Trump EPA Administration Order to Pull Climate Change Page from Website. Retrieved 20 March 2017, from http://globalnews.ca/news/3203689/trump-epa-climate-change/
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Source of the article : Wikipedia
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