Philosophy

WHILE it may be true to say that “We are all environmentalists now”, the great majority of Australians have little or no say in the environmental policies being put to governments – federal, state or local.  These policies are almost exclusively the domain of a tight network of conservation groups ensuring one view, and one view only, is put forward.   

I’m paraphrasing comments from Barry Cohen made to me a couple of years ago.  Mr Cohen was Australia’s Minister for the Arts, Heritage and Environment in the Hawke Government from 1983 to 1987.

What are the key values and beliefs shared by this “tight network of conservation groups” often referred to as the Greens? 

Some claim the Greens based their policies on sound science, but I’m yet to see the evidence to support this contention.  

I’ve listened to some explain that the Greens essentially take a commonsense approach to environmental issues, but science, particularly physics, makes a mockery of commonsense. 

Much has been written by those who scorn the Greens labelling them socialists, luddites and liars.   But again, this is hardly the beginning or the end of their story.

It is generally accepted that the beliefs and values of the Greens have had a profound impact on western society over the last few decades.

But where do we go to better understand these values and determine whether or not they are really worth subscribing to?

Furthermore, if the Greens are never made to declare what they honestly stand for, they remain freer than most political movements to craft a potentially misleading, though perhaps politically savvy message.

[Read more…] about Defining the Greens (Part 2)

According to George Megalogenis writing in the Weekend Australian neither the “right” nor the “left” in Australia can now win power without the support of the Greens.

But what exactly do the Greens stand for?

I recently suggested there are different types of Environmentalists, for example there are those like Tim Flannery who support geoengineering solutions to cool the planet, while Goreists tend to be more interested in changing societal attitudes.  

According to the website for the Australian Greens, their vision is for a “fair, independent and sustainable” Australia.  The home page has a banner stating they are about “peace and non-violence, grassroots democracy, social and economic justice and ecological sustainability”. 

No one could disagree with any of this, but what does it mean in terms of the environment, power and politics?

[Read more…] about Defining ‘The Greens’ (Part 1)

MANY in Australia and around the English-speaking world will celebrate Easter this long weekend.  I usually go to Church on Easter Sunday. I’m a Christian by culture while an Atheist by choice.   I am inspired by the natural world, its beauty and natural order, so perhaps I am also an environmentalist. 

Easter can be a time for reflection including about the world around us and how we choose to live our lives. 

Practicing Protestant and climate change sceptic, Graham Young, reflects on the meanings of being a modern Christian today at e-journal Online Opinion.  He writes:
“Christianity is not even a broad church, but often a seething mass of denominational theological debate. While one cannot condemn science on the basis of ‘eugenics, nuclear warheads and pollution’ no defence of science would be complete that did not deal with these things either.

“Likewise a defence of Christianity that refuses not only to deal with religious extremism but the sort of evangelical Christianity that dominates outside of Europe, Canada, Australia and the north-east and the west coast of the USA, is flawed. All Christians are not creationists, but many are. This cannot be ignored.”

[Read more…] about Easter Musings on Life and Environmentalism

A society will only be able to benefit from science if it can sustain a sceptical outlook as part of its inherent cultural fabric.  Janet Barlow.

ONE of the persistent problems with environmentalism is its bait-and-switch character. The essentially political character of the movement cloaks itself with the seemingly objective authority of modern science, as though science were immune from politicization, or led to self-evident political or policy conclusions.

Laying aside the value-laden premises of the ways science is used and misused in environmental controversies, it is startling to discover how limited our scientific grasp of many environmental conditions really is. The worst abuse of science comes in the almost daily predictions of future environmental conditions based on sophisticated computer models that often lack a solid empirical grounding for their assumptions and are seldom validated or back-tested with any rigor…

[Read more…] about An Organised Crisis: Notes from Steven Hayward