Has Environmentalism Become An Institution?

By Theodora Filis

Earlier this week, I received an email from a reader who seemed filled with a sense of duty to set me and my “environmental agenda” straight. 

Mr. “X”, wrote:

“Dear Ms. Fills, I am not surprised, that there are people like you, who for their own personal benefits, love to spread doomsday predictions. The Fukushima "disaster" was on the news every day for months, because doomsay brings much more money, than good news. All those scare-mongers, like Al Gore, Michael Mann, Richard Branson and the likes, have their agendas, and while they themselves pollute the air prodigiously, they tell us, the commoners, not to pollute as they very obviously believe, that only the "elite" have the right to do so. 

...why is it that groups like Greenpeace and the one that uses the Seashepherd not follow their "Green" preachings and build ships made of dead trees, instead of using the latest technology in ships, which all have been made from mined products. While it is common for "greenies" to fillify all matter that comes from minedproducts (those pollute too much), they are more than happy to use those products? It is a clear example of their insiduous hypocrisy. I bet, that you utilise cars, airplanes, P.C.'s, cell-phones and all modern day items, which ironically, are all products from those hated mines! I would only respect your actions, if you would truly live according to the "Green mantra", but not when you do not live what you preach.” 

In all fairness to Mr. X, I can not argue with some of his points, and must admit that I too have questioned the motives that fuel this huge institution we call “environmentalism”.

Twenty-five years ago, environmentalists were an insignificant group, considered radical by most living in the US. However, what used to be extremist "environmentalist" ideology has become mainstream. In the US, environmentalism permeates institutions at every level, from corporate boardrooms to the Federal Reserve, the Congress, the White House, the churches, homes and schools. 

Was Mr. X completely wrong when he said “...doomsday brings much more money, than good news.”? No, Mr. X was spot on with that comment and anyone involved in the media will tell you so.

There are several thousand groups in the US today involved in "saving the Earth". Although all share a common philosophy, these groups are of four general types: those concerned respectively with, environmental problems, population control, animal rights, and land trusts. 

The vast wealth of the environmentalist groups may come as a shock to most readers who believe that these groups are made up of "public interest", "nonprofit" organizations that are making great sacrifices to save the Earth from a looming doomsday caused by man's activities. In fact, the environmental movement is one of the most powerful and lucrative businesses in the world today. 

Most of these groups are very secretive about their finances, but there is enough evidence on the public record to show what they're up to. 

While science and medicine continue to advance exponentially – basic health services and essential medicines still fail to reach the majority of the global population. For those living in Third World countries, this can be fatal. 

In the same amount of time it took to read these lines, a pregnant woman, seven infants, and 20 children under five died, most of them, in the developing world: attributed, directly or indirectly, to debt service and "technological apartheid", policies that prevent modern technologies – such as water treatment plants, nuclear energy, refrigeration, mechanized agriculture, pesticides, and fertilizers -- from being used in Third World countries.

These policies were considered colonialist in past decades; today, they are promoted by environmental groups in industrialized nations, under the guise of “saving the Earth” from pollution. 

Have I just contradicted everything I have been writing about over these past four years? Not exactly. My reports focus on the very serious and very real, life threatening realities associated with hydraulic fracturing (fracking), genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and nuclear waste. Information that helps readers understand what is going on behind the media blitz allowing them to make informed decisions and draw accurate conclusions.

I often tell people that the most important aspect of any news source is the attention it gives to the subject in order that the reader, or listener, can follow up with their own investigative research.