Yesterday’s Sunday Review section of the New York Times included a thoughtful piece about the state of the modern-day environmental movement. We think about this question a great deal, and strive to listen to all of you, our supporters, as we put forward our own new ideas about the direction the movement can take.
The end of the year is a good time to reflect on such things–and as we’ve been suggesting, we think the next move has to focus directly on what can be done right away to chip away at fossil fuel freeloading: namely, removing taxpayer subsidies to the oil, coal, and gas industries.
Our allies in the environmental movement are also thinking along similar lines, as they strive to also engage deeply with their own supporters.
Here is an excerpt from the article:
“After the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the failure to cap carbon, environmentalists latched on to the planned pipeline from Canada as a symbol of fossil-fuel dependence run amok. Local groups capitalized on landowner fears of oil leaks, while national groups protested outside the White House. The hubbub prompted the Obama administration, with a difficult election ahead, to put off a decision until 2013.
Much of the credit for the success of the demonstrations has gone to a man not quite of the traditional green establishment: Bill McKibben, a journalist turned advocate. Mr. McKibben founded 350.org, a group that has attracted young people and propelled its message online and through mass protest.
He observes that since young leaders in his organization have no memory of the 1970s heyday of environmental victories, they are more motivated. “They’re more steeped in the losses of recent years, and eager to fight on the ground and with the grass roots to turn things around,” he said.”