FromTree-Huggers

andNIMBY's

toAstroturf

and Greenwashing

FromTree-Huggers

andNIMBY's

toAstroturf

and Greenwashing

Politics and the Environment

The EnvironmentThe Environment

• definitions– circumstances or conditions that surround an

organism or group of organisms– the complex of social or cultural conditions that

affect an individual or community

• for humans - our home - well suited to our existence– natural world

• plants• animals• earth• air• water

– “man-made”• sociological• scientific• Technological

ScienceScience

• characteristics– objective (subject to the scientists

background)– systematic– precise (of known precision)– creative– insightful– rational

ScienceScience

• “scientific method”– no single method– a pattern for how to examine things– unassailable proof and truth are very rare

(if they exist at all)– must document

Scientific UncertaintyScientific Uncertainty

• always present

• goal: known range– < 1%: extremely unlikely– 1-10%: little chance, very unlikely– 10-33%: some chance, unlikely– 33-66%: medium likelihood– 66-90%: likely, probable– 90-99%: very likely, very probable– > 99%: virtual certainty(from: “Uncertain Science…Uncertain World,” Pollack, 2003)

Environmental ScienceEnvironmental Science

• Systematic study of the environment and our place in it

• Characteristics– scientific– interdisciplinary– mission-oriented

• explain the importance of the findings• apply the science as a solution

Environmental EthicsEnvironmental Ethics

• Can the environment (or part of it) be treated rightly or wrongly?

• Value: intrinsic vs. instumental

• Some Worldviews– domination– stewardship– ecocentric– animal rights– biocentric– ecofeminism

Roots of EnvironmentalismRoots of Environmentalism

• recognition of human impact– deforestation– soil erosion– climate change

• characterization of Earth as a living planet

Types of EnvironmentalismTypes of Environmentalism

• pragmatic resource conservation– protect supplies of resources– “for the greatest good, for the greatest

number for the longest time”– develop and use– utilitarian conservation– US Forest Service

Types of EnvironmentalismTypes of Environmentalism

• moral and aesthetic nature preservation– nature for nature’s sake– altruistic preservation– US Park Service

Types of EnvironmentalismTypes of Environmentalism

• modern environmentalism– concern for effects of pollution

• on humans• on the environment

– activism– research– focus on local issues– Earth Day - March 22, 1970

Types of EnvironmentalismTypes of Environmentalism

• global environmentalism– “global village”– concern for effects of

• population growth• economic globalization

– global changes• climate change• biodiversity• toxic colonialism

Environmental EconomicsEnvironmental Economics

• The development cycle– with decreasing availability, the cost

increases– responses

• use declines• money available for:

– extraction of marginal resources– new types of extraction (technological response)– exploration for new deposits– importation

• more efficient use• substitution of/replacement with another

resource

Environmental EconomicsEnvironmental Economics

• Cost-benefit analysis– compares

• costs and benefits of plan• alternative plans (including doing nothing)

– provides hard numbers for a project– difficulties

• unforeseen costs & benefits• non-economic costs & benefits• indirect costs & benefits• intangibles• external costs

Environmental IssuesEnvironmental Issues

• Science– indicates problems

• resource loss• pollution• global change

– indicates solutions• technology• best practices

– never 100% certain– always need more research

Environmental IssuesEnvironmental Issues

• Environmental Ethics– the role & responsibility of humans

• dominator• caretaker• partner

• Economics– decision-making tool– role of “invisible hand”

Environmental IssuesEnvironmental Issues

• Government– roles

• responsible caretaker

– trust doctrine

• arbiter between– public– science– ethics– economics– business– property owners

– methods• “hands-on”• “hands-off”

– models• “power

politics”• “rational

choice”

Federal Process(U.S. Constitution)Federal Process(U.S. Constitution)

• Article 1, section 8 (Congressional powers):– “to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and

excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the U.S.; but all duties, imposts, and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;”

– “to regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes;”

– “To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for the carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department of officer thereof.”

Federal Process(U.S. Constitution)Federal Process(U.S. Constitution)

• 5th amendment: “No person shall be...deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation”– (14th amendment, section 1: extends 5th

amend. to states)

Federal Process(U.S. Constitution)Federal Process(U.S. Constitution)

• 9th amendment: “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people”

• 10th amendment: “The powers not delegated to the US by the constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.”

Government ActionsGovernment Actions

• Levels– Federal– State– Local

• Branches– Legislative– Judicial– Executive

Legislative (Statutory Law)Legislative (Statutory Law)

• process– committee

• referrals• hearings

– rules committee• may refuse to schedule

vote– floor debate

• limits (rules comm.)• filibusters & cloture

– conference committee• reconciliation

• details– authorization vs.

appropriation– amendments– changing language– riders– committee revisions

Political Action: LegislativePolitical Action: Legislative

• Campaigning– financial support– personal support

• Lobbying– personal contact– public pressure

• grass-roots• astroturf

– other action• demonstrations• individual actions

Judicial (case law)Judicial (case law)

• starting point– jurisdiction– standing of plaintiff– criminal vs. civil

• rulings– constitutionality– interpretation of intent– responsibility &/or liability– establish precedent

Political Action: JudicialPolitical Action: Judicial

• Civil Action– personal– government

• Criminal Action– government only

• Concerns– expense: time & money– public perception

• SLAPP

Executive (administrative law)Executive (administrative law)

• Regulatory Agencies– rule making– standard setting– investigation– prosecution

• Policy Setting– budgetary– enforcement– veto power– treaties

Political Action: ExecutivePolitical Action: Executive

• Campaigning– financial support– personal support

• Lobbying– personal contact– public pressure

• grass-roots• astroturf

– other action• demonstrations

Policy CyclePolicy Cycle• identify problem

• set agenda• develop proposals build support

• enact law• create rules• implement

• evaluate results• suggest changes

science:science:

uncertainuncertain

Tree-HuggersTree-Huggers

• Pejorative term used to describe environmentally minded activists. It originated from people who tried to prevent logging by putting themselves in danger such as chaining themselves to threatened trees.

(Wikipedia, 2004)

TreehuggersTreehuggers

• Julia Butterfly & Luna– two years in a California redwood– http://www.ottermedia.com/LunaJulia.html

• Wangari Maathai– 2004 Nobel Peace Prize– Green Belt Movement

• 20 million trees planted in central Africa• http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/biographies.htm

NIMBYNIMBY• NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) is an acronym

for the opposition by people living in pleasant, affluent, or rural areas to local construction of intrusive facilities, which are often intended primarily to serve people living far away .

• Generally people who express NIMBY sentiments acknowledge the need for the facilities, while arguing that they "just don't want them nearby".

(Wikipedia, 2004)

NIMBYsNIMBYs

• http://www.saveballona.org/

• http://www.nobrantfill.freeservers.com/

• http://www.no-more-landfill.com/

• http://www.farmweb.org/

AstroturfingAstroturfing• Used pejoratively to describe formal public relations

projects which deliberately give the impression of spontaneous and populist reactions.

• The term is a play on "grassroots" efforts, which are truly spontaneous undertakings started spontaneously and largely sustained by private persons, not politicians, corporations or public relations firms. A "grassroots" campaign is perceived to come from the popular feelings of some mass of people and to not be a creation of the powerful.

• "Astroturfing", by contrast, is a campaign crafted by politicians or other professionals but carefully designed to appear that it is the result of popular feeling rather than manipulation.

(Wikipedia, 2004)

Astroturf organizationsAstroturf organizations

• CALIFORNIA DESERT COALITION

• CITIZENS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

• NATIONAL WETLANDS COALITION

GreenwashingGreenwashing

• A term that environmentalists and other critics give to the activity of giving a positive public image to putatively environmentally unsound practices.

(Wikipedia, 2004)

• Also refers to taking an environmentally responsible stand in public while actively promoting environmentally unsound practices out of public view.

Corporate GreenwashingCorporate Greenwashing

• Mobil Chemical added a small amount of starch to the plastic in Hefty trash bags and called them "biodegradable" (however, the bags would not degrade if buried in landfills, but only if left out in the sun; moreover, the bags didn't degrade, but rather broke up into smaller plastic pieces -- not the same thing!) A Mobil Chemical pitch man said, "degradability is just a marketing tool. We're talking out of both sides of our mouth because we want to sell our bags."

(source: http://a4a.mahost.org/fakes.html)

Political GreenwashingPolitical Greenwashing

• President Bush– “I've got a plan to increase the wetlands by

3 million.” (protection has been removed from 20 million acres)

– “We've got an aggressive brown field program to refurbish inner-city sore spots to useful pieces of property.” (benefits businesses who want to locate on cheap land)

Political GreenwashingPolitical Greenwashing

• President Bush– “I proposed to the United States Congress a Clear

Skies Initiative to reduce sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and mercury by 70 percent.” (establishes new targets that are weaker than the existing targets)

– “We proposed and passed a healthy forest bill which was essential to working with -- particularly in Western states -- to make sure that our forests were protected.” (plan would promote logging of large, commercially valuable trees miles from at-risk communities )