Death of Environmentalism

The “death of environmentalism” refers to a controversial idea within the environmental movement first articulated in a 2004 essay by Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus. The authors are both veteran activists who have worked professionally for several environmental and labor nongovernmental organizations in California. The pair helped cofound the Apollo Alliance, a network of environmental, private enterprise, organized labor, and civil rights advocates whose primary goal is the creation of three million new green jobs and the weaning of American reliance on foreign oil. Their essay argued that conventional conceptions of environmentalism are outdated and have outlived their usefulness. This is made apparent, they argue, by the unique challenges put forward by global climate change. As such, Shellenberger and Nordhaus are not arguing that environmentalism ...