{"id":2451530,"date":"2019-11-24T22:56:01","date_gmt":"2019-11-25T05:56:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/paul-andersen-oh-those-damned-environmentalists\/"},"modified":"2019-11-24T22:56:01","modified_gmt":"2019-11-25T05:56:01","slug":"paul-andersen-oh-those-damned-environmentalists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/paul-andersen-oh-those-damned-environmentalists\/","title":{"rendered":"Paul Andersen: Oh, those damned environmentalists"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

No one becomes an environmentalist to get rich. But that\u2019s what one oil and gas magnate told me when he charged that \u201cenviros\u201d don\u2019t want to make reasonable compromises because of job security.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they resolve their issues, they\u2019re unemployed,\u201d he said. \u201cSo they take hard lines that keep them working against business.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to refute such a cynical view in a culture mired in self-interest, to imagine anyone acting on values other than those measured by money. What separates environmentalists from that mindset is the passionate motivation that comes from biophilia.<\/p>\n

Biophilia means love of life, a deep alignment with the living world, an innate connection with the biosphere as an inspiring cause.<\/p>\n

Greta Thunberg is a stand-out on the environmental front because she is in it for the cause. Like all successful social justice activists, Greta treats climate change the way evangelicals treat sin \u2014 preaching redemption through atonement and moral suasion.<\/p>\n

Right here at home, Rick Heede of Snowmass has worked years to identify the world\u2019s biggest carbon polluters. He has faced ridicule and intimidation, but he perseveres in pursuit of social justice so as to make polluters accountable.<\/p>\n

No true environmentalist would connive for job security over meaningful results. Environmentalism is not a vocation; it\u2019s a calling. You have to believe. Holding industry to higher standards requires persistence, not payouts.<\/p>\n

Decades ago, while living in Crested Butte, I reported on an environmental battle between the town and AMAX, a multinational corporation intent on mining 300 million tons of molybdenum ore from nearby Red Lady Bowl.<\/p>\n

Job security had nothing to do with defending small-town autonomy. It was all about staving off the very real and damaging socio-economic impacts of an extractive industry. Crested Butte vowed that it would not become the next sacrifice zone to the pathology of unbridled growth.<\/p>\n

When faced with the company\u2019s claim of an exemplary track record in developing \u201ca new generation of mines,\u201d Mitchell, the mayor, said, \u201cAMAX wants to do the best possible job on something that should never be done in the first place.\u201d He knew there was no reasonable compromise on a mega-mine.<\/p>\n

Critics put down environmentalists as radical obstructionists by sticking a label on them. Labels depersonalize. They put people into a box where it\u2019s easier to condemn, slander and vilify. This is the same political strategy that\u2019s divided our country. Cynics dodge real issues by simply condemning \u201cthose damned environmentalists.\u201d<\/p>\n

Biophilia is just the opposite; it unifies. When love of life is the sum of one\u2019s life, there is no separation between you and the environment. A true environmentalist doesn\u2019t work 9 to 5, only to drop it all and commute home in an F-350. Being an environmentalist is a 24\/7\/365 commitment.<\/p>\n

A life of integrity has to reflect one\u2019s ideals and values. If your body, mind and spirit are fully involved, undying passion will result. Compensation is not monetary; it is paid through success in conservation, preservation and valuation of all life, especially for future generations.<\/p>\n

Critics complain that \u201cGreenies\u201d only want to dismantle civilization and uproot society, that they are enemies of the human race bent on a quixotic mission for nature. \u201cEnviros\u201d are dismissed as idealistic, young Thoreau-backs to something primitive and frightening. That\u2019s all fear-mongering.<\/p>\n

True environmentalism is universal, and old age is no excuse for a lack of planetary consciousness. When you stop caring, you surrender your conscience. When you stop taking action, you\u2019ve got one foot in the grave.<\/p>\n

Leaving the environment to \u201cenvironmentalists\u201d is to defer a life obligation. Climate change challenges everyone to be environmentalists in every waking moment. That\u2019s the only thing that can turn it around.<\/p>\n

A recent report states that children will bear the brunt of climate change, making the cause humanitarian, spurred with a moral imperative. Climate is potentially the most unifying challenge in human history, where people of the world come together to pledge allegiance to each other in defense of the biosphere.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why a climate support group has just formed in Aspen \u2014 to help cope with trauma over a deep sense of loss and sorrow engendered by biophilia. It takes a village.<\/p>\n

Paul Andersen\u2019s column appears on Mondays. He may be reached at andersen@rof.net<\/a>.<\/p>\n

via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

No one becomes an environmentalist to get rich. But that\u2019s what one oil and gas magnate told me when he charged that \u201cenviros\u201d don\u2019t want to make reasonable compromises because of job security. \u201cIf they resolve their issues, they\u2019re unemployed,\u201d he said. \u201cSo they take hard lines that keep them working against business.\u201d It\u2019s hard […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2451530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-19 04:58:21","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley's Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2451530","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2451530"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2451530\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2451530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2451530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2451530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}