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What Americans Need to Understand about Environmental Activism on World Environment Day

June 05, 2013 Add Comment Edit

The world looks to America for leadership. Sadly World Environment Day (WED) tends to be a low profile day in the US compared to some other environmental events. This is unfortunate because the day is meant to be global in scope. It is important for Americans to understand the truly global scale of environmental threats and climate change in particular.

It is fitting that as we acknowledge WED on Wednesday June 5th, we celebrate the global power of environmental activism. This year marks the United Nations 41st WED, an annual event that aspires to be the world's most widely celebrated global day for positive environmental action.

While we often think of environmental activism from a national perspective the issues they address are commonly international in scope. Environmental problems like climate change causing greenhouse gases do not respect national boundaries.

A great illustration of successful global activism is Greenpeace's "Detox Fashion" initiative. This campaign has succeed in harnessing the power of popular activism to change the businesses practices of numerous organizations. Greenpeace's consumer powered pressure campaigns have changed the manufacturing processes of a dozen clothing giants. As reviewed by Greenpeace campaigner John Deans, turning consumers into activists is a key component of their strategy.

Environmental abuse has international repercussions and as such is subject to global forces. A good illustration of this point is the Arab Spring which is a contagious popular movement that has led to progress on many environmental fronts.

WED is an opportunity to reflect on the globalized nature of environmental activism. This is a day for people from all walks of life to come together to help build a cleaner and greener future. As explained by the United Nations, WED is intended to “enable everyone to realize not only their responsibility, but also their power to become agents for change in support of sustainable and equitable development.”

Ecological advocacy anywhere is an important part of environmentalism everywhere. Emerging transnational activism gives us reason to hope that we may be able to bring about the global changes we so desperately need.

This day should encourage Americans to support fledgling green movements in other parts of the world as they are an integral part of efforts to address global environmental problems.

People are awakening to the reality that together they have the power to change the world, and we can only hope that Americans will waken to need to support environmental activism around the globe.

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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EPA's Carbon Pollution Standard has Strong Support

May 29, 2012 Add Comment Edit

Over one million people have expressed their strong support for the EPA's proposed protections from dangerous carbon pollution produced by new coal-fired power plants. The EPA wants to create regulations as authorized by the Clean Air Act (see Laws Statutes for the Clean Air Act). NSR permits have been required by regulations since the 1970's but the EPA is working to update and improve these regulations. The EPA action to adopt carbon pollution standards will help clean up and modernize the way we power the country and prevent life-threatening air pollution like toxic mercury, dirty soot and the smog that triggers asthma attacks.

On May 24, 2012, Sierra Club activists and others packed two U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) public hearings in Washington, D.C. and Chicago. Sierra Club activists joined health professionals, labor union leaders, parents, faith leaders, and public officials in testifying.

These are the first national limits on carbon pollution being spewed into the air by the nation’s largest sources, dirty coal-fired power plants. “We are here today to thank the Obama administration, and to show our ironclad support for limiting dangerous carbon pollution being dumped into our air,” said Mary Anne Hitt, Director of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign, who testified at the Washington, DC hearing with her 2-year-old daughter, Hazel. “These standards will allow EPA to focus on the industry that creates the lion’s share of the nation’s carbon pollution – Big Coal. For the sake of our kids and families who need clean air to breathe, workers who need good jobs, and all of us who need a stable climate, we urge the EPA to quickly finalize strong carbon pollution standards.”

In Chicago, the leaders that testified in favor of the carbon pollution standards include Brian Urbaszewski of the American Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago and Steve Frenkel, the director of the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Midwest office.

In Washington, D.C., testifiers included Mary Anne Hitt, director of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign and Laura Anderko, RN, PHD, Endowed Chair at Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies.

The EPA's public comment period for the proposed EPA carbon pollution standards began April 13 and concludes on June 25. The carbon pollution standard has already generated more supportive comments than any other EPA standard in history. More than 1.3 million Americans have already submitted public comments supporting EPA action to adopt carbon pollution standards.

Click here to add your name to a virtual rally for people to send messages to the EPA and to Administrator Lisa Jackson showing support for the carbon pollution standards.

© 2012, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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US Wants Government Action on the Environment but Less Fond of the Environmental Movement

May 08, 2012 Add Comment Edit

Polls suggest that Americans want to see their government act on environmental issues, but they do not have much love for the environmental movement. According to a number of different surveys, people in the US have seemingly contradictory views on the environment. American public opinion may be divided but there are some issues that enjoy the support of the majority.

Most Americans want to see government support for clean energy and they want government to make climate change a priority issue. The majority of Americans see global warming as an important issue, and regularly engage in behaviors that are good for the environment.

Gallup recently found that 83 percent of Americans want more government support for clean energy. Yale and George Mason University researchers found [PDF] that 72 percent of Americans believe that global warming should be a government priority. Another Gallup poll found that three out of four Americans regularly engage in environmentally friendly behaviors.

Polls on American attitudes suggest that support for the environmental movement has declined over the last ten years.According to a 2010 Gallup poll, American support the environmental movement has decreased and unsurprisingly it is split along party lines. Republicans tend to dislike environmentalists while Democrats tend to be supporters.

The 2010 survey asked respondents whether they think the environmental movement has done more good than harm, or vice versa, and a similar but slightly stronger pattern emerges. In 2010, 22 percent said that the movement has "definitely done more good than harm" and 40% that it has "probably done more good than harm," for a total of 62% holding a positive view. This reflects a decline of 13 points since 2000.