Developing a Synthetic Environmentalism

A focus on apocalyptic concerns with natural limits, population growth, extinction, overconsumption, technology out of control or climate change facts is in the end a recipe for political disaffection and failure. Environmental change is predicated on political ecological change and that means that the potential allies of environmentalists are wide-ranging... yet these allies are offended by discourses of scarcity and apocalypse. A more synthetic, hybrid, approach that addresses democratizing development, technological choice, public health concerns, productive relationships, government bureaucracies and cultural practices is needed.