Philosophical Vegan Forum

Many pro-nuclear people like Stewart Brand, Michael Shellenberger and Mark Lynas identify as ecomodernists (see http://www.ecomodernism.org/ for the manifesto they signed).

"...we affirm one long-standing environmental ideal, that humanity must shrink its impacts on the environment to make more room for nature, while we reject another, that human societies must harmonize with nature to avoid economic and ecological collapse."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecomodernism

"On the basis of enlightened self-interest, economy and ecology can be favourably combined: Environmental productivity, i.e. productive use of natural resources and environmental media (air, water, soil, ecosystems), can be a source of future growth and development in the same way as labour productivity and capital productivity."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_modernization

Would you identify as an ecomodernist, and do you think it's a useful term/label?

Great find miniboes!
It sounds like an excellent movement and new identity.
I love the explicit rejection of the regressive harmonization ideal (I'm not a fan of going back to the stone age).

brimstoneSalad wrote:Great find miniboes!
It sounds like an excellent movement and new identity.
I love the explicit rejection of the regressive harmonization ideal (I'm not a fan of going back to the stone age).

I'm writing an article about it for my sociology course. I'll post what I've concluded later. The downside of this movement seems to be that it's quite heavily intertwined with neoliberal thought that thinks businesses will solve ecological destruction themselves, and government's shouldn't intervene.

miniboes wrote:The downside of this movement seems to be that it's quite heavily intertwined with neoliberal thought that thinks businesses will solve ecological destruction themselves, and government's shouldn't intervene.

That's a problem. So, libertarian leaning?
We would need at least something like cap and trade.

brimstoneSalad wrote:

miniboes wrote:The downside of this movement seems to be that it's quite heavily intertwined with neoliberal thought that thinks businesses will solve ecological destruction themselves, and government's shouldn't intervene.

That's a problem. So, libertarian leaning?
We would need at least something like cap and trade.

It seems so, at least part of the movement (just like veganism has a woo problem). My non-wikipedia sources so far are opposed to the theory so I've gotta read more into it to judge it.

It seems like the libertarian ties are either just the personal views of some of the founders of ecomodernisation theory (which is, I suppose, distinct from ecomodernism) or a strawman of the critic I read.

I also found that ecomodernism has some following in the Netherlands. There's 7 science journalists from various outlets that all write about it and the subjects connected to it. They have a blog together at http://ecomodernisme.backcover.be/ (Dutch). From what I've read, they all seem to have got their head in the right place; pro-nuclear, anti-organic, pro-gmo, pro-cultured meat, pro-urbanisation. They link to the ecomodernist manifesto in the first post of this thread.

I'm too busy with my upcoming deadlines now, but I may very well try to start an ecomodernist club or something at my university.

That's pretty awesome!

Is there an ecomodernist party?

brimstoneSalad wrote:That's pretty awesome!

Is there an ecomodernist party?

No. The movement exists, but it appears to be very small. It could be interesting to try and contact these guys and ask them what they're voting in 2017 and why.

miniboes wrote:

brimstoneSalad wrote:That's pretty awesome!

Is there an ecomodernist party?

No. The movement exists, but it appears to be very small. It could be interesting to try and contact these guys and ask them what they're voting in 2017 and why.

Or contact them and say "hey, let's incorporate a political party"

brimstoneSalad wrote:

miniboes wrote:

brimstoneSalad wrote:That's pretty awesome!

Is there an ecomodernist party?

No. The movement exists, but it appears to be very small. It could be interesting to try and contact these guys and ask them what they're voting in 2017 and why.

Or contact them and say "hey, let's incorporate a political party"

Why do you think this would be useful? As I said, the movement is tiny. In the Netherlands, there isn't even an actual organization; just 7 guys.

My the way, some additional information: the movement is definitely not libertarian. They are in favor of large scale government interference to fight climate change. Also, Michael Shellenberger, the guy who's pro-nuclear TED talk I posted recently, is one of the founders; the movement has its roots in an essay he co-authored called 'the death of environmentalism'.