so let's post a few uncomfortable/surprising truths that relate to this.
Why? As this area, environmentalism, is one of those areas people allow their political views to enter and trump scientific ones, ending up taking positions counter to their own stated position.
So here goes
First off, almost all the really dire predictions that were made when Earth Day first became a thing have been, well, wrong, showing that our ability to predict in this area is no better and maybe worse than any other.
That's, oddly enough, a reason to hope.
Regarding climate change, those who argue that we should go to an electric future free of coal fired power generation and fossil fuel powered cars have to accept that absolutely, with no exception, requires the use of the one really efficient green power source we have. That's nuclear power. Back all the windmills you want, but without nuclear power, we're not getting anywhere on this.
On that, fear of nuclear power is purely emotional and wholly un informed.
For those who scoff at the arrival of electric cars, by the way, you're about at the same point that people who scoffed at the arrival of cars themselves were in 1915. I.e., there's enough of the old around to fool yourself, but that's what you're doing. Ten years from now your petroleum consuming vehicle will have no value at all and you'll be looking for an electric one, like it or not.
Re solar and wind, while nuclear is necessary, these have now come into their own. Scoffing at these sources not being self supporting is living in the past. Yes, they have their own problems, but everything does.
Next, in order to really preserve the wild areas and basic environment of North America you pretty much have to cap off immigration at some rational level. I.e., you can't increase the population of the country much beyond the current point and, frankly, you really have to look towards it decreasing, which given the low birth rate of native born North Americans is actually perfectly possible.
The entire population of the world will start decreasing on its own sometime during this century, but the current population growth rate in North America is way beyond the sustainable and that's all immigration fueled. This isn't racist or xenophobic. It would still be true no matter what populations were taken in. It's a simple fact. For that reason, really, immigration at this point in time ought to be geared mostly towards true refugees with some rational acknowledgement that a slower rate is required.
Tied into this, advocating for growth in everything is contrary to the environment as well, rather obviously.
On another point, agriculture is the only really green industry of any kind, and even it isn't green when its industrial. If you want to preserve the environment, preserve sustainable family farms and ranches, everything else flows from that.
The closure you live to nature, the more of a real conservationist or environmentalist you are. If you herd sheep, ranch, farm, work out in the sticks, etc., you are probably an environmentalist even if you don't know it. If you work in a large city, chances are that you aren't, even if you think you are.
Related to that, if you aren't gardening, hunting or fishing, you aren't really an environmentalist.
You probably also aren't if your living a modern corporate existence in a big American city. You may be eating a tofu based diet and working from home in Seattle, but if you got there by going to an east coast law school to make a big income and went on a vacation, just before COVID 19, to Bali, you're likely consuming a lot more of everything than that guy working down at the garage who's driving a twenty year old beat up pickup to work.
If you call your dog a "fur baby" and have fits about the plights of pets, but don't worry so much about humans, same thing. Being a misanthrope or just neglectful of the human condition doesn't make you an environmentalist.
If you oppose environmental measures because you are a Republican, and support them because you are a Democrat, you aren't thinking things out. Individual things require individual ponderings.
All of which means, you can't have it all your way, on anything.
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