A scientific manuscript is circulating among some scientific circles making the case to, essentially, destroy capitalism. The authors, however, propose no alternative and reveal that environmentalists continue to try to make the case to place nature above the needs of mankind. The environmentalist Eden is around the corner, it will just take a little more time. Thankfully, the authors of this AIER article call out environmentalism as a religion (which is true).

Environmentalism as Religion: Unpacking the Congregation

By Ryan Yonk and Jessica Rood, American Institute for Economic Research

Dramatic headlines and images showing a deteriorating environment exist to demand swift, decisive, and large-scale action. We saw this approach in the 1960s when the first made-for-TV environmental crises showed oil-drenched seabirds on the California Coast and more recently in depressing videos depicting starving polar bears. Dramatic imagery has become the norm when discussing environmental issues.

We also see trends in editorial writing, discussions among political groups, changing business practices, and increasingly scholarly claims that also use dramatic imagery. At face value, these trends could indicate that the public demands dramatic governmental action on environmental issues. Some scholars, however, see this as more than mere increased public demand for government intervention, and they highlight similarities between environmentalism and religious movements. For example, Laurence Siegal states:

"In the decades since modern environmentalism began, the movement has taken on some of the characteristics of a religion: claims not backed by evidence, self-denying behavior to assert goodness, (and a) focus on the supposed end of times."

Scholars have tuned into the general public's zealous interest in the environment and more importantly, emphasis on government action, to push forward their own ideological goals under the guise of scholarship. Whereas the ultimate goal of scholarship is to mitigate climate change and improve sustainability, the reality is instead corrupted by thinly veiled ideology masquerading as scholarship, which is sure to distort any useful policy recommendations.

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