The dominant discourse of the mainstream environmental movement is about the preservation of our lifestyles by adopting new 'green' technologies. That principle tenet is placed above everything else that the mainstream environmental agencies may claim or actually do. Preserving the very culture and lifestyle which is killing the planet. The crux of the environmental movement today, which is western (and predominantly white) is about the continuation of capitalism and exploitation (i.e using the planet to feed human greed - not addressing the actual needs). Leading environmental organisations, along with scores of scientists and environmental activists actually view the Earth as a resource and not as a living entity. During the last 30 years, the environmental movement has been gradually botched and hijacked by neoliberalism and big-money, manifesting via many new eco-friendly mantras, new technologies and the green new 'deal'. What deal can we as a species make with mother nature? We spoke to Derrick Jensen recently, who is an award winning writer, ecologic philosopher and ardent critique of neoliberalism and certain global environmental policies. We did so in order to understand the complexities and the deepening divide within the current environmental movements. Why we need to preserve wild nature (life) and not our lifestyles. We also spoke to him about the challenges of being an outspoken artist and environmental activist during the last three decades.
"Unquestioned assumptions are the real authorities of any culture" writes Derrick Jensen in his book The Myth of Human Supremacy. The failure to think critically has given us wanton luxuries as well as loss of bio-diversity, mountains of toxic trash and a sick planet. What Derrick Jensen means is that we as a race should not take our lifestyle and habits for granted. The same ideology can also be applied to question mainstream environmental movements and the eco-champions, who are leading the march towards a supposedly 'green future'. Who are they? What is their background? What is their real agenda? Who is funding them? Who are the big (capitalist) donors? What glorious promises or lies they may tell us, in order to convince us? How certain mainstream environmental scientists and activists are lying by omission? What are the myths and hidden (ugly) aspects of renewable energy?
Jensen duly criticises mainstream environmentalism and the big organisations, which too often limit discussions, as to how climate-change affects human life or the economy—with little or zero regard for nonhuman life. These very organisations like Greenpeace, 350.org, Sierra Club, WWF and UNEP are trying (hard) to silence global conversations about 'degrowth'. The annual U.N. Climate Change Conferences are not about saving wild nature, rather about how to perpetuate 'business as usual' with the help of technology and economics. With his characteristic compassionate logic, he argues, that we as a species have separated ourselves from the rest of nature - we in fact have oriented ourselves against nature, taking a horrific and irreversible turn, consequently leading to our own destruction and eminent extinction. Saving royal tigers or cute pandas or majestic elephants will amount to nothing, if we fail to protect (and love) the grass, the forests, the insects, the fish, the rivers, the plankton and the oceans...
Jensen duly criticises mainstream environmentalism and the big organisations, which too often limit discussions, as to how climate-change affects human life or the economy—with little or zero regard for nonhuman life. These very organisations like Greenpeace, 350.org, Sierra Club, WWF and UNEP are trying (hard) to silence global conversations about 'degrowth'. The annual U.N. Climate Change Conferences are not about saving wild nature, rather about how to perpetuate 'business as usual' with the help of technology and economics. With his characteristic compassionate logic, he argues, that we as a species have separated ourselves from the rest of nature - we in fact have oriented ourselves against nature, taking a horrific and irreversible turn, consequently leading to our own destruction and eminent extinction. Saving royal tigers or cute pandas or majestic elephants will amount to nothing, if we fail to protect (and love) the grass, the forests, the insects, the fish, the rivers, the plankton and the oceans...
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