Average Americans vs. Environmentalists :: Environmental Essays

Average Americans vs. environmentalists American first step magazine (May/June 1999) carried an article by Karl Zinsmeister, titled Environmentalists vs. Scientists. Its mostly a pass over on research published by two academics Stanley Rothman and Robert Lichter in their nurse titled Environmental Cancer A Political Disease. The authors surveyed a cross-section(prenominal) of environmental leaders at organizations such as National Resources defence reaction Council, the Sierra Club, the National Wildlife Federation, Ducks Unlimited, the Environmental Defense Fund, the Nature Conservancy and the National Audubon Society. identic exclusivelyy worded survey questions were administered to different groups of scientists. Among the groups surveyed was the American Association for Cancer Research, whose members are specialists in carcinogenesis or epidemiology.It turns out that scientists and environmentalists hold markedly different views. Sixty-seven part of pubic louse specialist s believe theres no crab louse epidemic while just 27 percent of environmental activists hold the same view. plainly xxvii percent of cancer specialists agree with the statement industry causes rising cancer rates, while 64 percent of environmentalists do. The scientists didnt trust the media. Only 22 percent of cancer specialists consider the New York Times reporting on cancer topics to be trustworthy and only six percent found the TV network news to be so.When 400 climatologists, oceanographers and atmospheric scientists were asked whether evidence supports the glasshouse effect theory, 41 percent agreed compared to 66 percent of environmentalists. Similarly, 51 percent of energy scientists say nuclear power plants are estimable compared to only 10 percent of environmentalists. Environmentalists not only differ from scientists provided are markedly different from the general public as well. Environmental activists are a narrow elite 76 percent are male, 97 percent are white and a third ingest incomes over $100,000. They are unrepresentative of America politically as well. 63 percent get word themselves as liberals compared to 18 percent of the general public. Only six percent are Republicans ten times as numerous are Democrats. To the question, Id fight for my country, right or wrong, 57 percent of all Americans answered yes while only 9 percent of environmentalists said yes.Environmentalists support causes the likes of race quotas, abortion-on-demand and homosexual rights at rates of 70 to 80 percent, versus 34 to 40 percent of the general public. Rothman and Licther summarized, Although most Americans are willing to describe themselves as environmentalists, from these data it seems clear that environmental activists do not verbalize for the public. . . . The perspective and background of this movements leadership are considerably removed from those of the majority.