For decades, environmentalism has been dominated by the political Left. Wrapped in the language of moral panic and marketed as urgent salvation, the modern environmental movement has abandoned rational stewardship for ideological control. But this wasn't always the case. Before it was hijacked by globalists, socialists, and technocrats, environmentalism was a deeply conservative instinct, rooted in reverence for creation, responsibility to future generations, and respect for the limits of human pride.
Today, a New Environmentalism is emerging. It rejects the hysteria of climate alarmism, the rigid dogma of "net zero," and the social engineering embedded in top-down "green" policy. Instead, it calls for a return to common-sense conservation, practical environmental solutions, and market-based approaches that protect both nature and liberty.
The Conservative Roots of Environmentalism
Long before the word "environmentalist" was politicised, conservative thinkers and leaders saw the natural world not as a stage for ideological struggle, but as a gift to be cherished and passed down. Theodore Roosevelt, hardly a Leftist, led the charge for national parks. British Tories preserved rural landscapes under "greenbelt" protections. Agrarian traditions from America to Europe taught that land, water, and air are not resources to be plundered, but inheritances to be guarded.
This mindset was largely discarded after World War II, when the rise of industrial activism and population panic gave the Left an opening to rebrand environmentalism as a vehicle for global redistribution, technocratic planning, and anti-human pessimism.
Climate Alarmism Is Not Conservation
The environmentalist Left now operates like a secular religion, complete with sin (carbon), heresy (climate scepticism), and salvation (submission to global carbon regimes). Yet most of the "solutions" offered, solar farms, offshore wind, smart growth, mass transit, and ESG schemes, fail both technically and economically.
We're told the planet is on the brink. Yet the actual data contradict the apocalyptic rhetoric. There is no "climate emergency." Humans adapt. Energy innovation progresses. Nature is more resilient than we are allowed to believe. But while we debate imaginary doomsdays, real environmental crises are ignored: collapsing insect populations, overfished oceans, poisoned rivers, and vast oceanic plastic gyres.
What the New Environmentalism offers is a course correction, from top-down hysteria to local stewardship, from artificial scarcity to intelligent abundance.
Real Stewardship Without Tyranny
True conservation isn't achieved through mandates and moratoriums, it comes from responsibility, ownership, and investment. The New Environmentalism recognises:
That overregulation, not free enterprise, is the root of unaffordable housing, failing water systems, and energy bottlenecks.
That renewables, while potentially useful, are not magic; they are resource-intensive, land-hungry, and often environmentally destructive in their own right.
That market incentives, not bureaucratic decrees, produce innovation in energy, agriculture, and urban design.
That subsidiarity, the principle that decisions should be made as close to the community as possible, creates better outcomes than global carbon accords and unelected climate panels.
Most importantly, this new approach puts human flourishing at the centre of environmental concern. It refuses to see humanity as a parasite. Instead, it recognises that wealth, health, and freedom are prerequisites for good ecological outcomes.
From Smart Growth to New Suburbanism
Take housing. The Left insists that "smart growth," dense, expensive, transit-dependent megacities, is the only way to protect nature. In reality, this policy isolates families, restricts choice, and increases costs. The New Suburbanism offers a better model: allow families to choose homes, space, and communities that suit their needs, without subsidising one lifestyle over another. Suburban and exurban development, far from being environmental threats, can be efficient, resilient, and deeply human if properly planned.
Prosperity Is the Prerequisite
For every person on Earth to enjoy even half the energy Americans use today, global energy production must double. That cannot be achieved by wind turbines and solar panels alone. The real path to clean abundance is to unleash safe nuclear power, responsibly tap natural gas, and continue innovating in carbon capture, next-gen fuels, and high-efficiency systems.
It's no accident that the cleanest countries on Earth are the wealthiest. Wealth brings sanitation, emission controls, habitat preservation, and investment in cleanup. Poverty brings deforestation, poaching, and pollution. The climate agenda's obsession with restraint, austerity, and energy rationing is a recipe for environmental and economic collapse alike.
Reclaiming Environmentalism from the Left
We should not surrender the idea of environmentalism to those who hate civilisation, sabotage industry, and regulate prosperity into the ground. Instead, conservatives must reclaim the mantle of stewardship, guided by reality, not fear; by prudence, not panic; by hope, not guilt.
The New Environmentalism is conservation without control, growth without guilt, and science without ideology. It's not about rejecting the environment. It's about rejecting the political machinery that exploits it.
The Left made environmentalism a tool of social engineering. Conservatives can make it a project of renewal, of land, community, and national dignity.
https://amgreatness.com/2025/05/07/principles-of-new-environmentalism/
Principles of New Environmentalism
A new environmentalism challenges climate alarmism, rejects false scarcity, and defends both ecological integrity and human freedom through practical, market-based solutions.
By Edward Ring
Last month, in recognition of the annual celebration of Earth Day, it seemed appropriate to compile a list of ten common myths that constitute the major premises of modern environmentalism. That list, along with explanations of why each of these premises is unfounded and counterproductive, can be summarized as follows:
1 – There is no climate crisis.
2 – There are not too many people on Earth.
3 – We are not running out of oil/gas/coal.
4 – Biofuel is not renewable or sustainable.
5 – Offshore wind is not renewable or sustainable.
6 – Renewables are not renewable.
7 – Renewables cannot replace oil/gas/coal.
8 – Housing should not be confined to densifying existing cities.
9 – Mass transit is almost never cost-effective.
10 – Wilderness areas are not sacred.
Environmentalism, pursuant to these myths, is not a movement primarily devoted to protecting the planet's ecosystems. It is a totalitarian political agenda that aims to consolidate power and wealth in the hands of a managerial elite that will wield absolute control over every aspect of human life. Where you live or travel, what you purchase or produce, and what you can own and consume will all be specified, monitored, and rationed. And the moral justification for this will be the "climate emergency."
There are few examples in history that can compare to the political power grab enabled by the alleged "existential threat" of climate change. But of equal concern is the fraudulent essence of the economic and technological agenda pushed in the name of fighting climate change. It not only discredits environmentalism in the eyes of awakening millions, but, as explained in the ten myths, it also will wreak environmental havoc.
Meanwhile, true environmentalist values, uncorrupted, remain of vital importance to humanity. It is necessary to expose how special interests have hijacked the environmentalist movement. But it is equally necessary to articulate principles that may inform a new environmentalism focused on authentic threats and propose ways to counter these threats without compromising individual freedom and prosperity. To that end, here are some ideas.
Principles of New Environmentalism
1 – Questioning the "climate emergency" does not mean someone is not an environmentalist.
2 – Public investments and public policies designed to combat the alleged climate emergency must still pass a cost/benefit analysis that does not take into account "climate impact."
3 – Over-regulation is a primary cause of unaffordability, but deregulation cannot be selectively targeted to favor, for example, "renewables" or "affordable housing." A level, deregulated playing field must be created for all investments, including energy, water, and housing.
4 – The priorities of environmentalists must return to addressing genuine environmental threats, for example:
– The steady and significant decline in global insect mass.
– Overfishing the oceans.
– Poaching of endangered species.
– Aquatic dead zones.
– Deforestation and wildlife depletion in nations denied access to conventional energy and commercial agriculture because of the "climate emergency."
– Actual air and water pollution, mostly in developing nations.
– Biofuel plantations destroying hundreds of thousands of square miles of rainforest.
– Massive oceanic garbage patches.
– The worsening human population crash and environmental factors that may be contributing to worldwide loss of fertility.
5 – Mitigating even genuine environmental challenges must avoid extremes. Advances in genomics can now identify subspecies as unique even if they are otherwise indistinguishable apart from minute genetic differences. Similarly, we now can measure toxins in parts-per-trillion quantities. But now that science's ability to identify subspecies and measure toxins greatly exceeds our economic capacity to mitigate, a balance must be struck.
6 – "Smart Growth" is not smart. It is a heavily subsidized and highly inefficient way to create housing that most people don't prefer. The alternative to Smart Growth might be called "New Suburbanism," an unsubsidized, family-friendly approach that recognizes consumer preferences and, contrary to agenda-driven misinformation, does not consume excessive land.
7 – In a reasonably regulated, competitive commercial environment, private industry can operate far more efficiently than government. Private investment in, for example, energy production, water infrastructure, mineral extraction, and forestry will create jobs, generate tax revenue, and lower the cost of living.
8 – A corollary to the principle of private investment being more efficient is the unavoidable necessity for public utilities. You can't change the route of a pipeline or railroad for every property owner who will not consent to an easement. But public utilities should not be guaranteed revenue on a cost-plus model, and their profits should not be "decoupled" from their productivity.
9 – For everyone on earth to use half as much energy as Americans do per capita, global energy production must double. In 2023, wind, solar, and geothermal energy only accounted for 2.5 percent of global energy production. Scaling these "renewable" sources of energy while they remain technologically immature is not sustainable. We need to continue to develop conventional energy while continuing to aggressively research new energy technologies. Access to energy is a prerequisite to prosperity and wealth, which in turn is a prerequisite for nations to have the wherewithal to address and solve genuine environmental challenges.
10 – Around the world, the challenge to achieve abundance is governed more by politics and culture than by limited resources. The scarcity agenda inherent in "climate" policy guarantees societal instability and inadequate resources to eliminate genuine pollution. Abundance is achieved through economic freedom and competitive capitalism, subject to reasonable regulatory restraints. Beware of the "abundance" mantra increasingly being adopted by the left or by climate zealots. Even if they are sincere, their solutions are unworkable.
These are a few of the principles that might help redefine environmentalism for the 21st century and restore its credibility. They offer a new approach that not only rescues the natural environment but also preserves freedom and nurtures worldwide prosperity. Moreover, because they make practical economic sense and are predicated on reality instead of theory and mythology, adhering to these principles would set an example that other nations would enthusiastically emulate.
The next time you hear a politician or pundit blithely discuss the "climate emergency," as if it is something we all accept as indisputable truth, think about the dubious premises they rely on to make these claims. And think about new approaches that will allow us to more effectively care for our beautiful world, along with everyone living here.