28
democracy. This opposition manifests itself powerfully in the impact of political ideology,
scientism, and religion on the formation of public opinion and public policy on environmental
questions.
The politics of left and right have left most environmentalists with the distinct feeling that
their concerns are nowhere represented in the spectrum of conventional politics. The necessity
of political authority to back up any system of rules that might protect the environment is well
understood (Doyal & Gough, 1999). However, conventional politics are increasingly suspect in
the environmental community. Traditional liberalism seems largely discredited, as the moral
intensity it commanded in the 1960’s has given way to “a managerial politics that seeks shallow,
bureaucratic solutions to deep-lying social problems” (Tokar, 1999, p. 114). Most of the
traditional left is now focused on enhanced productivity, growth, and international
competitiveness. There is little interest in defending policies which might be identified as
economic austerity in pursuit of environmental protection (O’Connor, 1999). And for their part,
conservatives use the international dimension of ecological challenges to dismiss them as a result
of Third World problems in which America has no stake and over which the industrialized
nations have no control (d’Eaubonne, 1999). The reason for this attitude is easily discovered. A
peek below the surface of modern conservatism reveals a subservience to corporate power and a
profound disrespect for individual rights and community interests (Tokar, 1999). This moral
vacuum allows for no commitment to even the most fundamental values associated with the
survival of humanity.
Scientism, for its part, has been critiqued in equally harsh terms. Environmentalists have
complained that modern science is a mechanistic viewpoint that allows for the exploitation of
natural resources without due regard for the dynamic and long-term consequences (Bookchin,
Convention