An on line discussion of books that have been or are currently being read by members of the Audubon Naturalist Society Conservation Philosophy Reading Group. We choose books, old and new, that collectively constitute the intellectual underpinnings of conservation philosophy.
Monday June 26, 2006 - Chesapeake Bay Blues, by Howard Ernst
I am 2/3 through Chesapeake Bay Blues and still looking for some good news. Ernst does a good job of documenting what most of us already fear, i.e., the fight to save the bay is a losing battle and will remain so until enough people are moved to demand a different course (or take up arms!). The resources of the various environmental groups are trivial compared to those of the commercial interests. Ernst cites one example in which a single corporate family (the Perdues) contributed more to political candidates in one recent election cycle than all of the environmental groups in the three bay states put together. The sad part is that the more they contribute, the more they make whereas the more we contribute the more we lose. It seems hopeless. Somethin's gotta give.
I started on Cadillac Desert and am finding it much more enjoyable. Reisner is a superb writer. His account of Powell's harrowing excursion down the wild Colorado River alone was worth the purchase of the book. It's always fun to get you heart rate up while sitting in an easy chair. The story bears some resemblance to Ernst's in that it is also about how greed dominates over conservation. One really does wonder how this battle will end? The evils being perpetrated on the land and its people by modern day corporate interests seem much more egregious than what I remember from history classes about what the British were doing to the colonists at the time of the american revolution.
Tragedy of the Common People: Every $ that I contribute to an environmental organization or political candidate is gone forever. There is no expectation of a financial return on my investment. Any benefit to the environment that my $ helps bring about is shared by everyone, including those who support the opposite point of view. By contrast, every $ contributed by a corporation for the pupose of influencing the regulatory process is a financial investment with enormous potential to increase profits, leading to increased dividends or value of stock, almost half of which is owned by 1% of the people (Office for Social Justice).
Yesterday, 7/13/06, the GAO testified about the Chesapeake Bay Program. They said that the "State of the Bay" report does not give a realistic picture. They also said the Bay Program is working to be more effective but has a long way to go.
3 comments:
I am 2/3 through Chesapeake Bay Blues and still looking for some good news. Ernst does a good job of documenting what most of us already fear, i.e., the fight to save the bay is a losing battle and will remain so until enough people are moved to demand a different course (or take up arms!). The resources of the various environmental groups are trivial compared to those of the commercial interests. Ernst cites one example in which a single corporate family (the Perdues) contributed more to political candidates in one recent election cycle than all of the environmental groups in the three bay states put together. The sad part is that the more they contribute, the more they make whereas the more we contribute the more we lose. It seems hopeless. Somethin's gotta give.
I started on Cadillac Desert and am finding it much more enjoyable. Reisner is a superb writer. His account of Powell's harrowing excursion down the wild Colorado River alone was worth the purchase of the book. It's always fun to get you heart rate up while sitting in an easy chair. The story bears some resemblance to Ernst's in that it is also about how greed dominates over conservation. One really does wonder how this battle will end? The evils being perpetrated on the land and its people by modern day corporate interests seem much more egregious than what I remember from history classes about what the British were doing to the colonists at the time of the american revolution.
Tragedy of the Common People:
Every $ that I contribute to an environmental organization or political candidate is gone forever. There is no expectation of a financial return on my investment. Any benefit to the environment that my $ helps bring about is shared by everyone, including those who support the opposite point of view. By contrast, every $ contributed by a corporation for the pupose of influencing the regulatory process is a financial investment with enormous potential to increase profits, leading to increased dividends or value of stock, almost half of which is owned by 1% of the people (Office for Social Justice).
Yesterday, 7/13/06, the GAO testified about the Chesapeake Bay Program. They said that the "State of the Bay" report does not give a realistic picture. They also said the Bay Program is working to be more effective but has a long way to go.
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