Environmentalism Is a Threat to Liberty

The Berlin wall came down and communism collapsed in Eastern Europe, but the socialist ideology is alive and well and has found a new home in the modern day environmental movement. The environmental movement has been likened to a watermelon — green on the outside and red on the inside. Most environmentalists would not consider themselves socialists, much less communists, but the policies they support in the name of saving the planet almost always sacrifice individual liberty for central government control.

Fighting global climate change, which has become the defining issue for environmentalists, is the perfect vehicle to exert control over every aspect of Americans' lives, from the type of cars we drive to the light bulbs we are allowed to use in our homes. The environmental movement knows that if the government controls energy, they control virtually every aspect of modern life in America. Global climate change is also the perfect issue to advocate for one-world governance, as air knows no national boundaries.

Politicians may campaign on promises of change and a new way to govern. However there are really only two ways to govern: reliance on individual freedom and support of free markets, or rule by the political elite who decide what is best for the people. America, which has prospered to become the economically most prosperous and freest people in the world by supporting individual freedom and free markets, is quickly moving in the direction of government control by the political elite — and appeals to save the planet is a major highway to get there.

Protecting the environment and being good stewards of natural resources are important to America's future. However, it is a bad bargain for Americans to sacrifice their liberties in the name of saving the planet. The best road to environmental stewardship is a free and prosperous America, not one controlled by government mandates

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