WILL: Green With Guilt

WASHINGTON POST, 6/4/2009 by George Will - Going Green to Alleviate Guilt -- but Not Much Else. ∴ The point of "utopian environmentalism" was to reduce guilt. During the green bubble, many Americans became "captivated by the twin thoughts that human civilization could soon come crashing down -- and that we are on the cusp of a sudden leap forward in consciousness, one that will allow us to heal ourselves, our society, and our planet. Apocalyptic fears meld seamlessly into utopian hopes." Suddenly, commonplace acts -- e.g., buying light bulbs -- infused pedestrian lives with cosmic importance. But: "Greens often note that the changing global climate will have the greatest impact on the world's poor; they neglect to mention that the poor also have the most to gain from development fueled by cheap fossil fuels like coal. For the poor, the climate is already dangerous." Read more at the Washington Post...

Hat tip: John H. Detweiler
John says, "Will seems to be talking about Corvallis -- where feeling good is more important than substance."