Does it drive you batty when people say "Environmentalists won't be happy until we are all living in caves."

Question

I know I've asked this before, but I keep seeing it over and over again! Even from Top Contributors to the environmental section!

Unreal!

In terms of embracing new technology, who is more for stagnation and regression? Environmentalists want to move forward to the next best thing, the next wave of technology.

Why is there still this idea that to be sustainable, you have to live in a cave? There was no electricity in the rennaissance, no oil or cars or TVs either, and yet look at what humanity was able to accomplish during that time period!

Do you think that people who say things that polarize technology and lack of technology are just throwing a huge insult at thousands of years of human development?

Answer 1

Totally.  It's such an annoying strawman argument.  Environmentalists want to switch to solar, wind, tidal, etc. renewable energies.  We want to switch to hybrids and electric cars.  How is moving to these more advanced technologies anything like 'living in caves'?  It's just one more ignorant argument to add to the list.

Answer 2

caves are great!

http://images.google.co.uk/images?um=1&h...

shows how little imagination they have!

having lived very happily with 12 volt for 8 years i can laugh at their bloated energy addictions.

Answer 3

If you are referring to most of the idiots on yahoo that you see here trying to convince us all that global warming isn't real, then I wouldn't say that they are saying these things to insult 1000 years of human development.  I'd bet they are saying these things because they have a financial interest to keep this world addicted to fossil fuels for as long as possible.  What I'm saying is that the coal and oil companies have invented advicacy groups (Americans for Balanced Energy, I believe was one of them) to run commercials on TV and stuff to try to cast doubt over the global warming science, why wouldn't they pay a few people to go on Yahoo Answers to do the same thing?

Answer 4

The advances in windmills and solar energy will not cover our energy needs. Why should we be satisfied with a new solar array and wind mill farm that might power a radio, one lamp and an hour of television. I was being nice, because the power  that we’d get from these passive forms of generating energy, would probably be less?

One nuclear plant is enough to power more than a big city. Vermont, one of the most liberal states, has about 70% of its power derived from nuclear power. Many places around the world are going nuclear, but we have not built a plant in the last decade or two. France has 80% of its power from nukes.

The global warming crowd wants no nukes, no oil, or coal and is willing to send us back to the stone age when it comes to energy production. Environmentalists want only wind and solar energy. This is going backwards, not forwards. Be realistic, no matter how much we advance the science of solar cells, it will not be enough to power much in the near future.

Answer 5

Build wind turbines, for clean, green energy....

No, wait, don't build them...they might kill a bird or a bat!

Drive brand new supper clean hybrid cars.....

No, wait, don't do that, they strip mine for the minerals for those batteries!

Be green, plant a tree.....

No, don't do that...they use too much ground water!

Build a hydro-electric dam for cheap, ultra clean energy....

Are you trying to kill ALL the fish??!!

Feed the wild birds during harsh winters to help them survive..

No, stop!  You only help invasive birds if you feed them!

Save the earth, eat soy, and drink soy milk....

What, you want your son to have man b***s, and do you have any idea of the chemicals used to grow soy?!

Use woodstoves to burn a completely renewable resource (trees)....

Are you insane, any idea of the pollution that causes?

Don't buy anything from China, as all of their factories pollute...

Do you want all those poor Chinese children to starve...buy their products!

Buy a live Christmas tree, a completely renewable rescource...

Buy a plastic tree and use it for years to come.

Live modestly in an apartment in the city, and use public trasportation.....

Live in the country, in a single family house, and grow your own food.

Save the sea lions!

Kill the bleedin' sea lions, they eat all the salmon!

Go outside and play....

Stay inside out of the sun's harmful rays and the air pollution!

Adopt a pet from the pound and give it a wonderful loving home....

Still insane, I see...going to spend money on a stupid dog, when you could send that money to a starving child in Africa, huh?

Save the magestic Bald Eagles!

Ack!  The Bald Eagles are eating all the Blue Herons!

OK...I'm going to stop now....but perhaps you can help me....which enviromentalist should I believe?  Until there is a uniform consensus I'll be hiding in the back of my cave....the enviromentalists have driven me there.

~Garnet

Permaculture homesteading/farming over 20 years

Answer 6

No, because clearly those that say it, are saying it in a sarcastic context to illustrate the point that environmentalism as we know it today is less about protecting the environment and more about a political agenda limiting peoples rights, restricting freedom, and knocking people back technologically all based upon bad information and fear.  For example, thanks to the environmental agenda in Minnesota, there is now a statute on the books mandating that no new nuclear facilities may be built anywhere in the state even though it is extremely clean and efficient.  Couple that with the fact that because they can't build a nuclear facility, every time they try to build a coal plant the environmental radicals like Greenpeace and the Sierra Club block it.  So what is it? We can't have coal, but nuclear is illegal to build, what does that leave to meet energy needs?  It leaves the inefficient renewable resources like wind and solar which are not viable options.  So comments like that are often meant as sarcasm, there is underlying truth that isn't that far off.

Answer 7

I really enjoyed your batty &cave pun. Very clever. Hmm I like your point, I think that people- like many times before- are in for a big change whether you are an environmentalist or not we are going green faster and faster all the time. Technology has to keep up with these demands as they always have. Why on Earth should that change because people want to continue in the same way its been since they remember. That never stopped evolution before and they can call names all they like, but it isn't going to stop it now. I have a good site to up with all the ways that we are forced to go green like with plastic (its made of petrol chemicals etc).  I think humans are adaptable and there will be a blend of our two worlds soon enough.

Answer 8

Strange that modern Neanderthals think that way. Personally, I would LOVE to live in an earth-sheltered home!

Answer 9

I honestly think the people making that argument just aren't bright enough to get what environmentalism really is.  I also think they're a bit fearful of actually having to DO anything too LOL>