Why do people choose to believe something that isn't true? Are their lives so devoid of meaning that they have to create drama in their lives, they have to be a part of a fantasy bigger than themselves?
The main reason policymakers are pursuing pro-scarcity policies is because they, along with most of the public, believe the environment is getting worse, not better. The share of Americans who say the state of the environment is fair or poor rose from 49% to 61% between 2015 and 2022. Movies and television reinforce this perception. In David Cronenberg’s new film, “Crimes of the Future,” industrial waste, such as from microplastics, has become so prevalent that people’s bodies start evolving so they can eat it.
But almost every major environmental trend is improving. Lead, sulfur dioxide, and nitrous oxide pollutants declined 99%, 91%, and 61% between 1980 and 2018, according to the U.S. EPA. It’s true carbon emissions are rising again. But that’s because natural gas shortages are forcing nations to burn more coal, which is twice as polluting. Carbon emissions globally were flat over the last decade and declined 22% in the U.S. from 2005 and 2020. And there is little evidence that microplastics actually harm human health, something Cronenberg himself acknowledged.
Why, then, do people think things are getting worse?
Natural gas, easily gotten from frakking, and nuclear power are the most green large scale energy sources we have today. We should be pursuing those with a vengeance. The fact that we're not tells me that energy independence and higher living standards are not the goals of the environmental movement or our current administration.
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