Spinning Our Way to Sustainability?

In a widely read article, Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus critiqued the environmental movement for focusing on piecemeal technocratic solutions and failing to articulate a broader political vision, declaring it irrelevant if not already “dead.” To get off the defensive, they argue, it needs to reframe its solutions to global warming and related environmental problems by appealing to core progressive values and to reformulate itself as part of a larger progressive movement. This repackaging, they say, will create a broader coalition with a shared political vision and greater political power. There is much to be said for their critique of traditional technocratic environmentalism, much of which we agree with. However, we will argue, their focus on rhetorical reform without addressing other aspects of environmental strategy is logically flawed and also undermines their commitment to democratic values.