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C00002 00002	%menace[w90,jmc]		How much of a menace is environmentalism?
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%menace[w90,jmc]		How much of a menace is environmentalism?

	The environmentalist movement is somewhat of a menace to
world health and prosperity and has some potential to become even
more of a menace.  The object of this essay is to estimate how
bad the menace is.

	Not everything the environmentalists have succeeded in making
law has been bad, many many of their extreme demands have been
compromised into something reasonable or at least tolerable.  However,
they have also done a lot of harm, and have the potential for much
more harm in the future.

	1. Its irrational attacks on various forms of technology
have led to an increase in malaria, an increase in pollution from
burning coal, a slowdown in medical progress, more expensive cars,
increased deaths from automobile accidents, etc.  We'll document
this later in this essay.  

	2. It has diverted much scientific, business and
political attention from making the advances in technology that
are the main source of improvements in the welfare of humanity.

	Here's why it may get much worse.

	1. With the demise of communism and other forms of coercive
socialism as political forces, the kind of person previously attracted
to such causes are increasingly taking up environmental causes.
They bring with them the intolerance, ignorance and paranoia of
their previous enthusiasm.

	2. The demise of communism may be creating on world ideologically.
This raises the chance that an irrational movement will sweep the
whole world and suppress rival viewpoints.