Dr. Martin Hash Podcast

Religion rests on the sense of superiority that comes with piety. Environmentalism as a whole, and Climate Change specifically, are similarly soaking in self-congratulations & piety, so-much-so that ecopiety has become the most universal religion on the planet; a Green imperative rather than a mystical one. Environmentalism offers both ethics and spirituality, establishing new sensibilities of virtue and sin at a personal level. It's adherents engage in tiny voluntary acts like recycling, bicycles, and self-conscientiously trying to offset their imaginary carbon footprint. They don't use plastic bags to carry food out of the grocery store, and make a point of telling waitresses not not include a straw in their water. All this pretend flagellation makes them feel like they're doing something monumental and important: saving the planet.

The hypocrisy is that ecopietists consider themselves saved; their personal sacrifices let them off the hook of true changes that would actually make a difference: like living on a farm, and giving up modernity. Of course, their self-righteousness goes further still; personal ecopiety deeds aren't enough environmental virtue, they must also unilaterally impose their eco-morality economy onto society because it's best for everyone. Ecopiety, like all religions, is an attempt to gain control by creating an imagined universal imperative then compelling everyone else to bend the knee.