“Selections” is a new feature offering a critical perspective of today’s environmental movement and energy policies from a voice that’s been sorely missed.
Norm Rubin has been a pivotal figure in shaping discussions and policies related to energy and environmental conservation. As senior policy analyst and director of nuclear research at Energy Probe (as well as a founding member of the Energy Probe Research Foundation), Norm requires no further introduction. What is needed, however, is a reintroduction, or rather, the return of Norm’s razor sharp perspective on a regular basis.
“Selections” is a new feature aimed at restoring just that. This space will share articles, posts, and blogs Norm has highlighted as interesting, important, or provocative, along with his commentary for your further consideration and enjoyment. Welcome back, Norm.
Environmentalism in America Is Dead
By Robert Bryce | Published via Substack
Environmentalism in America is dead, writes journalist Robert Bryce. It has been replaced by climatism and renewable energy fetishism.
The movement that once aimed to protect landscapes, wildlife, and natural habitats has evolved into a complex network of organizations prioritizing climate change mitigation and renewable energy promotion. Rather than preserving wildlands, these groups now advocate for large-scale deployment of solar panels and wind turbines across vast areas, potentially impacting wildlife habitats and ecosystems. This transition has been driven by substantial funding, with the top 25 climate-focused NGOs now spending around $4.7 billion annually. The emphasis on renewable energy infrastructure has come at the cost of traditional conservation efforts aimed at safeguarding natural environments and endangered species.
Read the blog in full at the author’s Substack here
This piece by Bryce, notes Norm, reflects other critiques that expose how rich and enormous today’s “environmental” movement in the U.S. is, and how much of the billions of dollars in income and spending comes from so-called “dark” money that can’t be traced to its donor individuals or organizations. Norm continues:
I generally share Robert Bryce’s opinion that the movement has lost its way, if not its mind, distracted by the “climate crisis” issue and by funding from the huge industry that has sprung up to exploit the billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money directed to renewable energy.
There are some arguments here that I disagree with:
I’m still as pessimistic as ever that the nuclear industry will design and build any generating stations that will meet a payroll, make a profit, and render it as an acceptable neighbour.
Although I think wind farms make unpleasant neighbours and will never constitute more than a “niche” source of energy, I don’t think it’s fair to refer to them as “paving” the landscape.
Further Context
At one point, utility companies around the world were discriminating against wind, solar, and independent generation (including cogeneration). It was important for Energy Probe and others to fight that discrimination. Since then, the pendulum has swung to the opposite extreme. Now we need environmental groups to protect endangered whales against heavily subsidized offshore wind!
There are still some important environmental problems, but most of the ENGOs are either ignoring them or attacking them in foolish ways. Plastic ocean pollution, for example, is arguably a serious environmental problem, but confronting it by banning single-use plastic bags is idiotic and counter-productive. Why? Half of that plastic pollution comes from the maritime industry. The majority of the rest comes from 10 big river systems where surrounding populations are too poor to afford municipal waste collection. Could we help? Yes. If we focused on the problem instead of feel-good virtue signalling.
The ENGOs should have led the fight against “biomass” energy (especially the turning of old-growth forests into wood pellets, which still provide more “renewable” energy in Germany and Europe than wind and solar!). However, ENGOs instead locked in their position to the “climate crisis,” which they declared the ultimate (or only) environmental problem, enabled by mainstream media and the progressive billionaires that fund them. For more on the $4.5 billion-per-year NGO-corporate-industrial-climate complex, see The Anti-Industry Industry (also authored by Robert Bryce).
Want to keep up with Norm? Follow him directly via his Facebook page where he posts on energy-related topics, including this one, regularly: https://www.facebook.com/normrubin.
Selections is a continuing series. Stay tuned.
Robert Bryce is an author, filmmaker, and public speaker with more than 30 years of experience in the energy sector as a journalist.
Norm Rubin’s involvement in various advisory and stakeholder groups, such as the Ontario Energy Board’s Working Group on Electricity Demand-Side Management and Demand Reduction, the Ontario Power Authority’s Conservation Business Stakeholder Advisory Group, and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission’s Non-Governmental Organization Regulatory Advisory Committee, underscores his expertise and influence in energy conservation, demand management, and nuclear safety regulation.
His contributions to the environmental movement and energy policy in Canada have been significant, reflecting a commitment to balancing energy needs with environmental protection and safety. Rubin’s work exemplifies the complex interplay between energy production, environmental conservation, and regulatory oversight, highlighting the importance of informed and balanced approaches to energy policy and environmental stewardship.
Energy Probe 