Keep the Lights On
By David Holcberg (USA Today, April 9, 2007)

The darkness that enveloped Sydney during a recent one-hour, citywide blackout is an appropriate symbol of the philosophical meaning of environmentalism and a harbinger of the dark future we'll face if we don't reject this anti-human ideology ("Is Earth near its 'tipping points' from global warming?" Cover story, Life, Wednesday).

Environmentalism is anti-human because it places the "preservation" of nature above human survival and prosperity. Human life in our modern, industrial civilization requires the generation of enormous amounts of energy. Yet, environmentalists are ideologically opposed to all practical forms of energy production because they constitute a massive remaking of nature for the exclusive benefit of man.

Even if it were true that cutting emissions of carbon dioxide and reducing energy use would have a significant effect on the Earth's climate, that would be no excuse for the environmentalists' anti-industrial agenda.

It took humanity thousands of years of struggling to escape the misery of pre-industrial life.

If we value our lives, we must refuse to turn off the lights that illuminate our cities and our lives.