Nathan Newman <nathan at newman.org> writes (against me)
'As for elites versus the public, the US public overwhelming supports environmental regulation, even at the expense of short-term jobs'
and
'On tightening standards on car emissions, the public wants them by a 3-to-1 standard, yet the elites continue to defeat them. And the public overwhelming supports solor energy while opposing nuclear energy.'
But these are the results of opinion polls, not a register of actual behaviour. Indeed they are a bit bizarre, since what 'the public' are polled as saying is that they want to see the public, themselves, restrained by legislation from excessive energy use. But if they were remotely serious, wouldn't they themselves reduce their energy use?
Against the opinions polled for lower energy use and limits on car emissions one has to set the actions of American citizens. Like the citizens of countries all over the world, Americans increase there actual energy use, year on year.
As against their stated opinions, the actual practice of Americans and Europeans says that they are indifferent to the threat to the environment.
Nathan counterposes 'elitist car users' to populist tree huggers. But car ownership is a far more popular activity than environmental protest. As incomes have increased car ownership now embraces a majority of families in Europe and America. By contrast the British Social Attitudes survey found that the tiny minority of people who had been involved in direct action over the environment were predominantly older 35+ and most likely educated to university level or beyond (a smaller group than that would be in the US, I think). -- James Heartfield Sustaining Architecture in the Anti-Machine Age is available at GBP19.99, plus GBP5.01 p&p from Publications, audacity.org, 8 College Close, Hackney, London, E9 6ER. Make cheques payable to 'Audacity Ltd'. www.audacity.org