Patrick Moore (environmentalist)

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Dr. Patrick Moore, born 1947 in Winter Harbour, B.C., Canada, is a founding member of Greenpeace, although he now criticizes the organization. He holds a Ph.D. in Ecology from the Institute of Animal Resource Ecology, University of British Columbia and works as a consultant and public speaker on environmental issues.

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[edit] Biography

In 1971, he became a founding member of Greenpeace and served for nine years as President of Greenpeace Canada as well as seven years as a Director of Greenpeace International during a time in which Greenpeace became the world's largest environmental activist organization.

In 1986 Patrick Moore left Greenpeace after becoming disillusioned with Greenpeace's motives, criticizing the rise of environmental extremism. He believed Greenpeace became more concerned with anti-capitalism and anti-globalization rather than environmental issues. Writer Drake Bennett instead claims that Moore "left Greenpeace amid complaints about an autocratic leadership style and abrasive personality."[1]

After leaving Greenpeace, Moore founded Greenspirit, a consultancy focusing on environmental policy and communications in natural resources, biodiversity, energy and climate change. He sees his role in the promotion of sustainability and consensus building among competing concerns.[2]

He was a member of the British Columbia government-appointed Round Table on the Environment and Economy from 1990 - 1994. In 1990, he founded and chaired the BC Carbon Project, a group that worked to develop a common understanding of climate change[citation needed].

Moore served for four years as Vice President, Environment for Waterfurnace International, the largest manufacturer of geothermal heat pumps for residential heating and cooling with renewable earth energy.

As Chair of the Sustainable Forestry Committee of the Forest Alliance of BC, a group created by the timber industry[1], he leads the process of developing the "Principles of Sustainable Forestry" which have been adopted by a majority of the industry.

Moore published Green Spirit - Trees are the Answer, a photo-book on forests and the role they can play in solving some current environmental problems in 2000.

Moore also made two appearances on Penn & Teller: Bullshit in episodes "Environmental Hysteria" and "Endangered Species".

In 2006, he became co-chair (with Christine Todd Whitman) of a new industry-funded initiative, the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition, which supports increased use of nuclear energy.[3]

[edit] Views

Dr. Moore criticizes what he sees as scare tactics and disinformation employed by some within the environmental movement:

"By the mid-1980s, the environmental movement had abandoned science and logic in favor of emotion and sensationalism. I became aware of the emerging concept of sustainable development: balancing environmental, social and economic priorities. Converted to the idea that win-win solutions could be found by bringing all interests together, I made the move from confrontation to consensus."[4]

Moore supports nuclear power, citing the lack of dependable alternatives.[5] He argues that any realistic plan to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and the emission of greenhouse gases should include increased use of nuclear energy.[6]

Moore calls global warming the "most difficult issue facing the scientific community today in terms of being able to actually predict with any kind of accuracy what's going to happen"[5]. While acknowledging that the increase of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere is caused by human consumption of fossil fuels, he claims that as of 2006 it cannot be fully proven that this is the reason the Earth has been warming since 1980. He stresses that is scientific evidence, not consensus opinion, that would prove or disprove this relation.

"It's become so complicated, there's so much snake oil around the whole subject... the best comment that was ever made was by Michael Crichton in his book State of Fear: 'I am certain there is too much certainty in the world'. And I am certain that he is right."[5]

In 2006 Moore addressed a Biotechnology Industry Organization conference in Waikiki saying, "There's no getting away from the fact that over 6 billion people wake up each day on this planet with real needs for food, energy and materials," in support of genetically engineered crops. He also told the gathering that global warming and the melting of glaciers is not necessarily a negative event because it creates more arable land and the use of forest products drives up demand for wood and spurs the planting of more trees.

[edit] Controversy

Patrick Moore has been criticized by environmentalists for many of his views detailed above. Some see him as a sell-out, having "abruptly turned his back on the environmental movement" and "being a mouthpiece for some of the very interests Greenpeace was founded to counter"[1]. His critics point out Moore's business relations with what they see as "polluters and clear-cutters" through his consultancy.[1]

Paul Watson, another co-founder of Greenpeace, quit the organization after Moore allegedly called a meeting to expel him from the board amid disagreements over Watson's direct action campaigns. He claims Moore "uses his status as co-founder of Greenpeace to give credibility to his accusations. I am also a co-founder of Greenpeace and I have known Patrick Moore for 35 years.... Moore makes accusations that have no basis in fact" [7].

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Bennett, Drake (March 2004). Eco-Traitor. Wired magazine.
  2. ^ About Greenspirit. Retrieved on 2006-06-11.
  3. ^ Moore, Patrick. "Going Nuclear", Washington Post, 2006-04-16.
  4. ^ Moore, Patrick. "Environmental Movement Has Lost Its Way", Miami Herald, January 28, 2005.
  5. ^ a b c Penn Jillette Radio Show, 2006-06-08, Free FM: Interview (Recording)
  6. ^ Hao, Sean. "Greenpeace co-founder praises global warming", Honolulu Advertiser, January 13, 2006.
  7. ^ Watson, Paul. "Solutions instead of sensationalism", The San Francisco Examiner, July 31, 2005.

[edit] External links

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