ABSTRACT
Environmentalism today is mainly a reªection of perceived environmental degradation. The modern form of environmentalism that exists within our minds and spurs our actions is typically a reaction to some sort of unjust despoilment of the natural world. Our modern environmental movement does not require that we experience this degradation –rsthand. It does not require that we walk the beach to see the crude oil wash ashore from the supertanker that sprung a leak. It does not require that we witness the riªe shot that killed one of the few remaining dodo birds. It does not require that we climb Mount Kilimanjaro each year to record the retreat of the glacial ice. All that our modern environmentalism requires is for us to develop a mental image of the earth suffering and that delivers the basis for environmental judgment and response.
