Connect the Apocalypse

One of the main points I was making in this recent post is that the shelf life of green catastrophism has expired. But environmentalists don't want to hear this. Many have responded indignantly to the contrast I set up between what I call green traditionalists and green modernists. In the coming week, I'll respond in full to the various critiques made on twitter and in the comment thread. Meanwhile, let me direct your attention to this excellent essay in The Atlantic, called "The Perils of Apocalyptic Thinking." It's adapted from a new book just out: The Last Myth: What the rise of apocalyptic thinking tells us about America. To some degree, the essay covers the same ground discussed here. But the authors of the Atlantic piece also make some trenchant observations on the apocalyptic climate change frame that activists are so fond of and which mainstream media dutifully echoes: