One Saturday morning several months ago, volunteers from an environment group set up an on-street information stall in my local area. A woman and a man happened to be passing and had a conversation with the volunteers. Apparently things got a bit heated and it culminated in the woman accusing greenies of caring more for the environment than they care for people.

I became aware of this when the man in question later boasted to me how his girlfriend had told them 'what's what'! Apparently to back her claim she told them about an environmental non-goverment organisation (that she did not name) that had supposedly shown little concern (in one way or another that she was unable to specify) for an indigenous group (also un-named) somwhere in the Pacific.

It seems strange that he'd boast about this given that his girlfriend's accusation is clearly preposterous and quite remarkable given her inability to provide evidence to support any part of her accusation. On first hearing, it sounds like the uttering of a stupendously ignorant person. Yet in reality her statement is more a product of selfishness than ignorance.

I can be sure of this because I happen to know that his girlfriend works in public relations for Rio Tinto, a mining company that shows anything but care for people. It is one of the companies behind the self-proclaimed Greenhouse Mafia that boasts of undermining Australian climate change policy to the point of even drafting federal cabinet submissions and ministerial briefings for the former Howard federal government!1 2 It's sobering to consider the horrendous, and now quite likely, implications for all humanity of the efforts of fossil fuel companies such as Rio to undermine climate change mitigation efforts.

In 2004, Rio was also involved in secret meetings between former Prime Minister John Howard and the Lower Emissions Technology Advisory Group. LETAG ironically consists of the CEOs of major fossil fuel companies. Leaked notes taken by the Chief Executive of Rio Tinto's iron ore division reveal that the meeting focused on undermining renewable energy policy and shifting the economic cost of greenhouse gas reductions from the big polluters to the average Australian. 3

Rio's disgraceful efforts to undermine global warming policy represents but one example of scant regard for people. For example, due to large-scale environmental degradation from Rio's Grasberg mine in the Indonesian-ruled province of West Papua, the Norwegian government, through its Pension Fund of Norway, has divested all shares in Rio Tinto and has banned further investment. A press release from no less than Norway's Ministry of Finance states, "Exclusion of a company from the Fund reflects our unwillingness to run an unacceptable risk of contributing to grossly unethical conduct." 4

This environmental degradation caused outrage amongst the indigenous Papuan population. In response, Rio Tinto and Grasberg mine partner, Freeport-McMoRan ran a brutal, covert operation to stymie resistance to the mine. "Company records obtained by The Times show that from 1998 through 2004, Freeport-McMoRan gave nearly $20 million to [Indonesian] military and police generals, colonels, majors and captains, and to military units. Individual commanders received tens of thousands of dollars, in one case up to $150,000, according to the documents."5

Despite these and many other examples of Rio Tinto's blatant disregard for people, Rio's PR woman is happy to help them greenwash their operations while hypocritically strutting about in day to day life trying to project an image of decency and respectability.

In her selfishness, she is not alone amongst Australians. The merest suggestion of the blindingly obvious, that we need to reconsider our species' damaging relationship with the natural environment, is often met with incredulity or derision. Many Australians are horrified by the idea of transforming our society from one that damages ecosystems to one that sustains them. This reactionary stance is reflected in the cynically dishonest and often heard opinion that the economy and the natural environment are incompatible and therefore the economy must be favoured at the expense of the environment.

Obviously the business sector wholeheartedly promotes this attitude, while their lap dogs in government loyally endorse it with all their being. The constant promotion of the materialist lifestyle has left us almost capable of convincing ourselves that this behaviour is not only acceptable, but laudable. Unfortunately, this veneration of what can be described as nothing other than greed undermines social equity and cohesion, disregards and displaces other species and destroys ecosystems.

In contrast to this are altruistic belief systems that value 'the other'. One example is the greenies' support for other people through the advocacy of human rights and social equity and their concern for other species and the protection of habitats. As a consequence greenies also acknowledge the requirement to reassess the materialist lifestyle.

It's no surprise then that those who are selfish enough to deny the negative consequences of our high consumption lifestyle would accuse greenies of caring more for the environment than people. This is because choosing denial leaves no course of action other than to try and silence those that acknowledge the obvious link between our lifestyle and environmental degradation. In using this deceitful accusation they hope to label greenies as extremists who by valuing nature are somehow supposedly guilty of betraying their own species. The aim is to cast greenies as an aberration that they can therefore feel justified in ignoring and hence logical debate avoided. It's a futile tactic, the equivalent of a child covering its ears and screaming in an attempt to silence a parent that has presented it with indisputable proof of a transgression.

People who work at information stalls for environment groups are often unpaid volunteers with a genuine concern for both people and nature. How ironic then that they should be accused of being uncaring by a hypocrite paid to produce greenwash for a corporation with a long and dirty history of human rights abuse. Those who accuse greenies of caring more for the environment than they care for people are clutching at straws in an attempt to hide their own selfishness, and doing so merely highlights that selfishness for all to see.

References:

1. Guy Pearse, Australian author, environmental advocate and consultant.
http://www.guypearse.com/index.php?pageid=1698

2. Keen to ensure the meeting remained secret, former Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane told attendees "if the Renewables Industry found out there would be a huge outcry".
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Greenhouse_mafia

3. The Dirty Politics of Climate Change.
Speech to the Climate Change and Business Conference Hilton Hotel, Adelaide, 20 February 2006
Clive Hamilton, The Australia Institute.
https://www.tai.org.au/index.php?q=node/16

4. The Government Pension Fund divests its holdings in mining company.
Norwegian Ministry of Finance.
Press release, 9th September 2008.
http://www.regjeringen.no/en/dep/fin/press-center/Press-releases/2008/the-government-pension-fund-divests-its-.html?id=526030

5. Freeport-Rio Tinto: Gold's other price.
by Jane Perlez and Raymond Bonner.
New York Times, 28th December 2005.
http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=989