Yesterday the environmentalists “celebrated” Earth Day, a day devoted to curbing human production and consumption, which means curbing human life. Those of us who love our lives, on the other hand, celebrate using the Earth to live and prosper, for we as humans live fundamentally by using our rational minds to adapt our surrounding environment to our needs.

This day after Earth Day, then, is a great time to round up some of the best commentary championing human innovation, development, and industry.

On Saturday, TOS editor Craig Biddle released a timeless essay, “On April 22, Celebrate Exploit-the-Earth Day.” He writes:

Exploiting the Earth—using the raw materials of nature for one’s life-serving purposes—is a basic requirement of human life. Either man takes the Earth’s raw materials—such as trees, petroleum, aluminum, and atoms—and transforms them into the requirements of his life, or he dies.

Other key TOS commentary on environmentalism includes Biddle’s essay on “Earth Hour,” Joshua Lipana’s interview with FrackNation’s Ann McElhinney, Lipana’s interview with Alex Epstein of the Center for Industrial Progress, and Epstein’s essay on the history of energy development.

Yesterday Fox News published a new article by Epstein, “Earth Day a reminder of the benefits of industrial progress.” He writes:

If you want to live in an environment that is safe, healthy, clean, and otherwise hospitable to human life, today’s highly-industrialized environment is without equal. Where previous generations faced the risk of disease from simply drinking water, which was often contaminated by animals, we have clean water, thanks to man-made reservoirs, treatment plants, underground pipes, and indoor plumbing. Where previous generations walked streets contaminated by large quantities of human and animal waste, we can conveniently and safely dispose of it thanks to sewer systems and the garbage industry. Where previous generations faced large-scale death whenever there was a severe freeze or heat wave, we can live in a comfortable climate year-round, thanks to sturdy homes and modern, high-energy heating and air-conditioning.

Also during this past week, Free Market America released a hard-hitting video, “If I Wanted America to Fail” (see below). The video defends free markets and condemns the environmentalist assault on energy production. The video drew over a hundred thousand views in three days.

Thankfully, many Americans are beginning to wake up to the fact that the environmentalist movement is not about creating a healthy environment for people, but about creating an environment free from people. We lovers of life, we who realize that our lives depend on adapting the environment to our needs, should celebrate exploiting the earth every day.

And, in fact, we do—simply by thinking, producing, flourishing, and loving life.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/CZ-4gnNz0vc

If you enjoyed this post, consider subscribing to The Objective Standard and making objective journalism a regular part of your life.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Return to Top

Pin It on Pinterest