regardless of its wider impact. The use of agricultural chemicals and the genetic
modification of crops are identified by some environmentalists as the cause of
the decline in biodiversity.- Nuclear war This will not, of course, be a direct environmental problem unless
nuclear weapons are actually used (although nuclear weapons testing has had
environ mental consequences). In the 1980s, when consciousness of the threat of
nuclear war was much higher than it is today, scientists speculated that the use
of intercontinental ballistic missiles could result in a ‘nuclear winter’: atmospheric
pollution caused by dust, soot, smoke and ash would prevent the sun’s rays from
penetrating for a period of time long enough to eradicate most plant life and
create a new ice age. Since the 1980s there has been a proliferation of states with
nuclear weapons.
Students of political theory cannot be expected to be experts on the scientific
causes of environmental problems, and the focus of this chapter is on the
philosophical ideas behind, and ethical issues raised by, ecology, many of which
can be understood without reference to the environmental crisis. However, the crisis
does raise interesting questions about the relationship between science and politics.
Ecologists are critical of scientific rationality, and yet employ scientific evidence to
support their arguments. (We consider this apparent incoherence in our critique of
ecologism.) Furthermore, while there is widespread distrust of scientists employed
by multinational companies, and to a lesser extent by government agencies, scientists
who speak on behalf of environmental groups enjoy a high level of trust.
Green politics
Green political parties and movements emerged in the 1970s. In terms of political
influence the most successful Green party is the German Green Party (Die
Grünen/Bundnis 90). By 1982 they were represented in the parliaments of six of
West Germany’s regions (Länder), and they entered the federal parliament
(Bundestag) in 1983, winning 5.6 per cent of the vote. In the following election
their support rose to 8.3 per cent, and other parties began to adopt environmental
policies. However, during the 1980s it became clear that there was a major schism
between Realos (realists) and Fundis (fundamentalists); the former wanted power
within the existing political system, while the latter challenged that system. Opposed
to German unification in 1990, the Greens fell below the 5 per cent of the vote
required for seats in the Bundestag (although their Eastern equivalent – Bundnis 90- won 6 per cent of the Eastern vote, and thus seats). The internal dispute within
the party was won by the Realos and the party – now in alliance with Bundnis 90 - grew in strength through the 1990s. Between 1998 and 2005 the Greens were in
coalition with the Social Democrats at the federal – national – level.
The German Greens, as with other European Green parties, draw their strength
disproportionately from young, public-sector middle-class workers. One explanation
that is often advanced for the rise of the Green movement is the emergence of ‘post-
materialist values’: quality of life issues are more important than increasing income
and enhanced career status. Such a view presupposes that a society has achieved
a certain level of material comfort, and so the Green phenomenon may rest on a
360 Part 3 Contemporary ideologies