Founder and Former Greenpeace Leader: “Why I left Greenpeace”
The Wallstreet journal published an opinions piece (not a big surprise) by Patrick Moore, and why he left Greenpeace. His answer: don’t be mixing your politics with my sciences! Here’s a clip:
My former colleagues ignored science and supported the ban, forcing my departure. Despite science concluding no known health risks – and ample benefits – from chlorine in drinking water, Greenpeace and other environmental groups have opposed its use for more than 20 years.
Opposition to the use of chemicals such as chlorine is part of a broader hostility to the use of industrial chemicals. Rachel Carson’s 1962 book, “Silent Spring,” had a significant impact on many pioneers of the green movement. The book raised concerns, many rooted in science, about the risks and negative environmental impact associated with the overuse of chemicals. But the initial healthy skepticism hardened into a mindset that treats virtually all industrial use of chemicals with suspicion.
Sadly, Greenpeace has evolved into an organization of extremism and politically motivated agendas. Its antichlorination campaign failed, only to be followed by a campaign against polyvinyl chloride.
I especially liked:
Phthalates are the new bogeyman. These chemicals make easy targets since they are hard to understand and difficult to pronounce.
