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 The environmental
movement in the 21 century will depend on all factions using their
resources to get information out to the public beyond just the crises, a
panel appearing before a group of environmental journalists agreed
Saturday.
They also said they
must work together as a movement to achieve progress.
The panel discussion
at the seventh annual conference of the Society of Environmental
Journalists was represented by members of groups who clearly had
different agendas.
Panelists agreed that
there is too little coverage of environmental issues beyond the crises in
the headlines.
Peggy Shepard, executive
director and co-founder of the non-profit West Harlem Environmental
Action, pointed out that the leading newspapers in New York no longer
have environmental beat reporters. She said there is no sense of
continuity in the way these issues are being reported.
"We need to find out
ahead of time what will be the next crises," she said
Shepard also stressed a
need for common values in order to find common ground.
"We must make sure we
are working together to enforce regulations and to make sure industry is
complying," Shepard said. "We have got to constantly work to destroy the
myths that are keeping people from working together successfully."
This includes, Shepard
added, making sure everyone across races and social levels are informed
and involved. She said that many people of color lack representtion
because they are not being recruited by interest groups, therefore, they
don't know where and how to get involved.
J. Michael McClosky,
chairman of the Sierra Club, agreed on the need for collaboration but
added that because there are so many factions it is impossible to pull
all of them together on every issue.
"I believe in
leadership," McClosky said. "We have to do our best to get as many
supporters and as much coverage for the issues."
Fred Krupp, executive
director of the Environmental Defense Fund, disagreed that the movement
was too fragmented. He said he was optimistic the movement has become
more unified in recent years, especially in cooperation with the Clinton
administration.
"Scientific and
technological breakthroughs need to be exploited for environmental
quality. the Environmental Protection Agency is now spending $600 to
keep their databases up collecting information about environmental
quality. It's time the gates on those databases be thrown open to the
public," Krupp said.
Panelists agreed that
information and available resources are key to the future of the
environmental movement. Whether the different groups come together on
specific issues is not as important as keeping the public informed and
encouraging action.
"People want results,"
Krupp said. "They need to see laws as more than a sham piece of paper.
That will fuel more results promoting less helplessness and more feelings
of empowerment."
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