Green Politics - Dictatorship or Democracy? (Electronic book text)

This book considers a range of contradictions associated with green politics, including decentralized democratic forms versus authoritarian political forms, a belief that this is a new form of politics but one which in practice is split between traditional left and right positions, and the debate surrounding the place of rational scientific thought versus a non-rational understanding of humanity's relationship with nature. The author also reviews associated debates surrounding animal rights and eco-feminism, reflecting the impact of these perspectives on more mainstream green thinking. The practical problems surrounding efforts to achieve international agreement on green issues and the development of environmental pressure groups in Europe and the United States reveal the difficulties resulting from these debates. In particular, the continuities and changes in the debate are reflected in a study of some green organizations in the United Kingdom, contrasting their views in the 1970s with those at the start of a new century.