Pope endorses eco-imperialism
"A curious aspect of Pope Francis’s encyclical on the environment is that it calls for an eco-imperialist approach to protecting biodiversity...
“'Wildlife conservation programmes in the Third World have all too often been premised on an antipathy to human beings,' according to Ramachandra Guha, the eminent Indian historian. 'In many countries, farmers, herders, swiddeners and hunters have been evicted from lands and forests which they have long occupied to make way for parks, sanctuaries and wildlife reserves. This prejudice against people is leading to new forms of oppression and conflict. Biologists, who seek to preserve wilderness for the sake of ‘science’, have been a major force in fomenting such prejudice.'
"Eco-imperialism, or eco-colonialism as it is sometimes referred to, has a long and painful history of injustice that is still being played out today and often includes the creation of state protected areas by evicting people who are essentially peasants. In addition to the biologists referred to by Guha, champions of eco-imperialism consist of environmental pressure groups, governments, and intergovernmental organizations. Ironically, many of the people pushing this agenda see themselves as compassionate advocates of the very people who are hurt most by eco-imperialism."
“'Wildlife conservation programmes in the Third World have all too often been premised on an antipathy to human beings,' according to Ramachandra Guha, the eminent Indian historian. 'In many countries, farmers, herders, swiddeners and hunters have been evicted from lands and forests which they have long occupied to make way for parks, sanctuaries and wildlife reserves. This prejudice against people is leading to new forms of oppression and conflict. Biologists, who seek to preserve wilderness for the sake of ‘science’, have been a major force in fomenting such prejudice.'
"Eco-imperialism, or eco-colonialism as it is sometimes referred to, has a long and painful history of injustice that is still being played out today and often includes the creation of state protected areas by evicting people who are essentially peasants. In addition to the biologists referred to by Guha, champions of eco-imperialism consist of environmental pressure groups, governments, and intergovernmental organizations. Ironically, many of the people pushing this agenda see themselves as compassionate advocates of the very people who are hurt most by eco-imperialism."
