Blog Post #5 The Most Selfish, Hyper-Individualistic Argument as to Why You Should Care About Conservation

When most people think of an environmentalist, they think of a Greenpeace activist in a kayak,
blocking an oil crew from leaving a harbor. Or they think of a literal tree-hugger. This
misperception is the main weakness of environmentalists. There needs to be a revamping of the
stereotype. That way, even if someone is an outright climate denier, an activist may yet be able to
get their vote on conservation bills.


One key to being strategic is to retire moral arguments when explaining why everyone should
care about nature. People from different political and social groups are brought up differently and
have different values. You’re not going to change their moral DNA.

 

Appealing to our desire for clean air and water won’t be enough to convince folks of the
importance of conservation either. That’s because, in the United States, the majority of
communities already have clean air and water. The key is to appeal to their self-interest.
Everyone in the country, whether or not they have clean air and clean water, will be touched by
death and disease. Their grandmother will have died from cancer, or dementia, or they’ll know
someone with an autoimmune disorder. Medical issues are immediate, they’re expensive and
they hit hard. They need to get the message that the vast majority of the medical conditions
affecting people today have extremely effective treatments that are derived from nature. Two
examples are that numerous prescription drugs are derived from plants, both poisonous and
non-poisonous, and venom or poison from reptiles, mammals, and insects. Chemotherapy agents
come from plants as well. Many of the flora and fauna from whom lifesaving treatments
originate reside in the Amazon rainforest.


People also need to get the message that this lifesaving rainforest is currently being razed by
farmers, ranchers and Jair Bolsonaro supporters. If you’re trying to organize votes so you can
elect congressional leaders who will help save the Amazon (or any other large contiguous forest)
and you encounter people skeptical about why we have to protect nature, appeal to their deepest
desires to prevent their sick family members from suffering. Appeal to their hopes for miracle
medical treatments. Inform them of the direct connection between medicine, forests and wildlife.
Be strategic. We’ll all be healthier for it.

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