The Alleged 'Death Of Environmentalism'

Environmentalism is dead and we need to toss out its carcass so something better, stronger, and, well, alive can take its place. That's the conclusion of "The Death of Environmentalism," a none-too-subtly-entitled essay by Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus, a pair of green strategists and organizers. The essay -- and a subsequent speech on the same topic by enviro-wunderkind Adam Werbach -- set off a bit of a tizzy in the mainstream environmental community, which pinched itself, felt its head for a fever, knocked its knee with a little hammer, and sends this report: "I'm not dead. Really!"

Grist Magazine launches a special series on the health and fortunes of environmentalism, featuring an interview with Shellenberger and Nordhaus, reactions from four prominent environmental leaders, and an editorial calling out the big issues at stake.