Oct 07, 2023 08:00:00

What do environmental activists think about the Atlas Network's alleged smear of environmental activism?

In recent years, there have been many

incidents of activists dissatisfied with the government's climate change measures taking to the streets and paralyzing the transportation network. While these environmental activism is often criticized for being radical, The New Republic, which publishes columns on environmental activism, claims that 'there is a network of anti-environmental activism.'

Meet the Shadowy Global Network Vilifying Climate Protesters | The New Republic
https://newrepublic.com/article/175488/meet-shadowy-global-network-vilifying-climate-protesters

In 2023, activists from the climate action group 'The Last Generation' disrupted traffic in Germany.

The New Republic defended the Last Generation activists, pointing out that roadblocks are a 'moderate form of protest' that has been used by abolitionists, civil rights activists and anti-war activists in past decades.

In the above incident, the truck driver who used force to drive away the activists drew mixed reviews. Police authorities took the activists to task, and several months after the incident, they conducted searches of some of their homes and froze their bank accounts.

The New Republic points out that 'when prominent politicians compare activists to violent terrorists and the mainstream media repeats the same pattern, it's easy to justify tearing out and punching activists in the street,' and cites one prominent politician as Frank Schaeffler of the German Free Democratic Party.

Schaeffler is a hard-line member of the German Bundestag who has described himself as a climate change skeptic. As soon as the Last Generation began protesting, Schaeffler began describing the activists as terrorists, calling the group a 'criminal organization' and publicly calling for an investigation into organized crime. Conservative media echoed his calls, and six months later Last Generation activists were subjected to nationwide house searches.

Scheffler later joined the Atlas Network, an organization that advocates 'liberalism.' The Atlas Network is an organization of more than 500 think tanks from around the world, and describes itself as 'a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring the right to economic and personal freedom for all individuals.' Its origins lie in the UK Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), which was founded by a man named Antony Fisher.

Fisher was born into a wealthy mining family. He served in the Royal Air Force during World War II and reportedly witnessed his brother's plane being shot down, which prompted him to fight to end the war and for a freer, more prosperous world. Fisher was initially involved in political activities, but later founded the IEA and expanded his network as an intellectual.

The IEA gradually gained influence in Britain, promoting free markets in the country and encouraging American businessmen to fight back against the social movements of the 1960s. In 1974, Fisher traveled to Canada and co-founded the Fraser Institute, the first think tank outside of the UK. He went on to found several other think tanks, including the IEA and the Adam Smith Institute, which helped elect Margaret Thatcher, The New Republic reported.

Fisher wanted to connect all the organizations he founded into a network, so he created the Atlas Network in 1981. The organization initially consisted only of the think tanks that Fisher himself helped to found, but hundreds of like-minded organizations have since joined.

According to The New Republic, from the beginning of the Atlas Network, Fischer built relationships with oil companies and engaged in activities such as opposing 'proposals for environmental regulation and indigenous rights' in Latin America. In addition, The New Republic pointed out that think tanks affiliated with the Atlas Network have been involved in papers on successful environmental policies and bills that seek to rectify protests against critical infrastructure projects such as oil drilling.

The New Republic reports that 'Atlas Network executives and its member think tanks have consistently portrayed environmentalists as a cancer on society,' and that the group has slandered and sabotaged several environmental initiatives.

There are many actions by some activists, whether environmentalists or not, that are too obvious, such as damaging historical cultural heritage or harming others in public spaces. The New Republic pointed out that 'public opinion is focused only on how radical the activists' actions are, and not on what they actually want.'