Oct 07, 2023 08:00:00

What do environmental activists think about the 'Atlas Network' that defames environmental activities?

In recent years, there have been a number of

incidents in which activists dissatisfied with the government's climate change measures sit on roads and paralyze transportation networks. These environmental activities are often criticized for being radical, but The New Public, which publishes columns on environmental activities, claims that ``a network of anti-environmental activities exists''.

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In 2023, activists from the group Last Generation, which calls for action against climate change, blocked traffic in Germany.

The New Public points out that roadblocking is a 'moderate form of protest' that has been carried out by abolitionists, civil rights activists, and anti-war activists over the past several decades. champions activists.

The above incident drew mixed reviews for and against the truck driver who used force to chase away the activists. Police authorities viewed the activists as a problem, and several months after the incident, they searched the homes of some activists and froze their bank accounts.

The New Public says, ``If a prominent politician compares activists to violent terrorists, and the mainstream media repeats that story, it justifies tearing the hair off activists from the street or punching them.'' That's easy,' he said. One of the prominent politicians is Frank Scheffler of the German Liberal Democratic Party.

Mr. Schaeffler is a member of the German Bundestag known as a hardliner and has described himself as a climate change skeptic. As soon as Last Generation began its protests, Scheffler began describing the activists as terrorists, calling the group a 'criminal organization' and publicly calling for it to be investigated as organized crime. Conservative media went along with this, and six months later Last Generation activists were raided nationwide.

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

Fisher was born into a wealthy mining family. Fisher, who served in the Royal Air Force during World War II, saw his brother's plane shot down and decided to fight for a freer, more prosperous world to end the war. It is said that. Initially, Fischer was politically active, but later established the IEA and expanded his network as an intellectual.

The IEA gradually became influential in Britain, promoting free markets there and also encouraging American businessmen to counter the social movements of the 1960s. In 1974, Fisher moved to Canada and co-founded the Fraser Institute, the first think tank outside the UK. After that, he established several think tanks, including the IEA and the Adam Smith Institute, which contributed to Margaret Thatcher's election, The New Public writes.

Fisher started Atlas Network in 1981 because he wanted to connect all of his organizations into a network. The organization was initially made up of think tanks that Fischer himself had helped found, but was later joined by hundreds of like-minded organizations.

According to The New Public, since the Atlas Network's founding, Fisher has built relationships with oil companies and engaged in activities such as opposing ``proposals regarding environmental regulations and indigenous rights'' in Latin America. In addition, The New Public points out that think tanks affiliated with the Atlas network have been involved in papers on successful environmental policies and bills that seek to correct protests against critical infrastructure projects such as oil drilling.

'Atlas Network executives and affiliated think tanks have consistently portrayed environmentalists as a cancer on society,' The New Public said, noting that Atlas Network has denigrated several environmental efforts. , has conveyed the opinion that they have been interfering with the situation.

There are many flagrant acts committed by some activists, whether they are environmentalists or not, such as damaging historical cultural heritage sites and causing harm to others in public spaces. Regarding this, The New Public pointed out, ``Public opinion is always talking about how radical the actions of activists are, and is not paying attention to what they actually want.''