There's no doubt that most environmental activists tend to lean left on political issues across the board. This has even been confirmed in surveys of the leadership of environmentalist organizations. But I am nonetheless bemused by the constant effort to turn various liberal issues into "environmental" issues. We see this in the Sierra Club's embrace of campaign finance reform (unless, of course, it might limit their ability to promote or oppose a candidate), RFK Jr's call to reimpose the "fairness doctrine" on the national media, and so on.

One of the most regular examples of this is the constant characterization of abortion as an "environmental" issue, as in this article from E magazine. Insofar as population is an enviromental issue in parts of the world, there is a plausible case that financial support for family planning and the like is a "green" concern. Population density, growth rates and the like clearly effect some environmental concerns in many parts of the world -- even if population numbers themselves are not the source of the problem. On the other hand, the copious data that economic growth and increased wealth reduces fertility rates might suggest that those who fret over whether federal tax dollars fund Planned Parenthood clinics overseas have misplaced priorities. In any event, this is a debatable point.

On the domestic front, however, it I find it implausible that abortion, as a domestic issue, is an intergral part of the environmental agenda, and (to use E's words) that a pro-life or "anti-choice agenda" comes at the "expense" of the environment. To the contrary, one could argue that insofar as domestic law or culture protects fetal life, there will be more support for environmental protections that address threats to fetal development. Setting aside the ultimate policy question of whether abortion should or should not be legal, constitutioally protected, regulated, encouraged, or whatever, it seems clear that many other normative questions are far more central to this issue than environmental protection. Thus, when I see E or other environmental outlets focus on abortion rights, I take it as more evidence that (too) much of the mainstream environmental agenda is simply traditional liberal politics with a green veneer.