Environmental Progress (EP) is an environmentalist organization based in Berkeley, California.

Forbes Op-Ed

Environmental Progress is led by acclaimed author and activist Michael Shellenberger. In November 2019, Shellenberger wrote an op-ed piece in Forbes detailing his thoughts on apocalyptic claims about climate change, and why he sees them as extraordinarily harmful to achieving measurable and qualifiable success. ¹

He offers his take on activist Greta Thunberg and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, explaining that “few have underscored the threat more” than those two figures. He goes on to say, “Apocalyptic statements like these have real-world impacts. In September, a group of British psychologists said children are increasingly suffering from anxiety from the frightening discourse around climate change.” ²

He explains that he cares “about getting the facts and science right and [I] have in recent months corrected inaccurate and apocalyptic news media coverage of fires in the Amazon and fires in California, both of which have been improperly presented as resulting primarily from climate change.” ³

Shellenberger downplays the effect that climate change has in human affairs. “First, no credible scientific body has ever said climate change threatens the collapse of civilization much less the extinction of the human species,” he writes. ⁴

1. Shellenberger, Michael. “Why Apocalyptic Claims About Climate Change Are Wrong.” Forbes. November 25, 2019. https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelshellenberger/2019/11/25/why-everything-they-say-about-climate-change-is-wrong/#6eb2438d12d6
2. Shellenberger, Michael. “Why Apocalyptic Claims About Climate Change Are Wrong.” Forbes. November 25, 2019. https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelshellenberger/2019/11/25/why-everything-they-say-about-climate-change-is-wrong/#6eb2438d12d6
3. Shellenberger, Michael. “Why Apocalyptic Claims About Climate Change Are Wrong.” Forbes. November 25, 2019. https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelshellenberger/2019/11/25/why-everything-they-say-about-climate-change-is-wrong/#6eb2438d12d6
4. Shellenberger, Michael. “Why Apocalyptic Claims About Climate Change Are Wrong.” Forbes. November 25, 2019. https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelshellenberger/2019/11/25/why-everything-they-say-about-climate-change-is-wrong/#6eb2438d12d6