In a recent interview with the former deputy editor of the Ecologist Paul Kingsnorth, he states that the environmentalist movement has lost its way by obsession over carbon emissions reductions and has lost sight of what we should be focusing on – nature.

“The main narrative is that we have to reduce emissions (CO2) by a certain percentage within a certain period of time and there is a small window we’ve got to act, and if we don’t use it, there’s global doom approaching. If we are honest, there is no window. It closed a long time ago.”

Kinsnorth discusses that while the growing denial of climate change amongst people in America is going up, talk in the main stream is to focus on emissions targets and when those targets can’t be met no one will listen to the environmentalists.

When asked what the future of the green movement means, Kingsnorth went on to say; “We need to move towards an ecocentric view – this is not a new concept but it needs to become more central to the movement. A lot of environmentalism now still acts as if humans are the point of the planet and that we are saving the planet to save people.”

You can read the entire interview at TheEcologist.org

California and a dozen other states have tried in the past to create legislation for more strict emission standards than those imposed by the federal government, but at a recent press conference Prsident Barack Obama said that “Washington stood in their way.” The president wants the Environmental Protection Agency to take another look at a decision denying California and the other states permission to set tougher tailpipe emission standards to combat a build up of greenhouse gases.

Obama also asked his administration to get started on new fuel-efficiency guidelines for the auto industry in time to cover 2011 model-year cars.

“For the sake of our security, our economy and our planet, we must have the courage and commitment to change,” Obama said at a White House press conference. “It will be the policy of my administration to reverse our dependence on foreign oil while building a new energy economy that will create millions of jobs.”