Environmentalism is a generic term for a range of interests directed at achieving
better environmental management (the environmental movement and environmentalism
are examined in Chapter 4). It must be stressed that while many environmentalists listen
to scientific reason, others take little heed or strongly oppose it. Environmental managers
may sometimes be confronted by less rational environmentalists who present their interests
as ‘scientifically sound’, and in so doing degrade scientific rigour and truth. Efforts
must be made to withstand misapplication, the lobbying of special-interest groups, and
demands of policy makers. Environmental management has to be practised in the real
world, and it has to sell important issues to people who decide policies. There will be
demands for firm answers that may be difficult to come by, and a public which can
switch off from crucial issues that fail to catch their eye. For a study of how people
respond to threat warnings, see Posner (2005); and for discussion of how individuals
view nature and risk, see Maslin (2004: 36–42).