Former Sierra Club president Adam Werbach joined the chorus inDecember with a published speech in which he stated that"environmentalism is no longer capable of generating the power it needsto deal with the world`s most serious ecological problems." Werbach,who at age 23 was the youngest person ever to lead the Sierra Club,went so far as to promise never to call himself an environmentalistagain.

These two rants against the environmental movement are myopic andlargely ignore the dramatic developments that are transforming modernenvironmental advocacy. A new environmentalism is being born.

The new environmentalism is focused not on federal regulation andpolicy or national political action but is rooted in a diverse set ofless centralized actions.

A good example of the new environmentalism is the newly createdInvestor Network on Climate Risk that has been convened by thenon-profit group Ceres {in the interest of full disclosure, I chair theboard of directors of Ceres}. The Network is a group of state and citytreasurers and controllers, public and labor pension funds, andsocially responsible investment funds representing more than sevenbillion dollars in assets. These investors are using the leverage oftheir assets to press for corporate disclosure and action to reduce therisks of global warming.

The new environmentalism can be seen in the growing number of statesthat are taking actions to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.According to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, in the absence ofa federal policy on climate change, over half the states have takensome action including setting targets for emissions reductions,increasing the efficiency of energy systems or encouraging investmentsin renewable energy. Eighteen states have mandated that electricutilities generate a specified amount of electricity from wind, solaror other renewable sources.

A great example of the new environmentalism is the California lawthat will - if it survives a court challenge by the auto manufacturers- reduce the greenhouse gases from cars, trucks, and SUVs beginning asearly as 2009.

The new environmentalism also can be found in the "corporatecampaigns" of non-profit groups such as the Rainforest Action Network{RAN}. Recently, under pressure from RAN, Bank of America agreed toestablish unprecedented targets and timelines for reductions ofgreenhouse gas emissions within its chain of investment activities andto take strong actions to protect intact forests and the rights ofindigenous peoples.

The recent election demonstrated the local political muscle of thenew environmentalism. Pro-environmental candidates from both majorparties were elected. Candidates supported by the League ofConservation Voters won seven out of eight races. And, according to apost-election survey by the Trust for Public Land, over 100 communitiesin 25 states passed ballot measures funding $11 billion forconservation. Out of 161 environmental ballot measures nationwide, 120passed - a roughly 75% success rate.

Other signs of the new environmentalism are the growing inclusion ofenvironmental issues in school curricula, the proliferation ofinternational standards of environmental management and environme
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