Eco-terrorism Totally Explained

Everything about Eco-terrorism totally explained

Eco-terrorism or ecoterrorism is terrorism conducted for the sake of ecological, environmental, or animal rights causes. The word is a neologism and its applicability is contested.
Eco-terrorism is defined by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation's Domestic Terrorism Section as "the use or threatened use of violence of a criminal nature against innocent victims or property by an environmentally-oriented, subnational group for environmental-political reasons, or aimed at an audience beyond the target, often of a symbolic nature." Damage caused by environmentalist sabotage from 1980 to 1999 is estimated to have amounted to $42.8 million. Since 2003 the FBI has attributed "eco-terrorists" with 200 million dollars in property damage.
The term is controversial among environmentalists, animal-rights activists and others, who see it as a propaganda term devised by law-enforcement to criminalize or marginalize their protests. Paul Watson, the founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, has presented his own definition of the word in a commentary criticizing Japanese whalers: "an act that terrorizes other species and threatens the ecological systems of the planet".

Definitions

While there's no consensus on the exact definition of "terrorism", the word is typically used to describe ideologically motivated acts of violence with the intention to intimidate governments or civilians. Acts supposedly meeting these criteria and committed in the name of environmental causes are described as "eco-terrorism" by law enforcement agencies such as the FBI. Another term that's sometimes used is "eco-sabotage" (also "ecotage" and "monkeywrenching"), because it involves disruption of a business or governmental operation, but is directed against things, property or machines.
   The acts of violence described by authorities as eco-terrorism vary widely. Some acts involve only sabotage of equipment and unmanned facilities using techniques ranging from equipment destruction to arson and firebombing. Tree spiking, the embedding of metal spikes in trees to deter logging, is sometimes described as eco-terrorism because of the risk to loggers when the spikes are struck by chainsaws and other machinery. Most of these acts fail to meet law enforcement's definition of eco-terrorism, as they lack the publicity and symbolic elements. Arson attacks like ELF's 2008 Seattle Street of Dreams arson fires and the 1998 arson attack on Vail, Colorado ski resorts and attacks on prominent individuals such as SHAC's alleged firebombing of stockbroker's car meet the more formal definition. Other groups accused of eco-terrorism include the Animal Liberation Front, (ALF) the Animal Rights Militia, (ARM) Earth First!, the Earth Liberation Army (ELA), the Environmental Rangers, the "Justice Department",, the Revolutionary Cells - Animal Liberation Brigade (RCALB). and Sea Shepherd Acts of civil disobedience and other nonviolent protest don't meet a rigid definition of "eco-terrorism," though they may be described as such for political purposes. In 2003, a conservative Texas legislative reform group (the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) proposed the "Animal and Ecological Terrorism Act" which defined an "animal rights or ecological terrorist organization" as "two or more persons organized for the purpose of supporting any politically motivated activity intended to obstruct or deter any person from participating in an activity involving animals or an activity involving natural resources." The legislation hasn't been enacted.
   Eco-terrorism is distinct from "environmental terrorism", which describes attacks against, or using, the environment or natural resources for political or military objectives. At a conference on terrorism at the University of Georgia in 1997, William S. Cohen, then the U.S. Secretary of Defense, spoke of the possibility of rogue researchers developing "an eco-type of terrorism, whereby they can alter the climate, set off earthquakes [or] volcanoes remotely, through the use of electromagnetic waves."
   Environmentalists have argued that "eco-terrorism" should mean the opposite of its current accepted meaning. They say that persons, companies and governments engaging in ecologically irresponsible activities such as clearcutting of forests are committing "terrorism" against the environment. This counter-definition is also sometimes used rhetorically to express the environmentalist point of view, or to justify their actions. Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki, for instance, has described the former Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, as an "eco-terrorist" for failing to abide by the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. and General Electric to McDonalds of eco-terrorism. Paul Watson, founder of anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd accused Japanese Whalers of eco-terrorism, saying "They are the real eco-terrorists. They terrorise the environment."

Allegations

Organizations that have been labeled as "eco-terrorists" in the United States include the Animal Liberation Front (ALF),
In early March 2008 three large homes went up in flames in a Seattle suburb, apparently set by eco-terrorists who left a sign mocking the claims of the builders that the 4,000-plus-square-foot houses were environmentally friendly. (External Link

)

Ecoterrorism in Fiction

Anetta by Capcom
Antarctica by Kim Stanley Robinson
Ark Angel, by Anthony Horowitz
Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
Daisuke Hayami, aka Speedy Dave by Capcom
Darkwing Duck's Bushroot (Walt Disney)
Captain Planet, by Ted Turner
CHERUB, a series of novels by Robert Muchamore, contains a fictional eco-terrorist group named Help Earth
Concrete: Think Like a Mountain by Paul Chadwick
Darkness Falls and Fearful Symmetry, 2 episodes of The X-Files
The Divide by Nicholas Evans
Devouring Earth, in City of Heroes
Douche and Turd, Fun with Veal and Free Willzyx, 3 episodes of South Park
Enrica Villablanca in
A Friend of the Earth by T. Coraghessan Boyle
Final Fantasy VII - The organisation AVALANCHE launch attacks on the Shinra Company mako reactors to save the planet.
Five Days in Babylon by P.L. Reiter Antagonist is a chic latina agent of the Earth Liberation Front
Space Warriors in Cowboy Bebop
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
Jokerman 8, by Richard Melo
Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk
Make Love! The Bruce Campbell Way by Bruce Campbell
Mengele Zoo by Gert Nygårdshaug
The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey
On Deadly Ground, a 1998 Film by and starring Steven Seagal
Poison Ivy and Ra's al Ghul, foes of The Batman, from the DC Comics universe.
Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy
The Sheep Look Up, by John Brunner.
Sick Puppy, by Carl Hiaasen.
State of Fear by Michael Crichton
Twelve Monkeys, a 1995 film starring Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt
Zodiac by Neal Stephenson
The events of 28 Days Later are inadvertently set in motion by a group of eco-terrorists.
The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl and C. M. Kornbluth
Colonel Green a villain from the past in Star Trek was described as an ecoterrorist in the episode .
The Green Storm and the Anti-Traction League from Phillip Reeve's Mortal Engines Quartet

Further Information
Get more info on 'Eco-terrorism'.

External Link Exchanges

Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://eco-terrorism.totallyexplained.com">Eco-terrorism Totally Explained</a>

Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned.