, a conflict may lead to the imposition of authoritarian regimes. Political scientist Ophuls offers a similar view, that "in the light of ecological scarcity... the individualistic basis of society, the concept of inalienable rights, the purely self-defined pursuit of happiness, liberty as maximum freedom of action, and laissez-faire itself all require abandonment if we wish to avoid inexorable environmental degradation and perhaps extinction as a civilization". Economist Heilbroner see this process of environmental disarray as transcending political distinctions between capitalist and socialist countries, irregardless of the conservative thinking that "democratic" capitalism has triumphed over communism. He believes that the urgencies of the future "point to the conclusion that only an authoritarian, or possible only a revolutionary,! regime will be capable of mounting the immense task of social reorganization needed to escape catastrophe". The story of the IK tribe and its analogy to the future of the western society in the face of continuing biological meltdown may prove true. We have had various authorities from a variety of disciplines reach similar conclusions about this unproecedented problem, it suggests, at the very least, that the environmental crisis has made our culture obsolescent in ways we have yet to contemplate, with our extremely weak rhetoric about alternative energy sources, recycling, and appropriate technology. The scope of the environmental crisis should make us question our entire history on Earth, back to the origins or civilization. World Wars, space flight, and the nuclear arms race may be looked at by future generations who may wonder how these generations could have been caught up in such minor distractions. 4. They were fed up with the lack of vision in the environmental movement, the ineffectiveness of its moderate stance, the estrangement between its professional leadership and grass-...
