Why do environmental groups scare the public with trumped-up claims about fish?
Two reasons: generating public outcry and raising money. Most green groups that engage in food scare campaigns have hidden agendas. Those who are interested in limiting the use of coal-burning power plants to generate electricity are using fish in their campaigns. Even though these plants contribute less than two percent of the mercury in our environment, environmentalists hope the fear of mercury will scare the public enough to appeal to Congress for action. But most people don’t obsess about the source of the electricity in their homes and offices, as long as the lights stay on. So scaremongers are attacking the fish we eat instead, reasoning that Americans will be more easily excitable about the food on their families’ dinner tables. In the world of activist fundraising, there’s no denying that fear is a powerful tool. And environmental charities are using the public’s fear of mercury in fish, mad cow disease, genetically modified foods, and farm pesticides (despite the lack of scie
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- Why do environmental groups scare the public with trumped-up claims about fish?
