Quiz: What Kind of Environmentalist Are You?

Check your priorities—find out what kind of environmentalist you are.

Collage by the IotL Magazine

Environment is a word on everyone’s lips. In one way or another, from #Fridays4Future students strikes to adverts urging us to choose bamboo straws instead of plastic ones, environment-related topics are present in our daily conversations. But do we all mean the same thing when we refer to ‘environment’?

In fact, what do we mean by ‘environment’ and ‘environmental activism’? What do our concerns for environment have in common and where do we differ?

We reviewed a few of the most common worldviews on environment and identified a few major characteristics for each of them. Although this selection is by no means exhaustive and neither does it capture the full complexity of each way of relating to the environment, it nevertheless is able to discern your ideas at large.

Disclaimer: the quiz does not cater for indifference to the environment. Indeed, care for the environment cannot be optional. Read each question and answers carefully—the result might surprise you.

The greatest challenge the world is facing today is

climate change

plastic pollution

decrease in biodiversity

mankind’s spiritual downfall, alienation from nature and their ancestral roots

Environmentalism is about

becoming an organic whole with nature, going back to land and strengthening our roots to pure natural surroundings

wellbeing: having access to clean drinking water, clean air, basic needs and supporting one another while leaving enough space for other species to flourish

having enough green spaces for recreation, sensory pleasure and sometimes self-improvement; regular cleanups and plastic-free living

preserving wilderness and biodiversity

Choose one sentence that best matches your views. Some of the statements above are complementary, others are mutually exclusive. Choose carefully!

The major threat to the planet is

unbridled economic growth powered by exploitation of all planetary resources, both mineral and human

population growth

consumerism, greed and cosmopolitanism

wrong consumer choices of people who are not educated enough about environment

Do you agree that we can help the environment by changing our diet

Yes. Vegetarian diet based on local and organic produce helps us regain spiritual strength and reconnects us to pure nature where we belong

Yes, we must reduce meat because animal agriculture is one of the major sources of greenhouse gases

Yes. Eat the rich since one mega rich person consumes more resources than a large poor family. Millions of poor people already do not consume meat because they can’t afford it

Yes, we should reduce meat to protect animal welfare

It depends: I might not need to change my personal diet, but if more people on Earth will consume at the rate of an average middle class European, then the planet is in danger

Greatest harm to animal welfare comes from

Industrial animal farming which treats animals as mere resource and not living beings

barbarism of halal butchering practices

People who treat animals poorly due to their lack of education

Hunters and poachers

Do you think that care for the environment is culturally predefined?

Yes, some cultures have superior spiritual connection to nature. It is embedded in their mythology and folklore

Yes, the majority of people in developed countries are far more conscious when it comes to waste disposal and appreciation of green spaces than those in developing countries

No. I believe environment is neglected or overexploited primarily for economic, not cultural, reasons

Yes, people of different cultures engage with wilderness differently

If you had more free time, you would volunteer for

BirdLife Malta or Nature Trust Malta

Friends of the Earth Malta

Żibel or Let’s Do it Malta

I'd rather set a traditional community in Buskett. We will cherish our roots to nature. We will preserve our folk traditions and cultural identity

The way out of the environmental crisis is

Cutting on emissions and changing our lifestyle. Choosing greener products, refusing plastics, recycling and regular cleanups are mandatory

Radical transformation of the current economic system: degrowth, living within ecological limits, prioritising wellbeing of people and ecosystems over business profits

Population control and limiting consumption

Striving for spiritual and cultural purity, rediscovering a traditional way of living and becoming one with nature, population control

What Kind of Environmentalist Are You?

Völkisch Pagan / Eco-Fascist

We regret to inform you that, consciously or subconsciously, your brand of 'environmentalism' is best described as Völkisch Paganism or Eco-Fascism. Völkisch Paganists worship idyllic natural purity. They practice clean eating, veganism and organic farming to strengthen their connection to pure natural surroundings. Racial purity is central to their beliefs since they hold that racial heritage of their forebears—folklore and mythology—allows them to be rooted in nature. Eco-fascists deplore urban living and advocate for going back to land. Nazi "blood and soil" ideology was based on Völkisch Paganism. Richard Walther Darré, one of its leading ideologists, glorified "peasant virtues" as racially pure and free from “disparaged city living”. Antisemitism was ingrained into “blood and soil” ideology because it regarded Jews as cosmopolitan and not rooted, akin to weeds in pristine Aryan gardens.

Mainstream Environmentalist

Your environmentalism is mainstream to the core. It does not challenge the status quo. Ultimately, this kind of environmentalism is for and by privileged, well-mannered, mostly upper middle class people, whose demands are limited to cutting on plastic waste and investing into renewables. Mainstream environmentalists identify as first and foremost consumers. They believe that the planet can be saved by altering individual consumption preferences, occasional cleanups and cute polite little marches. Ditch plastic straws, replace them with bamboo ones and everything will fall into place! The mainstream environmentalist appreciates green parks for their recreational and aesthetical value, but is not concerned about environmental justice—access to clean drinking water, air and decent living conditions for disadvantaged groups. In fact, this type of environmentalist tends to blame ‘ignorance and lack of education’ of less fortunate people for environmental degradation.

Nature Conservationist

You are a nature conservationist, which is not synonymous with being an environmentalist. If environmentalism considers improving people’s wellbeing and quality of life by striving for better quality of drinking water, air and dwellings, nature conservationists can be quite misanthropic. They prioritise preservation of wilderness and biodiversity, which, they believe, are endangered by the expansion of the human species as a whole. Nature conservationists can hold Malthusian views: they are convinced that ‘overpopulation’ is the true cause of nature degradation and climate change. If population control could help to sustain biodiversity and restore natural habitats, they would approve it without hesitation. Nature conservationists oppose improving prosperity in the Global South since they fear it would harm wilderness in those regions.

Radical Eco-Socialist

Congratulations! Your environmentalism goes beyond moderate requests for more renewables, cutting on plastic waste and changing consumption habits. You understand that capitalist exploitation of mineral and human resources and unbridled economic growth powered by fossil fuels are the true cause of climate change. You believe that only by radically transforming the economic foundations of the contemporary society can climate change be halted from entering a phase whose impact will be irreversible. You are concerned about environmental justice and treat access to good quality drinking water, air and dwelling as a basic need and fundamental right. You understand that the effect of climate change—extreme weather events—affect disadvantaged groups of population most, which is why climate justice is central to your environmentalism. You also believe that anthropogenic activity must leave enough space for other species to flourish.