Fight for the Bay: Why a Dark Green Environmental Awakening Is Needed to Save the Chesapeake Bay

In 2003, Hunt, a political science professor at the U.S. Naval Academy, issued a wakeup call with his polemic Chesapeake Bay Blues, arguing that ""politics as usual"" was leading to ""continued environmental degradation."" Six years later, the situation is worse; Chesapeake Bay is ""functionally dead,"" and the problem has gone global. Distinguishing between the more confrontational approach of the ""Dark Greens"" and the moral arguments of the ""Light Greens,"" Ernst argues that differences in the movement have contributed to the ability of opposing ""Cornucopians"" to push an agenda of pure economic self-interest. The largest environmental interest group in the Bay region, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, refuses to engage in electoral politics while the Bay's biggest polluters, such as the poultry industry, use their money to get pro-industry candidates into office: ""the Perdue family alone spent more in one recent election... than the combined spending of all environmental groups across the three key Bay states during the same period of time."" Still, there are many individuals and organizations doing important work, and Ernst chronicles their struggles in detail. A passionate call to action from a longtime activist (Ernst is currently in his 80s), this read will shock and inspire a range of concerned citizens, from homeowners to journalists to lawmakers.