Hmmm... a thoughtful and well-considered response ! I appreciate your depth of analysis Erik, though the omission of certain aspects of the relevant facts is something that merits consideration.
I think it's legitimate to protest the power of the mega corporations that are receiving millions in all manner of concessions while externalising the environmental and social costs of their mania for maximising profit.
For instance both mining and oil extraction, could be done in ways that minimise the effect on nature and local communities but BP for example, have caused horrific levels of poisoning of the groundwater, soil and rivers in Nigeria.
When local people protested at the impact on their health and that of their children, they were met with denial and violence. You might recall, Ken Saro-Wiwa and others campaigning to stop BP's desecration and poisoning of the environment resulted ultimately in trumped up charges which led to his execution in 1995.
In 2011, the United Nations published a report putting the cost of cleaning the area polluted by BP at $1 billion.
I mention all this to show how the environmental and social costs are borne not by the 'advanced' nations and their corrupt corporations, but people with few resources to fight back, whose governments have been bought over by the same Western conglomerates/mafia.
It's ironic you say that you have revulsion and disdain for a lot of green movements simply because they haven't got a well-developed plan for alternatives. At least they care enough to raise their voices in protest. Meanwhile , even minimal efforts to avoid the worst harms and damage in societal and environmental terms is dodged by these mega corporations with their near limitless resources to silence dissent, often in brutal ways.
I haven't personally kept track of all the environmentalists found murdered on all the continents where people's movements have risen to protest the cavalier approach of these mega-corporations who hire local militia to intimidate people trying to protect their lands and livelihoods. But I think it's in the thousands
Ultimately, it's our consumerist lifestyles in the Western 'advanced' societies and apathy towards the well-being of Indigenous peoples that is responsible. The book, 'The Imperialist Mode of Living', summarises this phenomenon well.
