The Immorality of Ecosabotage
instance when Miller notes in that same article, “Two Elk [the area that burned down] was rebuilt into a much larger facility and the expansion continued on as planned.” 5 There was also a rehabilitation project beginning at the time of the fire for the lynx and the area surrounding the ski resort being funded by Vail. That funding was pulled because of the arson and the project soon fell apart. This is not the only time that the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) has committed an act of ecosabotage that backfired immensely. In 2013 a group from this organization burned down a 50 million dollar, 206-unit apartment complex specifically for University of California San Diego students and young faculty members. Thankfully no one was hurt, but hundreds of people lost their homes that day as a result of ELF attempting to raise awareness about the impact of industrial building on the environment. To this day the FBI is still investigating which members are specifically to blame, but this did not stop actions from being taken to reprimand ELF. The building was rebuilt larger than it initially was, with more money from the local government going towards it as a result of the attack. 6 A public website was also created for citizens to voice their opinions about this issue, many of which were incredibly upset. One commenter’s opinion, eventually used in the case that was brought to court, said, “Even if the attack does not injure or kill an innocent person, there are no winners. The end result: everything is rebuilt, replaced or repaired. This DOUBLES the burden on the environment and taxpayers! An exercise in futility and self-defeat.” 7 Whoever this was, hit exactly the right point. Consistently, the acts of ecosabotage that ELF has committed has only made the entire situation worse. The anger and resentment that comes as a result of these actions perpetuates a distaste for addressing or being a proponent of the environmental movement. These ecosaboteurs are setting a bad
5 Anastasio and Haaf, “The Night Vail Mountain Was Set Ablaze.” 6 Kristina Davis, “Ecoterror Arsons Unsolved 10 Years Later,” San Diego Union-Tribune, September 5, 2016. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2013/09/14/ecoterror-arsons-unsolved-10-years- later/. 7 Davis, “Ecoterror Arsons Unsolved 10 Years Later.”
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