Michael Shellenberger
Michael Shellenberger | |
|---|---|
 Shellenberger in 2024 | |
| Born | June 16, 1971 Colorado, U.S. |
| Education | Earlham College (BA) University of California, Santa Cruz (MA) |
Political party | Democratic (before 2022) Independent (2022–present) |
| Movement | Ecomodernism Radical centrism |
| Spouse | Helen Lee |
| Children | 2 |
| Writing career | |
| Subjects | Energy, global warming, human development |
| Website | Official website |
Michael D. Shellenberger (born June 16, 1971) is a political and ecomodernist activist and writer best known for his heterodox views. Born in Colorado, he obtained degrees in Peace and Anthropology in the 1990s. After founding some public relations firms, in 2003 he co-founded the ecomodernist think tank Breakthrough Institute. Scientists, including those he cites, have criticised his "bad science" in comments on climate change, his history of "anti-green contrarianism", and IJNet, the multiple errors in his reporting.
Shellenberger authored Apocalypse Never (2020), about the environment, and San Fransicko (2021), about homelessness. He has been active in critiquing the environmental movement, offering alternative views on climate threats and policies. He contends that while global warming is a concern, it is "not the end of the world", and advocates for the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), industrial agriculture, fracking, and nuclear power as tools for environmental protection.
Shellenberger ran unsuccessfully for governor of California in 2018 and 2022.