The modern environmentalist narrative goes something like this: humans have been befouling the earth since they first tossed half-chewed fire-roasted mastodon bones to the back of the cave. As a result, today we’re at the brink of planetary apocalypse, and global super-statist economic and cultural coercion is our only hope for survival. Nonsense, writes John Whittaker, the true history and success of environmental protection lies in local, private initiatives by groups and individuals tackling local environmental challenges. Until that principle is applied to the challenge of climate change, we won’t make much real progress on reducing carbon emissions.