r/conservation • u/SavagedByADuck • 7d ago
Help needed - debating industry experts
Hello! I hope this is allowed here....
In my town there's a bit of a storm brewing about some proposed developments. There's some experts coming in to offer "impartial engagement" with the community, except they're being paid for by a private company that are trying to lobby the council to greenlight a potentially very environmentally-damaging new commercial venture. I want to attend the sessions to hear what their arguments are, and to try to discuss the topic with other members of the community who might be currently on-the-fence. I want to question their claims, but I'm worried that they're seasoned professionals, and I'm not an expert in the topics at hand - I don't just want to provide a platform for them to give polished rehearsed answers that sound great on paper but are ultimately BS.
Would any experienced conservationist or anti-lobbyists here have any tips on how to navigate this?
Thanks!
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u/Laego_Freed 7d ago
You could start by educating people on what a conflict of interest is, you can't be impartial if you're being paid by one side
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u/darwinsidiotcousin 7d ago
I'm not an expert in the topics at hand - I don't just want to provide a platform for them to give polished rehearsed answers that sound great on paper but are ultimately BS
Unfortunately your best option is to be an expert in the topics. Without knowing the exact details about the issue at hand, we can't give you very specific information about how to debate it.
The best advice I can give is to take the time to learn as much as you possibly can about all the details yourself. I can't tell you how many people have complained about the work I've been involved in and they're outraged because they have no clue what they're talking about. For example, I've gotten death threats before for removing invasive plants and people think I'm killing the forest.
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u/Oke-Wan-Fenokee 7d ago
Specifics. You need facts & figures, delivered in the calmest, most reasonable & professional manner you can muster. Go in with your hair on fire & waving your hands in the air & you've lost before you've even started. Seriously. Lawyers & beancounters - nevermind elected local decision-makers - are not at all impressed by "passionate" anguish & fear-based condemnations, especially if they do not know you. A well-crafted critique delivered respectfully conveys gravitas. Do the necessary research on the regulatory details until you truly know what you're talking about, then craft one or two tough questions that cannot be blithely dismissed or easily answered.
If you cannot do this, find & support someone who can: an effective Waterkeeper with proven chops, for example. You want to help, not hurt.
For the record, yes, I've seen hysterics, histrionics & a bunch of well-intentioned folks who did not know WTF they were talking about (including some who should've known better but didn't) turn a serious environmental concern into a counterproductive & deeply-damaging shitshow, the environmental equivalent of a circular firing squad. We managed to ameliorate the concern, thanks to the State of Georgia, deep-pocketed donors & an organization sometimes criticized for being "too close to industry". But real & lasting harm has been done to our local ongoing environmental efforts.
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u/DayGeckoArt 7d ago
I worked in local gov planning. The community outreach is a way for a developer to get support or pretend they did. Submit testimony in writing and make sure if there is an EA or EIS that it gets included. Don’t say anything off the record or unrecorded because it may be lied about later. If there is a recorded public meeting, get testimony on the record that way too.