Final answer:
The term 'Tree Huggers' is used either in support or in derision to label individuals who are committed to environmental issues, reflecting a divide in societal and political ideology concerning the environment.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term 'Tree Huggers' is often used to describe individuals or groups who are passionate about environmental conservation and protection. This term can have both positive connotations, such as with 'Environmentalists' who are seen as advocates for the preservation of the natural world, and negative ones, such as 'Wackos', which reflects a more dismissive view often held by critics on the political right.
The environmentalist movement includes a range of ideologies, from the center-left's focus on individual rights while maintaining private property, to more radical views that include animal rights and reject speciesism. These perspectives often clash with conservative viewpoints that prioritize human use of natural resources and may see strict environmentalism as unnecessarily hindering economic growth.
From the discussion of movements like the New Left and newer factions of conservatism, it becomes apparent that environmental concerns are deeply intertwined with broader political ideologies. Hence, discourse around environmentalism goes beyond simple conservation efforts and overlaps with issues of individual rights, economic policies, and cultural values.
The framing of such issues by different interest groups, use of specific terminology, and the influence of religious beliefs illustrate the complexity of environmental politics, which is constantly evolving, and is affected by global events and movements, such as the protests witnessed against the WTO summit in Seattle.