Greens
From The Kim Stanley Robinson Encyclopedia
In Martian culture, the term Greens refers to people who are in favor of terraforming the planet to some degree, changing it from its native red state be more earth-like, or green, with plants, trees, animals and a viable atmosphere. Individuals of a Green persuasion ranged enormously from those who wanted the barest minumum of terraforming to support human life in the open-air, but with large sections of the landscape untouched, to those who wanted to transform Mars into another Earth as quickly as possible.
The Green movement was one of the major political divisions established in Martian society, in contrast to the Reds who desired to leave the planet as untouched as possible. However, there was no distinct Green Party as such, as it was just one of the many political ideologies and the Greens were not a united, single-minded group in any real sense. It is just an umbrella term to describe one's leaning on the issue of terraforming.
Early Green practices
In the days of the First Hundred's settlement on Mars it was widely assumed that some degree of terraformng would take place. Certain individuals, such as Sax Russell and Hiroko Ai even released unauthorized plant and algae lifeform experiments into the wild, such was the strength of their assumption that terraforming was inevitable. Their opposition, figureheaded by Ann Clayborne were extremely vocal in their protests but were largely ignored as radicals with an impractical viewpoint.
Earth-based metanational corporations supported terraforming efforts, as it was seen as essential to Mars being useful as a profit generating resource, so major industrial-scale 'Green' projects were launched. Sax Russell was head of the terraforming project for the first part of this period, which made significant progress despite sabotage efforts by militant Red groups.
Green policies in the Martian Constitution
By the time Mars gained its political independence from the Terran metanationals, the planet was a long way towards having a human-viable atmosphere. Numerous plants and animals already inhabited the globe, and the majority of the population would have been considered some shade of Green. However, due to the still powerful Red presence, and the commitment to environmental awareness and preservation felt by most Martian inhabitants, the new Martian Constitution specified clear policies regarding the nature and degree of future terraforming projects. Specifically: that terra-forming would continue, in slow nondisruptive forms, until the atmospheric pressure at six kilometers above the datum was 350 millibars, this figure to be reviewed every five years.
Also, a Global Environmental Court, on which many Reds served was established in order to ensure environmental concerns would always be given pride of place in Martian society.
Some well-known Greens and Green-based organizations
| The Mars Trilogy | |
| People |
Hiroko Ai • Arkady Bogdanov • Jackie Boone • John Boone • Phyllis Boyle • Frank Chalmers • Nadia Cherneshevsky • Ann Clayborne • Peter Clayborne • Michel Duval • Nirgal • Desmond Hawkins • Art Randolph • Sax Russell • Maya Toitovna • Zo Boone |
|---|---|
| Groups & Organizations |
First Hundred • Greens • Reds • Free Mars • Praxis • UNOMA • UNTA |
| History |
Timeline • 1st Martian Revolution • 2nd Martian Revolution • Second Renaissance |
| Culture |
Areophany • Viriditas • Gift Economy • Ecopoesis • Little Red People |
| Settlements |
Acheron • Bogdanov Vishniac • Burroughs • Cairo • Da Vinci • Dorsa Brevia • Echus Overlook • Nicosia • Odessa • Sabishii • Senzeni Na • Sheffield • Underhill • Zygote/Gamete |
| Areography |
Mars • Tharsis • Valles Marineris • Hellas • Argyre • Olympus Mons • Pavonis Mons |
| Satellites & Spacecraft |
The Ares • Clarke/Space Elevator • Deimos • Phobos • Novy Mir • |
| Kim Stanley Robinson | The Mars Trilogy | Other Works | |
