Environmentalism is dead. Liberal politics is out of touch. Those thoughts are the basis for the book “Break Through” written by two Oakland, California-based climate and energy strategists, Ted Norhaus and Michael Shellenberger.

Although the book came out three years ago, the arguments it presents are still worth examining — that environmentalists need to move on from single-issue, special interest, complaint-based arguments towards developing in tandem with the business world a whole new kind of economic development.

Regulations alone, the authors argue, will not change pollution and global warming problems – such as those affecting the Chesapeake Bay, which is important to the regional economy in its watershed. What is needed for creation of a new, clean-energy economy is major public investment in solar, wind, hydrogen and bio-fuel technology.

Norhaus and Shellenberger emphasize that what is missing in the United States is politics focused on “possibility, investment and innovation, not limits, pollution and regulation.”

This is an interesting approach, particularly given the perspective of such other respected authors as Howard Ernst, who states that the only way polluters will change is through the creation and enforcement of pro-environment laws.

After millions of dollars have been spent on cleaning up America’s rivers and estuaries with relatively little success, and after laws and regulations get watered down and ignored, it might be worth taking another look at “Break Through.”

Note: Ted Norhaus and Michael Shellenberger run the Breakthrough Institute in California. Howard Ernst is a political science professor at the U.S. Naval Academy and author of “Fight For The Bay.”