Hi Joeds,
I have an interest in physics (and in fact a degree). I also have low degree of pessimism. I think that eviornmentalism could be reinvigorated by stronger communication skills, and therefore I do not see the battle as over.
My favorite anecdote about pessimism is that when he was an undergraduate, Ralph Nader wanted to understand pessimism so he read the entire works of the philosopher Schopenhauer; he concluded that pessimism was no use for any thing.
Rabbit (not a philosopher)