After spending two years of high school in an Environmental Science Academy, I felt I had a pretty good understanding of environmental issues and solutions, however ENVS 160 not only challenged some of these ideas, it also expanded my views on many of them. In order to to narrow in on what exactly I have learned and am taking away from this course, I have chosen three key concepts from the class that I will discuss.
- There is much more behind the environmental impact of an extraction site than what can be seen at face value.
In the Situating Minerals project, we were asked to look at a mineral extraction location from the perspective of the people who lived there, not primarily from the view of an ENVS student. This is not something I had done before, because in my environmental science classes in high school, we focused primarily on the environmental impacts and degradation experienced in such locations. However, this project allowed me to look at these extraction locations completely differently. Instead of just seeing the harmful environmental impacts, I was able to understand the historical, cultural, and symbolic meanings of my site. A mountain named Cerro Rico, in Bolivia is rich with history but has a long and complex relationship with the neighboring village. The silver mine of Cerro Rico was responsible for so much wealth, and so much prosperity, but also caused so much death and was the cause of enslavement of the local people, a relationship that goes back to the Spanish Conquest.
Now instead of looking at mining sites, farms, deforestation, and other extraction locations purely from the environmental perspective, I know that there lies much more behind such places. I know that people’s lives, well beings, incomes, history, and even culture are wrapped up within these locations, and I know to take these into consideration now, as complex as they may be.
- People’s individual experiences, upbrings and backgrounds shape how they view the environment and environmental issues.
In “Why We Disagree About Climate Change,” Mike Hulme writes about the reasons why we disagree about environmental issues, specifically climate change (Hulme 2009). He discusses several factors including, religious affiliations, how we define climate and the environment, our own risk assessments, how responsible we feel towards future generations, and how we value Nature, as all contributing reasons as to why we disagree. His book illustrated to me why we all have such different perceptions of the environment and how that contributes to reasons why we may disagree on what is wrong with it, how to fix it, and what we ourselves can do.
For me, home is in the forested coast of Northern California. I have a mom who hikes everyday and a dad who mountain bikes weekly. I was raised from a young age enjoying many outdoor activities like hiking, surfing, skiing, and running, and I come from a liberal town with a hippie feel. The Ecotypes Axis Survey conveyed many of my values in congruence with the environment where I grew up (Jim Proctor, “Ecotypes; Exploring Environmental Ideas”, accessed 4/1/17). For instance, I placed high importance on Nature being pure, rather than hybrid. This is likely due to the more “pure” nature that I grew up surrounded by, and place a high value on due to the experiences I have been lucky enough to have there. Although we are not a religious family, my mother has always placed high value on the spirituality of Nature, and in turn I also placed towards the sacred axis instead of the secular side on the Spirituality axis. Both Hulme’s book, and the Ecotypes Axis Survey illustrated to me how differently we all perceive Nature and the environment, and how in turn that affects how we believe we can fix it, live in and among it, and how we should treat it.
- Scale: Combining both Individual and Institutional Action
I found the concept of Scale very interesting as well. I placed slightly more towards the Individual axis on the Ecotypes Axis Survey, because although I value individual action, I also recognize how institutional change can have greater effects (Jim Proctor, “Ecotypes; Exploring Environmental Ideas”, accessed 4/1/17). Many people believe that change starts small, and that it’s the little things that add up to big change. Although in some cases this can be effective, like recycling your waste instead of throwing it away, it is also important that we implement institutional change in order to encourage these small individual actions. Other people shy away from institutions because they fear not having their voices heard, or being exploited in some way. There are people who support individual change and others who support more institutional change, however it is a balance of both that will be effective, and we need to educate people on the benefits of both types of action.
These three concepts are the biggest ideas I am taking away from ENVS 160. They all in someway changed how I view Environmental Studies, issues, and action. They expanded the narrow view of environmental issues that I came into this course having, and have added depth, complexity, and challenges to my knowledge regarding Environmental Studies today.
Works Cited
Hulme, Mike. 2009. Why We Disagree about Climate Change: Understanding Controversy, Inaction and Opportunity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.