I came into ENVS 160 with the thought that I would be primarily learning about current debates on environmental issues and ways as an individual to minimize my impact on the earth. Although these topics are indeed embedded into this class, I have come to realize that ENVS 160 is much more than just learning these basic components. I have come to understand that this course is mainly about exposing us to different perspectives and allowing us a chance to synthesize readings of different viewpoints to try to construct a picture of what environmental studies is in our own way.
Lessons I have learned in ENVS 160
There are so many components involved in why we disagree about climate change; it is not just a clear defined belief or disbelief.
Although I did not enter this course completely oblivious to the complexity involved in the conflicts and debates over climate change, I did entertain a much more simplistic view. Before this course, I basically categorized people as either believers in climate change or disbelievers. I had not put much consideration into all the possible outlets and mechanisms for disagreement other than the ones surrounding the basic ‘is climate change real or not’ debate. However, soon after digging into the book Why we disagree about climate change by Mike Hulme, my views greatly expanded and I now understand that there are endless reasons why we disagree over climate change. In his book, Mike Hulme shares with us that the term climate has numerous applications and a deep history. He shows us that because climate can not be defined in just one way, conflict is inevitable due to the fact that we all have slightly varying definitions and ideas about what constitutes climate. Throughout the rest of the book, Hulme explores numerous mechanisms that can promote disagreement. Some of his ideas include varying tactics of communication, economic and political factors, and differences in what we fear (Hulme 2009). Overall, after discussing this book, I have come to realize the importance of considering a wide range of factors when trying to understand why we disagree on the topics centered around the environment.
Individualism alone may not be practical in solving environmental problems; it is likely that it will require a larger institutional effort joined together with individualism to instill real change.
Coming into this course, I had very strong beliefs and support for individual action as a mechanism to work toward environmental change. As an individual, I try to be as environmentally friendly as possible. I actively work to reduce my carbon footprint. I try to shop local. I am vegan. I recycle. I don’t drive. I reuse materials. However, after reading several of our texts (e.g Maniates 2001, Steinberg 2014, Proctor 2010) and reviewing our class discussions dedicated to the ideas of individualism versus institutionalism, I have found that many of my previous ideas on the effectiveness of individualism have been disturbed. In reading and coming to terms with the fact that individual efforts are unlikely to lead to any major change, many of my views have been directly challenged. I have not altogether abandoned my support for individualism because I still feel it is essential in my life, but I am now beginning to reconsider the question: what would be the best mechanism to promote real change in the face of our generation’s large environmental problems? I do not have an all clear answer to this question but from what I have learned, I suggest that individualism must work together with institutionalism to support worldwide change. I believe that we must continue our individual efforts but at the same time we must consider the larger context and look to institutions to supply change at a large scale.
Environmental studies is incredibly interdisciplinary. In order to succeed in understanding the complex problems of our generation one must be open to many different possibilities and perspectives.
The overarching lesson I have taken away from ENVS 160 is that environmental studies requires a great degree of openness and critical thinking from a multitude of perspectives. In just this class so far, we have drawn from a number of different disciplines. These include but are not limited to science, mathematics, economics, sociology, history, philosophy, and political and international studies. Overall, I have learned that in studying environmental topics, you must be open to expanding your knowledge on many different areas of study and you must be able to take these various pieces of knowledge and weave them together in order to gain a full comprehension.
References
Hulme, Mike. 2009. Why We Disagree about Climate Change: Understanding Controversy, Inaction and Opportunity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Maniates, Michael F. “Individualization: Plant a tree, buy a bike, save the world?” Global Environmental Politics 1, no. 3 (2001): 31-52
Proctor, James D. “True sustainability means going beyond campus boundaries.” Chronicle of Higher Education (2010): 2010
Steinberg, Paul F. 2015. Who rules the earth?: how social rules shape our planet and our lives. Oxford University Press.