I, Myself and Everyone Else: Realizations of a Limited Individual Perspective
by: Morgan Griffith
I have realized, during the course of ENVS 160, that an interdisciplinary program such as this course requires me to dig deep into my brain and grasp for loose ends to tie together and synthesize the vast knowledge that I have gained spanning across endless disciplines, opinions and theories of thought. Here is my reflection of the main takeaways I have from the course thus far.
Number 1. Get over yourself. This course has taught me that the most detrimental thing you can do when approaching such large topics such as studies about the environment, is be stubborn in your thought. In order to really grasp this area of academia you must be not only be open and willing, but have a desire to absorb and analyze numerous contradicting and complementary opinions. Therefore, although I may have my preconceived notions about the environment and the value I associate it with, I cannot naively assume that these notions are widely shared. This realization of mine was largely produced by the first book in our course: Why We Disagree about Climate Change (Hulme, 2009). This book highlighted how there are many valid reasons why people have differing opinions about climate change, just as anything else and I cannot be naive and assume everyone comes from the same background that formulates their perspectives. My perspective is not the only one and I need to respect others in order to be successful in this academic endeavor.
Number 2. It’s not just science. I am a scientific thinker, a biology major with an special interest in ecology and geology and all things earth. To me, climate science is a no brainer, an undebatable fact and it should be enough to stimulate people to want to change their ways, but it’s not. Not everyone places the same importance and priority on environmental issues as I do and that is where policy comes in to place. Part of, if not most of environmental studies is about putting policy in place in order to make the science valid, respectable and followed by the greater world that may not be on sciences side if there were no regulations and policies in place telling them it is important and critical. Multiple examples of this need for policy is in the book Who Rules the Earth . Whether it is on lead use in gasoline, or pesticides in agriculture, big industries are most often not on sciences side, the scare of environmental damage is not enough without consequences and exposure to the public who when aware often fight back (Steinberg, 2015). Lawmaking and regulations are necessary for dealing with these crises. I came into environmental studies underestimating its level of interdisciplinarity, expecting it to be more of a science class than anything, and realizing that this was not completely true was very significant for me.
Number 3. Privilege plays a role. Another main take away that I have had from this course is that I have been very privileged in my life and that has allowed me to have the stance and mobility for environmental issues that I have now. I have been fortunate enough to even be educated on the planet I live on, an opportunity many are deprived of, I am lucky just to be aware. I also am lucky to be able to act, to live in a place that supports my choice of veganism, my purchasing of more eco-friendly products etc. that I am proud of as my steps towards implementing my learning. But, most importantly I must use this privilege to not only continue becoming a better steward to my planet, but also help educate others who are not as aware to spread my learning and course of action!
~I look forward to learning more, the list goes on.~
Works Cited
- Hulme, Mike. 2009. Why we disagree about climate change: understanding controversy, inaction and opportunity. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
- Steinberg, Paul F. 2015. Who rules the earth?: how social rules shape our planet and our lives.