I have found that information learned in distinct separation can only lead so far into complete education of a topic. I think a person could reach application at most on Bloom’s taxonomy of education pyramid. Without finding connections throughout different sections of in a course and being able to compare and differentiate these topics, one would find it very difficult to excel in higher education. The interdisciplinary aspect of Environmental Studies allows for connections across most all fields of study, as well as closer connections within one academic discipline.
I couldn’t help but relate the idea of governing climate change back to the first piece of environmental theory I ever read, The Tragedy of the Commons by Garrett Hardin. Hardin explains in short that without regulation, a commons will be depleted quickly and unusable for anyone (Hardin 1968). Hardin’s suggestion for policing of the commons relates to Why We Disagree About Climate Change’s author, Mike Hulme’s, perspective on how we should establish environmental policy. Hulme discusses Civil Environmentalism as a new age form of governance that “places citizenship, participation, and equity at its core” (Hulme 2009, 305). This holds the public accountable for their use of resources and emissions of greenhouse gases and thus must follow guidelines of conservation and regulation, the key to preserving the commons as Hardin laid out in his essay.
As we learned about the priorities that the EU hold as they continue to be extremely efficient in environmental policy in Paul Steinberg’s Who Rules the Earth?, I found a connection to the idea of the anthropocene that we studied earlier in the year. What I found interesting was that these three priorities, economic and ecological solutions, “adopting a holistic approach to sustainability”, and influencing others with their environmental policy (Steinberg 2015), are all based on what we as humans have done to our planet and how we can now take steps to reverse or prevent any further damage. Ruth DeFries plays with the idea of the anthropocene and how it is our responsibility to deal with the repercussions of the negatives we have inflicted onto our planet in Planetary Opportunities(2012). Both of these texts explore human activity and policy making to take measures against harmful human activity as not mutually exclusive but rather encouraged and an obligation that we have since we have created this anthropocene.
The final connection I will discuss is that between the technology axis on the ecotypes survey and chapter five of Making the Modern World by Vaclav Smil, regarding relative vs absolute. dematerialization. I make this connection because of the desire to use technology as a replacement for environmental vices such as deforestation for the paper industry. However, this increase in technology could lead to the increase in energy intensive materials which could be counterproductive (Smil 2014). This debate as to if we should be technophilic or technophobic, and, if we should encourage relative dematerialization or oppose it are intertwined because of the direct translation from improved technology to lighter substances or a decrease in mass production of things like water bottles or paper with the increase in production of tablets and water bottles. Technology allows us to move forward with innovation, but it become problematic when the technology is harming the environment through depleting resources or emitted greenhouse gases rather than helping it recover and prosper.
References:
DeFries, Ruth S. et al. 2012. “Planetary Opportunities: A Social Contract for Global Change Science to Contribute to a Sustainable Future.” BioScience 62 (6): 603–6. doi:10.1525/bio.2012.62.6.11.
Hardin, Garrett. 2009. “The Tragedy of the Commons.” Journal of Natural Resources Policy Research 1 (3): 243–53. doi:10.1080/19390450903037302.
Hulme, M. 2009. Why We Disagree about Climate Change: Understanding Controversy, Inaction and Opportunity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Proctor, Jim “Technology.” 2017. EcoTypes. January 12. https://ds.lclark.edu/ecotypes/ecotypes-axis /technology/
Smil, Vaclav. 2014. Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley.
Steinberg, Paul F. 2015. Who Rules the Earth?: How Social Rules Shape Our Planet and Our Lives. New York, NY: Oxford Univ. Press.