Introduction
Environmental Studies 160 peels back the complicated and interdisciplinary layers that make up our world. As a student in this course one is not just learning about Global Warming from a scientific perspective, one is also learning from social and economic perspectives. The basis for investigating environmental theory from so many avenues is done to prepare a young environmental studies student for the further complications to come in higher level courses. Each book that is read and each part of information that is emphasized has a role to play in understanding ones own place in environmental theory. In this post I will be summarizing the work we have done semester with each text, so you have a greater understanding for the intention behind what is being taught and why.
I. Perspectives On Climate Change
The first book Professor Proctor introduced to us was Why We Disagree About Climate Change by Mike Hulme. Personally I found this book to be very stimulating in how Mike Hulme builds upon his reasoning behind what prevents humanity with a culminating conclusion that was not perfect, but connected with the points made in the book. What I found most important was how much of an impact religion has on people’s mentalities towards climate change, as “most established religions in their teachings overtly hold in tension the individual (or personal) and systemic (or structural) causes of moral failure” (Mike Hulme 2010) for climate change. This approach of individual responsibility in a religious context can have a profound effect on how responsible people feel for the perils of global warming.
This is what we examined in our first group assignment here. In this group assignment we traveled by the max into the outskirts of Portland to survey the public about their opinions on the importance of Global Warming in their daily lives in comparison to other issues in society. It was actually very difficult to get an adequate sample of individuals with a variety of opinions. This lead me to concluded that bubbles of congruent opinions will coagulate in certain areas that reinforce their beliefs.
II. Magnifying Material Impacts
The second text that we were instructed to read was Making the Modern World by Vaclav Smil. This text was much more dry and factual. However, I found it to be more impactful in actually gaining a larger understanding of how humanity has used materials to unintentionally impact and accelerate global warming. Globalization has become such a large force that being accountable to where everything utilize ends up. Previous to reading this text I had not considered the real consequences of where everything I consume comes from. I had thought it was adequate that I could recycle to aid the environment, but in reality the “overall verdict about modern civilization’s recycling performance is easy; so far its recycling efforts have been quite inadequate even when compared to what might be labeled as a barely satisfactory effort”(Smil 2014, 105). This seems to be because as a society were are realizing at a snails pace that the contributions to preventing global warming do not match up with the damage humanity has inflicted upon the earth.
The group project in conjunction with the theme Making the Modern World by Vaclav Smil was to contextualize minerals in terms of their place. You can find the link to our project here. The mineral our group chose was Salt. This mineral is utilized globally, but being able to understand the impact salt had on Hutchinson, Kansas showed me how something so globally prevalent on a material level can have greater implications for a town’s economic livelihood and social constructs.
III Classic and Contemporary Environmental Thought
This portion of the course is where we really got embedded as a class in the different types of environmental thought. More specifically those of a classic and a contemporary context. This meant that we read smaller articles and works in order to gather more points of view on environmental thought and where we ourselves stand in relation to it. The concept discussed that was most compelling for me was that of overshoot & collapse. From a classic perspective this is discussed in The Limits to Growth: A Report for the Club of Rome’s Project on the Predicament of Mankind According to this report it seems to be that “we are drawing on the world’s resources faster than they can be restored, and we are releasing wastes and pollutants faster than the Earth can absorb them or render them harmless. They are leading us toward global environmental and economic collapse—but there may still be time to address these problems and soften their impact” (Meadows et al. 1974). Could and will we exhaust the earth’s resources? Will this end in turmoil? They are guiding the reader into what the world needs to do to make more sustainable choices.
In terms of contemporary environmental thought our third group post was focused on different ‘isms’ in order to develop our conceptual analysis of environmental concepts. We chose localism for our ism which turned out to be a very interesting topic because of how interwoven it is with the concept of globalism. You can find the link for our post here. This was the most difficult post to write because it was so complex and had so many different facets to it. What wisdom I can pass on from this post is to be very deliberate with word choice, as this can really affect how the analysis is perceived.
IV Who Rules the Earth?
The final part of the semester was devoted to understanding how impactful the social rules governing our society are in terms of environmental protection and harm. Whether it be pesticide regulation in Canada or housing laws in South America we learn in Paul Steinberg’s book, Who Rules the Earth? that governmental rules and being socially pro-active are deeply impactful on the environment whether we realize it or not. What really encapsulate’s this in the text is that “There are social rules that pattern this physical reality” ie. building codes, product design standardsThe concept of coastal access in Ireland and on Lake Michigan. As well as the chemical composition of the ocean being shaped by social rules”(Steinberg 2015, 19). For me, this book was an enlightening look at individual responsibility in the context of institutional change in aiding progress towards a healthier earth.
In reflecting over the last few weeks of the semester I have written four individual posts about what I have learned through the journey of this semester. They are all linked here (one, two, three, four). Each post allowed me to dive a little deeper into my creativity with design as well as the greater context of knowledge I now have as a result of completing the course.
Final Advice
Do your best and Don’t stress! If you do the reading guides to the best of your ability and really try to engage in the material during class you cannot go wrong. Do not hesitate to reach out to your teacher, as at least in my case Professor Proctor was very prompt in his responses to any questions I had. The best way to get the most out of the class is to try your best, but don’t strain yourself. Strictly focus on what is on the reading guides. There is no need to go completely overboard underlining and highlighting practically every word. This will only hurt you in the end. I wish you the best of luck in your environmental studies career!
Works Cited:
Hulme, Mike. 2010. Why We Disagree About Climate Change. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Meadows, Donella H., Dennis L. Meadows, Jørgen Randers, and William W. Behrens. The Limits to Growth: A Report for the Club of Rome’s Project on the Predicament of Mankind. New York: Universe Books, 1974.
Smil, Vaclav. 2014. Making the Modern World. United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Steinberg, Paul. 2015. Who Rules the Earth?. New York: Oxford University Press.