Upon beginning ENVS 160, I made sure to keep my expectations open since I’d heard so many varying accounts of what the class would hold. From the first moment of the first class, I knew that we would be going in a very different direction than any environmental science class I’d taken before. Instead of maintaining a laser beam focus on science, ENVS 160 explores a variety of ways of thinking about, governing, and understanding the world that surrounds us. Although the class changes from year to year, we have covered four sections – each addressing different approaches to environmental thought and ideas for action.
The first section was centered around Mark Hulme’s book, Why We Disagree About Climate Change, a detailed account of the wide range of research and opinion on the issue. This text dug into the question of “what is climate?” and how different people’s values shape their perceptions with regards to climate. Hulme classifies climate change as a “wicked problem” that can only be solved by “clumsy solutions” (Hulme 2009). This means that there is no single, universal solution – one of the many reasons why solving a problem like climate change is so difficult. Every chapter addresses a different reason why people disagree, from science to religion to economics. It was intriguing to explore such a wide range of opinions on climate change, many that I had never been aware of before. Considering so many perspectives has definitely broadened my perspective on the issue.
For the culminating project of this section, we surveyed Portland’s perspectives on climate change. In teams, we set out to ask residents questions about how highly they would rate the importance of climate change in comparison to other pressing issues. Some teams collected data in the city while others scoped the periphery. We synthesized our findings into a cumulative report. I found the responses to be fascinating and unexpected at times. Here is mine: Portland Considers Climate Change
Upon wrapping up the first unit, we dove into the second text: Making the Modern World by Vaclav Smil. Although at first overwhelmed by this dense, numerical text, I ended up fascinated by Smil’s extended version of “the story of stuff.” Making the Modern World examines several commonly used materials throughout history, from wood to aluminum. He describes their extraction, production and uses. He also discusses whether we are dematerializing or not and if we truly can (Smil 2014). Although the details of this book may be arduous, power through it because his conclusion makes it all worthwhile. Our culminating project for this section involved tracing a certain mineral, used in common products, back to its production site. We then described the place that the mineral comes from with regards to nature, social relations, and meaning. My mineral was titanium and I was stunned at how many products use it as a key ingredient. See mine: Titanium: It’s in your Toothpaste!
The third section of the course focused on comparing classic vs contemporary environmental thought. We began by reading several well known authors like Hardin’s Tragedy of the Commons and Meadows’ Limits to Growth. Hardin discussed problems with common resources and overexploitation – both of which I was already familiar with. Meadows engaged the notion of a “carrying capacity” and whether we have already reached it (Meadows 1974). We then countered classic thought by reading up on some contemporary ideas like Phillips’ Austerity Ecology where he counters carrying capacity with the ideal of renewing a “pro industrial, pro growth left” (Phillips 2015). It was interesting to see how environmental thought has changed and grown over the years. We culminated this section by researching an “ism” of our choice. My group assignment looked into ecomodernism and whether it is a viable option. In short, ecomodernism argues that humans can protect natural resources by using technological innovation to lessen our impacts on the natural world. Read more here.
The fourth and final section of ENVS 160 focused on Paul Steinberg’s Who Rules the Earth. In this text, he outlays the underlying system of social rules that structure how we live. Steinberg strongly advocates institutional action (although he doesn’t dismiss recycling!) as the people who rule the earth are those that leave behind a legacy of rules that cement change (Steinberg 2015). This text wove the course together as it stresses how one must be familiar with the broad interrelations of the world to be able to make a change. I appreciated this text as it shared concrete ideas for action while providing compelling, real life examples of how social rules shape our world.
The final assignments comprised of four individual posts that wove together the multitude of topics discussed over the course of the semester. These posts provided an opportunity to take a moment and reflect on the whirlwind of 160. See my posts below:
Although it can be easy to leave ENVS 160 feeling confused and apathetic (I’m still digesting all of the perspectives!), this class does guide one to view the bigger picture. There is no single answer to many of the wicked problems we are facing today (like climate change) and we will have to think critically to navigate through them. The most central piece of advice I could give to one entering this class is to keep an open mind – consider as many viewpoints as possible to more clearly formulate you own. Best of luck!
Works Cited
Hulme, Mike. 2009. Why We Disagree about Climate Change: Understanding Controversy, Inaction and Opportunity. Cambridge U.K.: Cambridge University Press.
Meadows, Donella H., Dennis L. Meadows, Jørgen Randers, and William W. Behrens. 1974. The Limits to Growth: A Report for the Club of Rome’s Project on the Predicament of Mankind. New York: Universe Books.
Phillips, Leigh. 2015. Austerity Ecology & the Collapse-Porn Addicts: A Defence of Growth, Progress, Industry and Stuff. Winchester, UK: Zero Books.
Smil, Vaclav. 2014. Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization. Chichester, West Sussex, U.K.: Wiley.
Steinberg, Paul F. 2015. Who Rules the Earth?: How Social Rules Shape Our Planet and Our Lives. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.