It may seem intuitive to some that our local, regional, and global environments and ecosystems all share roles in a global web. This intuition can be traced broadly to various aspects of neoliberalism, post-modernity, and environmentalism. However, contemporary debates over climate change, and our own exploration and critical engagement with environmental studies, has covered many […]
Post 2 (Due Apr 10)
Student posts below addressed the following: "Identify and briefly describe three key connections between the main sections of the course as defined by our readings."
Connect Four Minus One
Over the course of this semester, we have been introduced to several readings regarding environmental issues. While each reading has offered something unique, there have been some underlying themes that connect all of them together. In this blog I will make an attempt to connect these readings. The first connection that I noticed appeared […]
Keystones and Repeaters
In his book Why We Disagree About Climate Change, Professor Mike Hulme eloquently explores and explains the reasons and perspectives from which intellectuals and consequently members of the public may disagree about the issue of climate change. These reasons are based on differences in the following viewpoints which may influence our approach to problems and solutions. […]
Rooted Connections
The connections I have identified are rooted in bigger themes of the sections we have had in ENVS 160. The first connection is founded on the basis that Austerity Ecology & the Collapse-Porn Addicts by Leigh Phillips (2015) and Making the Modern World by Vaclav Smil (2014) look at the systems in place that harm […]
Getting Connected
Throughout the class, we’ve heard multiple people give their ideas. Funny thing is that if a bunch of people are roughly talking about the same topic, their ideas will sync up with each other. Here I point out Mike Hulme, Vaclav Smil, and Paul F. Steinberg’s similar ways of dealing with climate change. Both Hulme and […]
Economist vs. Ecologist on the Grounds of Global Welfare
As developing nations continue to materialize at an astonishing rate many questions are raised as to how these nations will develop, but more importantly how will these countries develop sustainably. Many considerations must be made first. How will these nations be governed, how will they affect the global rate of material consumption or CO2 emission, […]
Environmental Literature is Repetitive
People have been writing about ecological concepts on Earth for over a century. It is reasonable to expect that within that timeframe people have agreed and disagreed with certain ideologies. These beliefs are complex, complicated and sometimes contradictory just like the books and articles we have read in ENVS 160. There have been many ideas […]
Connecting the Dots of Environmental Thought
Why We Disagree About Climate Change was very broad, and a little bit overwhelming, ending on a slightly disconcerting note that basically left me with more questions than answers and somewhat unsure of how to proceed or how I felt. As we progressed in the class, the author’s points of view and ideas that we […]
Clear Yet Intriguing Connections
Throughout my time in ENVS 160, I have read many great texts. Although the texts are not necessarily related in every way, I have found three key connections between them. The first connection I was able to find is between Why We Disagree About Climate Change and Who Rules the Earth. In Why We Disagree About […]
Environmental Studies: How Does It All Connect?
When looking back on the text readings in the class, there are many, many connections that I can note among the works. One of the key ideas that was noted in my first individual post is that of climate change and other such issues within the environment as being considered a problem with many facets […]
Connect the Dots or… Connect the Thoughts?
Over the course of ENVS 160 so far, one of the most important concepts that has been in ingrained in my mind is that most issues are much more complex than popular discourse often reveals. Issues that I had previously interpreted as fairly black and white have actually much more gray area. In accordance with […]
Connections between Critiques: Threads of Environmental Thought
As I consider the readings from the this semester, I think of the word critique as it applies to the use of a term, rhetoric, or prescription in environmental scholarship. Though from different time periods or political leanings, it seems as though there is uniformity in what writers are asking their audience to pay attention […]
A Slow Process
There have been several recurring themes present throughout the readings of our ENVS 160 course. To extend upon my last post, which identified three key themes of the course, I will demonstrate the connectivity between the course’s texts in relation to three key concepts. Throughout this post I will use the term ‘environmental problem’ in reference […]
Complex Connections
ENVS 160 asks students to situate complex environmental problems and solutions in quality scholarship. Over the course of the semester I have had the opportunity to analyze, synthesize, and communicate to others the intellectual and practical difficulties of ‘making the world a better place.’ Below are three key connections I have made between and among […]
Scholarly Connections
WWD and MMW Our World in Context The texts Why We Disagree about Climate Change (2007) and Making the Modern World (2014) both serve the great purpose of laying a strong, descriptive foundation for the environmental movement. Mike Hulme and Vaclav Smil break down common misconceptions about key concepts considered in many environmental debates and movements such as […]
Don’t Judge A Book By The Cover
Introduction Many of the texts we have read throughout the semester have posed different and opposing points that have allowed us as students to critically argue and tease apart complicated issues that the environment and climate change have presented. The three connections I have made use the texts Who Rules the Earth by Paul Steinberg, […]
A Connection is a Connection
My time so far in Environmental Studies 160 I had not stopped to think about the connections between the texts that we had been reading. This post made me have a deeper understanding of the texts we have read as well as some of the larger concepts. I have made three comparisons, one about who […]
Connections With Emotions and Concepts
Over the course of the ENVS 160 class, we have read many enlightening texts but mainly focused on four certain sections. I have found connections in Paul Steinberg’s Who Rules the Earth with the ideas of social constructs, emotional and moral appeals in Why We Disagree About Climate Change by Mike Hulme, and the ideas of […]
Bridging Together the Connections
As my knowledge of the environmental sphere expands, it is inevitable to avoid the constant trends and interconnecting thoughts. Addressing and acknowledging these connections allows for the bridging of concepts that can tie together. Amongst the readings Why We Disagree About Climate Change, Austerity Ecology, and Who Rules the World there are the following key […]
We Have Wicked and Unruly Problems at Hand
As we learned from Why We Disagree About Climate Change, by Mike Hulme, climate change is a “wicked problem”. By definition, according to Horst Rittel, a planning theorist, “wicked problems” are essentially unique, have no definitive formulation and can even be considered symptoms of yet other problems (Hulme, 2009). This definition of “wicked” is very […]
Connecting Deep Ecology to Diversity of Culture and Materials
In Naess’ paper, he describes the difference between the shallow ecology movement and the deep ecology movement. Both movements have priorities and objectives in which they view ecology. Both cherish the objective of fighting against pollution and resource depletion. The biggest difference between the two is the central objectives. Shallow Ecology’s focus is on […]
Connecting the Dots
Throughout the many texts we have read this semester in Intro to Environmental Studies, there has been a continuous flow of ideas that relate to each other, giving us the opportunity to make connections that can act as a foundation for our own thoughts to stem from. The three connections I have made all include […]
Recurring Themes in Environmental Discourse
It is clear that discourse surrounding anything environmental is highly contested. Some themes, however, have shown to be far more universal than others. Agricultural workers feed the hungry masses, economists try to maximize welfare and environmentalists agree that something needs to change. One of these trends is the usage of stuff, referring to materialism and […]
If I’ve Gotta Change, Everyone’s Gotta Change (Institutionalize Your Passion)
As far as I can tell from reading what we have thus far in ENVS 160, each environmental scholar has their own very strong opinion about what should be done about the issues of climate change and materialization. Of course, it’s great to gather as much information and as many opinions as possible, but that […]
Connect the Dots to Form a Constellation
At first glance, it’s easy to displace any parallels between the vast array of sections we have covered in the ENVS 160 course. But by taking a closer look and processing the material thoroughly, we can link many of the topics to overarching themes that contributed to their existence. The first connection I was […]