Category: Uncategorized (Page 3 of 19)

The modern, anthropocentric environmentalism remains so narrowly focused on the idea that industrial societies are the culprit for destruction of wilderness that it oftentimes fails to recognize the human costs followed by conservation practices (Sandler & Pezzulo, 2007). In many cases, international conservation efforts seem to cross the line between wildlife preservation and, regardless of its main motivation, environmental colonialism that forcefully interferes with the local community’s cultural and political systems (Whyte, 2016). Too centered on their strategies to combat human influence over nature, environmentalists, particularly those of developing countries, overlook the indigenous people’s rights to adapt to environmental change, rights to reject capitalist and industrial values, and the environmental responsibilities already engrained in their cultural practices (Whyte, 2016).

Let the case be of the issue regarding ivory trade bans and the African elephant conservation. There are no disputes against the fact that poaching is the primary threat to elephant populations that will likely lead to its extinction without any comprehensive solutions against it. In fact, already 30% of Africa’s savanna elephants have died in a 7 year timeframe from 2007 to 2014 primarily due to poaching (Bale, 2017). Therefore, at first glance, it makes perfect sense for international stakeholders and environmentalist groups to pressure international markets to impose a national ban on all ivory trades, and restrict the local African ivory markets to conserve the population of elephants.

However, the global trade ban on commercial ivory failed to consider its impacts on the African indigenous community. The international pressure to oversimplify the illegal poaching problem with an ivory trade ban has not only displaced the democracy in the management of elephants and trade in their natural resources, but also contributed to creating a militarized zone for possession of ivory to profit from black market ivory prices (Koro, 2017). The local African communities that depend their livelihood on selling ivory now are divested of wildlife products, undergo poverty from inability to earn income from ivory, and suffering from a civil war (Koro, 2017).

We need a new framing for conservation that does not end up being a one-way, half-enforced western ideological imperialism in the indigenous environment and economy. Conservation needs to recognize the indivisible interaction between wildlife and human communities, respecting the social rights of local communities and considering any impacts and unintended consequences that may follow preservation efforts.

It is true that much of the environmental crisis is the result of an array of human practices (Sandler & Pezzulo, 2007). However, the claim that any progress in practicing environmentalism requires local communities to give up, to some degree, their cultural practices implies that local culture is often the obstacle to protecting species and ecosystems (Sandler & Pezzulo, 2007). It is important to recognize that species conservation, humanitarian activism, and environmental justice need not, and should not undermine one another. Environmental sustainability and social justice are not mutually exclusive.

Multiple studies provide evidence that cultural diversity and biological diversity are, to a certain extent, mutually supportive of each other, and that indigenous economies and management practices left alone can support conservation (Gorenflo, Romaine, Mittermeier, & Walker-Painemilla, 2012; Maffi & Woodley, 2012; Martin, McGuire, & Sullivan, 2013). Therefore, an integrative global environmental justice analysis can not only advocate policy approaches that take account of the disproportionate cost for conservation towards the local communities, but also provide a new concept of justice that explores benefits from the cultural dimensions in conservation practices (Martin et al., 2013). We should recognize that traditional ways of understanding nature extend beyond the biophysical dimensions of biodiversity and our social construct of the separated human and natural history based on European Enlightenment ideals (Martin et al., 2013). In the end, the politics of sustainability can only secure individualized social justice when local cultural and historical understandings of nature balance out the sustainability practices governed by a single, dominant concept of justice usually evaluated by economic power and values (Martin et al., 2013).

As environmentalists and future leaders of environmental activism, we need to start asking questions whether environmental sustainability displaces local people into globally dominant ideological and sociopolitical settlements (Martin et al., 2013). We need to start integrating the natural and human aspect of justice that takes account of the spatial components and social history of the area. And maybe one day, we can then start framing conservation into a policy tool that allows local people to achieve their development goals no longer as marginalized groups that are ignored in the discourse of the management of their own lands.

Reference:

Bale, R. (2017, March 31). World’s Biggest Ivory Market Shutting Down-What It Means.

Retrieved from https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/03/wildlife-watch-china-elephant-ivory-trafficking-ban/

Gorenflo, L. J., Romaine, S., Mittermeier, R. A., & Walker-Painemilla, K. (2012). Co-

occurrence of linguistic and biological diversity in biodiversity hotspots and high biodiversity wilderness areas. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(21), 8032-8037.

Koro, Emmanuel. (2017, November 20). China must not ban ivory trade. Retrieved

from https://www.herald.co.zw/china-must-not-ban-ivory-trade/

Maffi, L., & Woodley, E. (2012). Biocultural diversity conservation: a global sourcebook.

Routledge.

Martin, A., McGuire, S., & Sullivan, S. (2013). Global environmental justice and biodiversity

conservation. The Geographical Journal, 179(2), 122-131.

Sandler, R. D., & Pezzullo, P. C. (Eds.). (2007). Environmental justice and environmentalism:

The social justice challenge to the environmental movement. MIT press.

Whyte, K. (2016). Is it colonial déjà vu? Indigenous peoples and climate injustice. Retrieved

from https://ssrn.com/abstract=2925277

California has faced a host of environmental problems over the past couple of decades. Its monumental challenge of droughts causing a water shortage and lower crop yields have dominated news headlines as of late. However, it might not even be the state’s biggest environmental problem at hand, which is arguably air pollution.

Air pollution is not only a significant environmental health issue in California, but a global one. More than 3.2 million premature deaths per year are due to exposure to outdoor particulate matter known as PM_2.5. These are particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, which can penetrate deep into lungs, heart, and other vital organs, causing a wide range of diseases (Jerrett, 2015). Furthermore, California is notoriously known for high air pollution levels. In fact, eight out of ten Californians live in counties with unhealthy levels of air pollution during some time of the year (Los Angeles Times, 2016).

Los Angeles in smog due to air pollution. Link: http://blogs.edf.org/climatetalks/files/2017/07/Los-Angeles.jpg

As a result, California introduced a market based approach, known as a cap and trade system, on carbon emissions in the state in 2013 (Bushnell, 2017). The concept is straight-forward; competitors can purchase allowances through auctions from the state, permitting them to emit a certain amount of greenhouse gases. Furthermore, a market is created for allowances, as firms can purchase and sell shares based on their need to pollute (Hiltzik, 2018).

However, I believe that this program has too many risks that outweigh its benefits. Firstly, when introducing a cap and trade program, corporate consolidation may occur. For instance, catch shares, a cap and trade concept for the fishing industry, has experienced this both in the United States and internationally. Recently, Carlos Rafael pleaded guilty for fraud, which included falsifying catch shares. He is a prime example of corporate consolidation occurring due to catch shares. Carlos Rafael owned one of the largest commercial fishing fleets in the United States, and was able to obtain it through purchasing catch shares. Thus, as his fleet grew, he continued to purchase catch shares from smaller competitors, thus eliminating these entities from the market (Orlowski, 2017).

Additionally, there is growing unrest that firms in California are stocking up on the carbon emission allowances, and therefore not having to reduce their emissions. Since May 2017, every allowance that has been put up for auction has been bought. Moreover, the allowances do not expire, meaning that there is an incentive for firms to buy as many allowances as possible and store them for later use. Therefore, as the think tank Energy Innovation argues, there might be an oversupply of allowances, which in turn means that there might not be a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the future (Hiltzik, 2018).

However, there are clear arguments supporting the cap and trade program in California that should be addressed. Firstly, the program has incentivized firms to reduce carbon emissions in past few years. According to data published by the state officials, greenhouse gas emissions were reduced by 5 % in 2016. This is a significant improvement from previous years, which saw reductions between 0.7 % and 2 % (Megerian, 2017). Moreover, the program can generate revenue for the state that can be spent on other environmental issues. Energy Innovation projects that between 2017 and 2020, the program will raise at least 1.3 billion dollars in revenue. The money is earmarked for the state’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which will invest the money in renewable energy and other greenhouse gas emission-reducing projects (Busch, 2017).

Despite these positive results, I believe that the program’s drawbacks are too large. However, we can either improve it, or replace it with a different policy that would be more effective. For instance, increasing monitoring of the cap and trade system could reduce or prevent corporate consolidation, and setting expiration dates on the allowances could combat the stockpiling of them. A regulatory approach could serve as an improved substitute to the current system, such as a carbon tax. Many economists favor a carbon tax due to the notion that it more stable and predictable (Bushnell, 2017).

In conclusion, I believe the cap and trade system in California is flawed. Threats such as corporate consolidation and stockpiling of allowances are risks that compromise the program, despite the improved reduction in carbon emissions and revenue generated. However, I believe that the solutions such as improving the program itself through increased monitoring or setting expiration dates on allowances, or replacing it with a carbon tax, can combat carbon emissions and reduce air pollution in California more effectively. Therefore, I urge you, the reader to spread awareness on this matter. It could entail telling your friends about it, organizing a local event encouraging the state the improve the policy, or even contacting a branch of the Government of California. In fact, a specific measure you can take is contacting the California Air Resources Board, which has a hotline specifically for the cap and trade program (California Air Resources Board, 2018). There, you can explain that we should improve or replace the cap and trade program. Overall, it is critical that we take immediate measures to combat air pollution in California, and improving or replacing the cap and trade program for carbon emissions should be our first step.

Sources:

Bushnell, J. (2017, December). (Overly) Great Expectations: Carbon Pricing and Great Revenue Uncertainty in California. National Tax Journal. 70 (4), 837-845. Retrieved April 22, 2018, from https://www.ntanet.org/NTJ/70/4/ntj-v70n04p837-854.html

Busch, C. (2017, July 12). California’s Cap-And-Trade Compromise Is A Big Step Forward, Not A Win For Polluters. Forbes. Retrieved April 22, 2018, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/energyinnovation/2017/07/12/californias-cap-and-trade-compromise-is-a-big-step-forward-not-a-win-for-polluters/

California Air Resources Board. (2018). Contact Us. Retrieved April 22, 2018, from https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/contact-us

Hiltzik, M. (2018, January 12). No longer termed a “failure,” California’s cap-and-trade program faces a new critique: Is it too successful?. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 22, 2018, from http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-captrade-20180111-story.html

Jerrett, M. (2015). Atmospheric science: The death toll from air-pollution sources. Nature, 525 (7569), 330–331. Retrieved April 21, 2018, from https://doi.org/10.1038/525330a

Los Angeles Times. (2016, April 20). Los Angeles and Bakersfield top list of worst air pollution in the nation. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 21, 2018, from http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-air-pollution-report-20160420-story.html

Megerian, C. (2017, November 8). Emissions fall under California’s cap-and-trade program. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 22, 2018, from /politics/essential/la-pol-ca-essential-politics-updates-emissions-fall-under-california-s-1510182816-htmlstory.html

Orlowski, A. (2017, April 30). Did catch shares enable the Codfather’s fishing fraud?. SeafoodSource. Retrieved April 15, 2018, from https://www.seafoodsource.com/commentary/did-catch-shares-enable-the-codfather-s-fishing-fraud

Although the speaker this week didn’t spend much time talking about environmental activism, I found the conversation to be incredibly interesting regardless. Farber spoke about filling up space intentionally, and looking critically at the ways that that space has been filled and formed in the past and how that informs our present. I thought that there were a lot of concepts that he introduced that could be translated easily into the realm of environmental activism and environmental justice.

The first thing that Farber discussed that I felt translated relevantly was critically evaluating every aspect of our own actions. This includes looking at the conversations that we are having, and who we are including in those conversations. It means making every effort to include every person that we can in those conversations. What really struck me about this idea is how it has been presented by everyone who has come to speak to our class about activism. Catherine Flowers and Robin Kirk talked about finding allies. Crystal Dreisbach talked about including everyone that will be affected by your project, even (and especially) those that you don’t think will be supporting the endeavor. They all talked in some way about ensuring that you include a multiplicity of voices, and that you do so in a real and meaningful way.

Another thing that Farber discussed that I felt was relevant to our class, and the projects that we have been working on, are the specific tactics to encourage engagement with projects. He talked about making sure that you give everyone something to contribute to the project, so that they know that their participation is meaningful and having an impact. He talked about the impact of giving them something tangible to walk away with, both so they will remember the conversation in the future, as well as creating additional incentives for participation. Finally, he talked about creating a space where everyone feels willing and able to participate. I found these specific strategies to be incredibly helpful when thinking about ways to adapt our tactics when planning May Three, Waste Free, and know that many people in my group felt the same way.

I am always shocked when we have these speakers come visit about the vast array of things that they talk about, and how I am able to take something away from every talk. Although they are often not quite what we expected, they always add value into our conversation about environmental activism and the projects that we are pursuing. I feel like this is just one example of the incredible ways in which all forms of activism are similar in their essential make up. We’re all trying to make the world a better place, and we all have so much to learn from each other.

Ever since I was little, I have always loved art be it visual art or physical art, however it has never truly occurred to me that art could be anything more than simply a creation or a moment in time. However thinking back on it now, I can clearly see how art has shaped my life and love for the environment. Every individual is made up of individual moments and individual memories that define who the person is and what they stand for; as for me, living in Colorado has helped shape my identity and has given me an everlasting love for the environment. I remember vividly that from a young age, my mom would take me hiking with her sketchbook and teach me how to draw landscapes and forests. Sometimes we would spend hours hiking just to find the perfect spot, but other times we would stop after just a few minutes, but every time the view and the landscapes would be different. Sometimes the landscape would emanate a feeling of sadness while other times the landscape would emit a sense of triumph. It was these moments, sitting by my mom immersed in my surroundings, that truly shaped who I am as a person and an individual.

However merely savoring these moments and reminiscing about the past does little to help the future and after hearing Dr. Paul Farber and Pedro Lasch about their work with memorials and art as modes of activism, I became interested in the idea of spreading my love for the environment and sharing the ways in which it changed my world. I want to use my story and portray it in such a way as to impact others to feel similar feelings as myself.

While there are many ways to portray my feelings through art (I still have my drawings somewhere), each form of art has its limitations. Drawings and paintings only affect those who look at them while poems only affect those who read or hear them. Even monuments are limited to the people who live in a certain geographic area and who happen to notice it. So how can a form of artwork affect the greatest audience and make the greatest impact?

To me, the answer does not lie in physical art but rather music. In our current society, music is one of the best ways to promote social change. People listen and follow famous musicians. Musicians have become idols in both thought and action with people seeking and wishing to emulate their every action and choice from hair style to shoe color. While this is not the art form for which I have experience, our modern society has chosen this medium and if true activism is to happen through art, I believe that music is the best way to reach the most people. Ill leave with the following quote from Plato:

“Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.” —Plato

This past week was a week of reflection and self-evaluation. We, as a class, went through what we did throughout the year, what we learned, what we wished we learned, and how we will act in the future. Personally, I came into this class with a relatively closed mindset. Being an environmental science minor, I obviously cared and was interested in environmental activism but in no world did I think I would become an activist.

Throughout the entire class we posed the question “Is this an example of activism?” on multiple occasions in reference to many actions. From the groups in Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey to Tim Dechristopher. The main message I took from these discussions is that being an activist does not have one singular definition. There are many ways to be an activist and anybody can  make a difference, even us, as undergraduates at a university.

As I mentioned earlier, I never thought I would become an activist. I though being an activist entailed me starting my own non-profit or dedicating my entire life to saving natural habitats or something along those lines. While those are all certainly examples of activism, it doesn’t stop there. As a student, I intend to continue being an activist by leading by example. That means reusing, recycling, and spreading awareness. I was always aware of how my actions affected the environment and did my best to limit my impact, but never did I think about how much inspiring others can help. By changing the mindset of one person, you can change the world one person at a time. It’s like a huge domino effect, for every person you make aware and educate that’s one more person who is passing down the knowledge to another person. If there’s one thing that I would like to take away from this class it’s that you have to keep everything in perspective. Your actions do have an effect on others, whether that be good or bad and it’s important to keep that in mind. Thank you Professor Gould for making me not only a more educated environmental scientist, but an activist as well.

Art is a medium of change. Art communicates what words do not, and the absence of verbal language actually has profound implications on our decision making. The part of the brain that makes decisions is not associated with language. This why we often say, “it just feels right.” In his Ted Talk, “Start with why – how great leaders inspire action,” Simon Sinek says to start with your “Why” because that’s what people care about. “It’s not what you do, it’s why you do it” (Sinek).

Considering monuments, monuments are heavily based on the “why” – what they are and what they are made of is of undoubted importance, but why they were made and why they are placed in specific areas, who they represent and who they do not, is what makes them meaningful (and at times, controversial). Take the current removal of Robert E. Lee from Duke. It was not the statue itself, but what it represented. It was the “why” that we are against. The statue does not align with our values, and it was taken down.

Commenting on the current battle over “whom we admire and consider as heroes… [and] who has the power to shape how we view our history” (Dreier), Peter Dreier points out a number of progressive Americans who go un-monumentalized. Among those included in the lists of activists not commemorated are Upton Sinclair, Betty Friedan, and Saul Alinsky, whose Rules for Radicals I consider monumental in itself. I think it’s important to not just look at who is remembered in monuments, but who is not. How cool would a Rachel Carson monument be?

I believe environmental art can be a powerful tool when sending the message of the urgency of climate change and other environmental issues. In a time where news is illegitimatized, and research and statistics feels like it is thrown out the window, I feel that art can be particularly effective.

The main reason for this is that environmental art is a form of storytelling. The expression “a picture is worth a thousand words” is applicable in this situation, as the art itself can share a powerful experience.

For instance, take the use of plastics as art. Plastics have become a global issue over the past couple of decades. We dump an unfathomable amount of plastic in the ocean. In fact, if we continue dumping plastic at the same rate as we currently are, there will be more plastic than fish pound for pound by 2050.

The prevalence of plastics in the ocean has a severe effect on the environment, particularly species residing in or in close proximity of the oceans. A fish or bird may unknowingly eat a piece of plastic and die as a result. Microplastics can also bioaccumulate, from microscopic levels all the way to the top of the food chain, which is often us since we are consuming seafood.

Plastics as art. Link: http://i.vimeocdn.com/video/317397122_1280x720.jpg

Thus, taking plastics from the ocean and creating art from it tells an important story of the issue. It can show how pressing of a problem it is, how we are directly involved and affected by it, and how me must take steps to improve the situation.

The past two weeks, we have discussed the concept, challenges, and necessity of hope. Hope exists – flourishes – in an area of uncertainty, where negative and positive fuse to forge new plans. We saw this in Catherine Flowers, Tools for Grassroot Activists, in Masanobu Fukuoka, and in Inhabit: A Permaculture Perspective. Throughout the movie, I kept taking note and starring my notes for moments of hope. Ben Falk used swales to convert the least productive, rock sheet land into the most productive. Eric Toensmeier grew over 70 kinds of perennials and 46 species of fruit, despite having a backyard with terrible soil and shade. Dwain Lee saw New York City’s drab concrete roofs as an opportunity to engage and coexist with nature. But for me, two other people rose above, regenerating their communities by mending life for humans and nature.

First, Ari Rosenberg and Louis Sanchez from Camden, New Jersey. Camden has been known as the poorest city in New Jersey and one of the highest crime rates in the nation, yet Louis sees every abandoned lot as an opportunity for growth, for life. The waterfront rain garden has given this student a way to give back to the community and see a flourishing, lively green space among the other areas in Camden. His hope to turn these spaces into productive places just shows the possibilities of our youth and their relationship to nature.

Pandora Thomas also exemplified hope through her work with formerly incarcerated men. These men exude a kind of care and curiosity in understanding how to care for plants, anticipating and hoping to transfer the knowledge to their own children. The journey of navigating their post-incarceration life while taking responsibility for plant lives truly embodies the transformation and redesign aspects of permaculture because they co-designed the movement together with nature.

I love permaculture so much because it does not simply prescribe better, simplified farming methods, but also embodies a new mindset of regeneration, harmony, and creating a full ecosystem where humans, plants, insects, soil, etc can all live and thrive together. It prescribes a symbiotic relationship with plantlife and urges humans to learn to assimilate into ecosystems rather than imposing themselves on it. In my last blog, I wrote about the importance of returning back to the land and the value of farming. For the majority of America, however, I also see opportunities for cities to adopt permaculture into its urban landscape to happily live among other life – human and plant.

“INHABIT.” Accessed April 12, 2018. http://inhabitfilm.com/.