Final Blogging Excercise- due Tuesday 12/2

Hi all -- well, Thanksgiving is upon us, and we have, as I'm sure you know, just one week of classes left upon your return. So that means just ONE MORE BLOG POST.

Here's what I'd like you to do for this final post. I'd like you to have a conversation about the environment over the next few days, ideally with someone who disagrees with you either about the severity of the environmental situation or about the best ways to respond to it. And then I'd like you to blog about that interaction. Simple, no?

Remember, this should be a conversation, not a lecture. So listen at least as much as you talk. Think carefully, too, about the most effective way to engage with your conversation partner about something that can, for some, be a very controversial issue. Can you find ways to talk about these issues that get people thinking without turning them off? Is it best to be provocative or to be conciliatory?

Happy Thanksgiving -- looking forward to your stories,

Simon

Discussion Question 9: due 11/25

Hi all -- during his videoconference with us this week, Prof. Michael Maniates laid out his "Trinity of Despair." Prof. Maniates is concerned that the environmental movement is less effective than it needs to be, and he traces much of this lack of effectiveness to a set of disempowering assumptions about the human capacity for change, and about how real social change happens.

The three corners of his triangle are:

HN = Human Nature (the assumption that people are selfish, only out for themselves.)

SC = Social Change (the assumption that we need to get everyone on board to make change happen, and that the only way this will occur is if some kind of large-scale disaster focuses collective attention.)

ES = Environmental Stuff or Easy Stuff (the assumption that we build social movements by getting people to do the easy stuff first -- asking people to screw in a new energy-efficient light-bulb will get them, in the future, to take more far-reaching actions.)

Here are your questions:

What did you make of Prof. Maniates' "trinity of despair?" Has it helped you think in new or different ways about how to be an effective environmental change agent? And can you point to any examples of social change or social action that seem to support or that run counter to Prof Maniates' contentions?

Looking forward to what you have to say!

Discussion Question 8: Due Tuesay 11/18

Well folks, just a few more blog responses to write. Let's try a nice open question this week.

This time around I'd like you to consider the book we're reading at the moment. What do you make of the "Cradle to Cradle" vision spelled out by William McDonough and Michael Braungart? Are they on the right track? Or is their optimism misplaced?

Looking forward to your responses.

The 15 different options are grouped into 4 categories:
1. Efficiency
2. Decarbonization of power
3. Decarbonization of fuel
4. Forests and agricultural soils

I'd like each member of your blog group to take responsibility for researching one of these categories. That way, when we get together on Tuesday you will be able to have a detailed, informed discussion of our different choices.

I'll take on the first one

Getting out of the Eco-Noose with Dr. Seuss.

Hey y'all. Yesterday in class we moved from talking about the impression left by Dr. Seuss' the Lorax. Our blog topic for this week is to continue with the stanzas we began in class, to be read next week as a group.
So Far... this is what we've come up with- this should be fun, enjoy it!

It's up to you
in the things you do
morning, mid-day, through the afternoon too.

when you've got extra time to get to a place,
let yourself walk there, it's not always a race.

remember to buy less,
keep in mind what you've got
ten years from now, you'll be ashamed of all you've bought.

buying four cars leaves lots of scars,
just as buying a 100 shirts leaves that many hurts.

it seems on our own, we think we've got the know
but without action together, we've got nothing to show.

Discussion Question 7

Hi all -- we began our discussion about climate change in today's class. I fear I may have bummed a few of you out ...

Don't fret too much. As we'll see over our next few sessions, climate change doesn't JUST represent an extraordinary threat. It also presents enormous opportunities.

One person who has been exploring the positive potential in the climate crisis is Oakland-based activist Van Jones. Here are a few short articles by or about him: a piece by Thomas Friedman that appeared in the New York Times, a recent piece by Van Jones on the government bailout of Wall Street, and an overview of the Green Collar Jobs initiative from Jones' organization "Green For All."

Consider how Jones is framing the climate issue, how he's working to engage a range of different political constituencies, and where he believes solutions to the climate crisis lie. What do you make of this growing movement?

Blog Topic # 6 by Tuesday 10/28

Here's your discussion question for this week:

What's the most thrilling/magical/enchanting engagement you've had with the non-human world?

And part II, is "saving nature" something we should concern ourselves with? Why, or why not?

Happy blogging,
Simon

Discussion Question : Due Tuesday October 7th

As you know, we're talking about food and agriculture for our next
couple of sessions. Here are some questions to ponder (and respond
to on your blogs) as we look to our next class:

1. Do you have the environment in mind when you make food choices?
What, exactly, do you think about?

2. You made a list in class today of the foods that you've eaten over
the last two days. Of those food items, which, in your estimation, has
had the greatest environmental impact? Why?

Clean Energy Resources

Here are the top websites for educational resources regarding clean energy in the US and abroad- got a few minutes? check em out:
1. Energy http://www.americaspower.org/
2. Overall Pollution http://www.lbl.gov/Education/ELSI/pollution-main.html
3. Water Pollution http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/society/waterpollution.htm
4. List of Pollution Websites * Excellent Resource! http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/pollute.html
5. Environment Directory- contacts for interviews! http://www.webdirectory.com/Pollution/
6. Tinker on the EPA site http://www.epa.gov/p2/
7. Natural Gas http://www.cleanenergyfuels.com/main.html
8. Finding new alternatives ! http://www.nrel.gov/
9. Finding energy and money where you didn't expect http://www.harvestcleanenergy.org/index.html
10. Energy Efficiency Worldwide: http://www.ase.org/

Discussion Question 4

We tend to see technology as a generally positive (or at worst a benign) force in our lives. And for a variety of reasons, there seems to be a widely-held belief that technology holds the key to a resolution of our environmental crisis. I wonder what you make of this. For this week I’d like you to consider the following:

Will technology save us? Why, or why not? What does that even MEAN, in environmental terms?

If you want another challenge, take a crack at this one: What does our experience with stratospheric ozone depletion (which you’ll be reading about for next Tuesday's class) have to teach us about technology?

Blog Topic #3 by Tuesday 9/23

This week I'd like you to read and comment on this piece, which appeared in the Washington Post on Thanksgiving Day last year. The article was written by Michael Maniates of Allegheny College, one of the authors of the "Confronting Consumption" chapter we read a couple of weeks back. What do you make of Professor Maniates' argument?

presentation on reading for Friday

SO we have to put together a short presentation on the reading for friday. what time works for everyone? I would prefer to do it thursday if possible as I have a lot of stuff do that day that I need to work on now, but i can do it before then if need be.

Discussion Question 2: Due Tuesday 9/16

This week, I’d like you to take a look at the environmental platforms of the Presidential candidates from the two major parties. I’d then like you to do two things:

1. Characterize the competing platforms using Clapp and Dauvergne’s categories from our last class. That is, do the candidates sound like Market Liberals, Insitutionalists, Bio-environmentalists, or Social Greens? Do these categories help you make sense of differences between the candidates?

2. Tell me (and one another,) which of your two candidates seems to be talking the most sense on the environment? Why?

Here are links to the principal environmental platforms (or, failing that, the energy platforms) on the websites of John McCain and Barack Obama:

John McCain on Climate Change, Energy, and the Economy.

Barack Obama on Energy and the Environment and the Economy.

Happy blogging!

Question One Response

After reading everyone's posts I can see that there is a general consensus that overpopulation and environmentally unsustainable lifestyles are the roots of the most serious global environmental crises. I certainly agree, and although I do not presume to be very environmentally conscious in my own life, these posts have caused me to reflect a little more on my personal stake in recognizing pressing global environmental issues. The problems and their causes have been clearly identified and discussed, and quite effectively due to the fact that we are university students in a class focused on this particular subject, presented with a question that motivates us to discuss it, and/or are involved in some form of group or cause related to environmental issues.

However, most people on this planet are obviously not in our position, and many will never have that opportunity. Using myself as an example, I think about global environmental issues almost exclusively in a classroom or otherwise some form of organized discussion setting that I happen to be in at the time. I admit I am not focused on it and to be completely honest most of the time I feel like I have more important things to worry/care about. Now, how do you get me to change my mind about that WITHOUT putting me in such a specific setting? I leave the classroom and go to a different one and immediately focus my attention on something completely different, I put down the textbook, finish the assignment, part ways with the eco-activist on the street handing out fliers and go about my business. Most people I know are the same way, so my point is that until people actually see and feel the effects of these environmental problems, they are not going to care enough, or at least long enough, to do or allow what is necessary to reverse what is happening to the global environment - from water and food shortages to pollution to global warming. As much as the media tries to scare people, and as much as people fall for schemes that market "environmentally friendly" products as a result of that fear campaign, it is a foregone conclusion that, generally, the human population has a short attention span and an even shorter term memory.

Therefore I reiterate my agreement that people are the problem, and it is our complacency that will be our undoing. As of now, personally, I will do what I can to help, but I know that there are thousands of people who will never face, much less consider a question such as the one on this blog until one day they turn on the faucet and no water comes out of it, at which point it will obviously be too late. That day is quickly approaching, and even though we see it, I seriously think the human race has missed its window to forestall it.

Discussion question uno

In light of what Mackenzie mentioned, I would like to assert that what most Americans and “Westerners” consider to be a healthy day’s worth of meals is approximately five times (I have heard estimates say 10x as well) what the human body needs to sustain itself. This leads me to my point of our most pressing challenge: overconsumption; the massive spectrum of wealth that exists today is the primary cause of this phenomenon. The concept of the American Dream has misguided many of us here in the United States; instead of using the gained wealth responsibly, the majority simply binges. Big houses, big cars and the Big Mac are among trademark “American” icons. So while people elsewhere in the third world are wondering what they are going to eat for dinner, we (yes, we; everyone is guilty) are wondering what we should have for our third course at dinner.
With the West leading the advancement in living standards, more and more people (namely in China and India with their booming populations) who are rising to similar levels of wealth are seeking the same amenities. One can only imagine if a third of the worlds population lived at the same level as most Americans. I like to consider myself somewhat responsible in my everyday actions; but even my eco-footprint is huge relative to the rest of the world. We need to come to terms with the fact that if the ratio of car drivers to population was the same in China as it is in America, we would be screwed. If anything is going to be done, we need to come to the realization that we will not survive with our current practices for much longer. Some have already had the realization; however, for the majority, owning a Suburban is still the norm. Our history has instilled in us a craving for more; political candidates have to promise more of everything to even have a chance of getting elected. I may be a bit pessimistic, but currently the American Dream is an express lane to environmental hell


Stanley Fish brings up some interesting points; his editorial brings to light the wasting capabilities that we all have. Today, there are many “tiers” of environmental consciousness; from the completely self-sufficient, nearly carbon neutral, environmentalist to the family who makes conscious decisions to recycle, buy eco-friendly lights, energy star products, and buy local when available. I believe that as long as people are making conscious choices, it is a step in the right direction (however small or large it may be). Fish’s predicaments show how hard it is to become completely eco-friendly; few people think to separate the cellophane from the envelope when they recycle it. Even the most basic actions have environmental ramifications; simple disposal is the easy way out; and its still the choice that many choose to make.

Discussion Question 1: Due Tuesday 9/9

As we discussed in class, I'd like you to post a 1-2 paragraph response to the question on your group blog. You should aim to do this before we meet next Tuesday. The most interesting blogs develop conversations between the different authors -- you should, in other words, carefully read and respond to the posts of the other members of your group, rather than always writing stand-alone contributions.

DISCUSSION QUESTION ONE:
For your initial blog posts, I'd like you to consider one or both of the following questions:

1. What, in your mind, is the most pressing challenge facing the global environment? Why?
2. Have a look at this piece that Stanley Fish wrote over the summer. Does it wring true for anyone? What does it mean to live in an "environmentally friendly" way in the modern-day US?
Happy blogging. And have a good weekend.

Cheers,
Simon

Welcome to SIS 388:001 Simon Nicholson's "International Environmental Politics"

Hello.
This is Fall 2008 Group 1 for the course.
Blog topics will arise each week from Simon's blog at www.sis388.blogspot.com
We will answer the questions here on our blog.
We will also post to this blog interesting outside news information for discussion, reflections from class, as well as that weird stuff you come across on lonely nights surfing the internet that, well, you had to post somewhere but didn't know where else to put it besides facebook.