In a series of blog posts over the coming months (and maybe beyond...) I'll be looking at the ways in which the environment is used/exploited for monetary gain. And also try to see how the economy can help or hinder attempts at protecting the Earth. Alongside this, I'll be exploring the part politics plays - as the stage where some (if not all) of the highest level decisions are made.
Before I get started, I thought it would be good to note what my "starting position" actually is. What are my immediate thoughts / feelings / impulses about saving the world?
Well, I agree with the need to proactively challenge climate change. I don't think the problem will go away by itself. I don't think it's fair that some of the poorest people in the world will feel the brunt of it. And I don't think that our current set-up in countries like the UK is sustainable.
I also believe that the ecosystems of the world should be protected as well as possible. That organisms, whether they are cute or ugly, majestic or humble, shouldn't be driven to extinction by our fumbling, bumbling hands.
I am, in that respect, a run-of-the-mill Geography student.
However, whilst the ideal will always be a sustainable world, where power and wealth are fairly distributed and where we have a healthy respect for our surroundings... I am highly sceptical of the "integrated", "holistic", "grassroots" schemes that are all too often suggested as ways of protecting and managing the environment.
My natural inclination (for the time being, at least) is towards the big, heavy, systems-level schemes. The ones that have the clout of the most prominent global organisations fully behind them. These schemes have often been lacklustre or downright failures in the past, but I still think - at least they're actually doing something. For all the virtues of an inclusive, bottom-up initiative, I fail to see how they have brought about tangible and sustained change beyond the small-scale. All too often the frameworks that are drawn up also fail to suggest pragmatic roadmaps for delivery.
That is a small (and frank) introduction to my viewpoint. I absolutely support the idea of sustainable solutions, but I also think a lack of pragmatism means a waste of time (and research funding!).
In the coming weeks, I'll explore the ecosystem services concept, the impact of Tesla, fracking and more! All in the hope of discovering genuine opportunities to protect the environment from genuine threats.
At the end of this module, I'd like to revisit this post and reflect on how my thoughts have changed
Before I get started, I thought it would be good to note what my "starting position" actually is. What are my immediate thoughts / feelings / impulses about saving the world?
Well, I agree with the need to proactively challenge climate change. I don't think the problem will go away by itself. I don't think it's fair that some of the poorest people in the world will feel the brunt of it. And I don't think that our current set-up in countries like the UK is sustainable.
I also believe that the ecosystems of the world should be protected as well as possible. That organisms, whether they are cute or ugly, majestic or humble, shouldn't be driven to extinction by our fumbling, bumbling hands.
I am, in that respect, a run-of-the-mill Geography student.
However, whilst the ideal will always be a sustainable world, where power and wealth are fairly distributed and where we have a healthy respect for our surroundings... I am highly sceptical of the "integrated", "holistic", "grassroots" schemes that are all too often suggested as ways of protecting and managing the environment.
My natural inclination (for the time being, at least) is towards the big, heavy, systems-level schemes. The ones that have the clout of the most prominent global organisations fully behind them. These schemes have often been lacklustre or downright failures in the past, but I still think - at least they're actually doing something. For all the virtues of an inclusive, bottom-up initiative, I fail to see how they have brought about tangible and sustained change beyond the small-scale. All too often the frameworks that are drawn up also fail to suggest pragmatic roadmaps for delivery.
That is a small (and frank) introduction to my viewpoint. I absolutely support the idea of sustainable solutions, but I also think a lack of pragmatism means a waste of time (and research funding!).
In the coming weeks, I'll explore the ecosystem services concept, the impact of Tesla, fracking and more! All in the hope of discovering genuine opportunities to protect the environment from genuine threats.
At the end of this module, I'd like to revisit this post and reflect on how my thoughts have changed
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