EXERCISE 4

December 30, 2024 By: Alicia Mujuru

Current Environmental Issue: Plastic Pollution in Oceans
Ocean plastic waste is currently one of the most urgent environmental issues. Because of its disastrous effects on marine ecosystems and the environment at large, this problem has attracted a lot of attention. Mainstream media reports emphasize initiatives to reduce plastic waste, such as the United Nations’ Global Plastic Treaty discussions.

 

My Position and Thoughts
Plastic pollution is an example of how contemporary cultures overuse resources without taking the long-term effects on the environment into account. Parallels between ancient environmental exploitation and the current usage of plastics are highlighted by Alfred W. Crosby’s concept of “Ecological Imperialism” in The Ends of the Earth. Just as Jared Diamond’s Ecological Collapses of Ancient Civilizations discusses the necessity of collective responsibility in resolving historical ecological collapses, the systemic approach to overcoming such problems necessitates international cooperation.

Reflection on Civil Disobedience in Environmentalism

History
For a long time, the environmental movement has used civil disobedience to bring about change. In Down to Earth, Ted Steinberg’s chapter “Wilderness Under Fire” emphasizes how popular opposition to industrial growth frequently protected natural resources. Civil disobedience encourages environmental stewardship and changes social norms.

Case Study: Protests at Standing Rock (2016)
One contemporary instance of civil disobedience is the Dakota Access Pipeline demonstrations in Standing Rock. Echoing Shepard Krech’s focus on the environmental values ingrained in Indigenous cultures in “Reflections on Conservation,” indigenous groups and environmental activists demonstrated to safeguard holy lands and water sources. Even though the pipeline was finally finished, the demonstrations were successful in changing the way that people talk about environmental justice and reliance on fossil fuels.

Historical examples show that civil disobedience can be an effective strategy for change, such as the Northwest Coast Indigenous tribes’ resistance to destruction (Turner and Peacock). Frequently, these measures lead to increased public awareness and, occasionally, substantial legislative changes.

To sum up, civil disobedience has played a significant role in influencing environmental awareness and legislation. “Transformations of the Earth” by Donald Worster supports the notion that grassroots initiatives frequently initiate social changes. Even while they aren’t always successful right away, these kinds of acts help bring about long-term political and cultural changes.

 

References

  1. Crosby, Alfred W. “Ecological Imperialism: The Overseas Migration of Western Europeans as a Biological Phenomenon.” In The Ends of the Earth. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988.
  2. Diamond, Jared M. “Ecological Collapses of Ancient Civilizations: The Golden Age That Never Was.” Bulletin of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 47, no. 5 (1994): 37–59. doi:10.2307/3824451.
  3. Krech, Shepard. “Reflections on Conservation, Sustainability, and Environmentalism in Indigenous North America.” American Anthropologist 107, no. 1 (2005): 78–86.
  4. Steinberg, T. “Chapter 1: Wilderness Under Fire.” In Down to Earth: Nature’s Role in American History. 4th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018.
  5. Turner, Nancy J., and Sandra Peacock. “Chapter 4: Solving the Perennial Paradox.” In Keeping it Living: Traditions of Plant Use and Cultivation on the Northwest Coast of North America. Vancouver, BC: UBC Press, 2005.
  6. Worster, Donald. “Transformations of the Earth: Toward an Agroecological Perspective in History.” The Journal of American History 76, no. 4 (1990): 1087–1106. https://doi.org/10.2307/2936586.