Exercise #4: Documentary Reflection
Instructions
For your fourth Exercise assignment, you will make connections between the environmental movement in the recent past and today by considering what you are challenged to learn from documentarians of that movement.
- Find a current or recent report in the mainstream or alternative media of an environmental topic or issue in your local or wider region. As you read/ hear about the issue, consider where you stand on it. Identify your position and your thoughts.
- Use the documentaries in this course unit to reflect on the role that civil disobedience has played in the history of environmentalism, researching one other recent example to defend your answer to the question of whether it works to bring positive change.
Use your research in the mainstream and alternative media from Activity 1 of this unit for this exercise Post the media links and your analysis. Aim for a minimum of 300 words.
Please note, you should write and edit your submission in a separate file then copy and paste it into the submission box. Once submitted to the HIST 3991 trubox site, you will not be able to edit your post.
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Submissions
Documentary Reflection
March 9, 2026 By: Kaiagolab T00755749
Exercise #4: Documentary Reflection — Civil Disobedience and Environmental Change Dr. Norman Fennema HIST 3991: Environmental History Kaia Golab T00755749 Sunday, March 8th, 2026 A local-to-BC environmental issue I keep seeing in the news is the ongoing conflict over old-growth logging, where people turn to civil disobedience (road blockades, protest camps, and injunction-related arrests) to try to stop logging in ecologically significant areas. In late 2025, media reports described arrests and renewed blockades connected to old-growth logging disputes on Vancouver Island (Times Colonist, 2025; Nanaimo Bulletin, 2025). These stories bring up a hard question: when formal political processes move slowly—or…
Environmental Issue: Old-Growth Forest Protests in British Columbia
March 2, 2026 By: Sandra
Exercise #4: Documentary Reflection Media source: The Narwhal. “Fairy Creek Old-Growth Logging Protests.” The Narwhal. https://thenarwhal.ca/topics/fairy-creek-blockade/ One major environmental issue in British Columbia today is the ongoing conflict over old-growth forest logging, especially in places like Fairy Creek on Vancouver Island. Despite public concern and scientific warnings about biodiversity loss, logging of ancient forests has continued. The Narwhal’s reporting shows how activists, Indigenous land defenders, and environmental groups have used protests and blockades to stop logging operations and draw attention to the issue. Reading about this made me reflect on where I stand: I believe that protecting old-growth forests is critical…
Fairy Creek Protests
February 23, 2026 By: Clay Roper-Daniels
Dr. Norman Fennema HIST 3991: Environmental History Clay Roper-Daniels Feb. 22, 2026 Exercise #4: Documentary Reflection https://www.cbc.ca/radiointeractives/features/the-fallout-of-fairy-creek I choose the “The Fallout of Fairy Creek” CBC article as my media report because I’ve never heard of the protest before, even though it was one of the biggest in Canada’s history. In 2020 and 2021, the protests in Fairy Creek involved over 1,100 environmental activists who were arrested for stopping logging of old-growth trees in British Columbia. The protestors used civil disobedience strategies like road blockades and tree-sitting to physically prevent tress from being cut down. These forests are largely…
Documentary Reflection
February 18, 2026 By: T00736087
The climate and energy of Canada discussion continues with the article from CBC news titled “Climate and Energy”. They stated about the difficulty of balancing the needs of the economy and environment. While reading, it became clear to me that environmental issues are not just ecological problems, but also political and social problems. I honestly believe in supporting strong and effective possible environmental protections, even if there are some economic consequences in the short-term, because I consider the long-term implications of climate change to be more important than the short-term economic effects. This article also discusses the fact that many…
Exercise 4
February 18, 2026 By: T00783350
Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/the-trans-mountain-pipeline-expansion-was-an-expensive-mistake/ One of the issues that have been prominent in the Canadian media in recent years and are still causing controversy is the issue of the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion (TMX). This is a project that will increase the capacity of the existing pipeline from Alberta to the coast of BC by three times. As I reflect on the pipeline and its implications, I find myself torn but generally opposed to the pipeline as it is currently allowed. The science on climate change is clear: we must cut emissions quickly to avoid the worst consequences of…