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
Jasper Wildfires 2024
August 6, 2025 By: Logan Forman
Documentary Reflection-Jasper Wildfires 2024) Media Report: “2024 Jasper Wildfires prompt emergency evacuation; climate change intensifies fire season” CBC News, July 2024. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/jasper-wildfire-evacuation-2024-1.7209173 Position and Analysis: July 2024 brought devastating wildfires to the Jasper National Park region. These wildfires were responsible for evacuations, park closures, tourism disruptions, and the unimaginable damage to many forests.[1] This specific example of wildfires highlights the impacts associated with climate change in Western Canada. The wildfires reignited the tensions between conservation, tourism, and Indigenous rights as the main actors related to this crisis are all viewing the tragedy in a different light. The Jasper wildfires illustrate…
Opposing Canada’s Approval to Fast-track Resource Project
August 3, 2025 By: Sochibueze Ajoku
Title: Canada approves law to fast-track resource projects, faces Indigenous opposition (Reuters, June 26, 2025) – Canada approves law to fast-track resource projects, faces Indigenous opposition | Reuters This legislation empowers the federal government to speed up resource project approvals—including pipelines and mines—by reducing constraints like inter-provincial trade barriers and cabinet discretion that can override existing laws and consultation protocols. Critics warn it may undermine constitutionally protected consultation and accommodation rights for Indigenous communities, as well as weaken environmental assessments. I oppose this bill because it appears to bypass crucial environmental review processes and erode Indigenous consultation rights. Resource…
Okinawa’s Environmental Struggle: Civil Disobedience as a Tool for Justice?
August 2, 2025 By: Kai Maekawa
In recent reports, PFAS contamination near U.S. military bases in Okinawa has become a critical environmental issue. According to Stars and Stripes, PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” have contaminated water sources around bases such as Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. For example, water samples taken downstream showed contamination levels reaching 1,600 parts per trillion, significantly exceeding Japan’s acceptable safety standard. This contamination is linked directly to firefighting foam historically used by the U.S. military. Consequently, the Okinawan government is now forced to invest heavily in water treatment infrastructure while attempting to hold the U.S. accountable for remediation efforts. My…
Exercise #4
July 29, 2025 By: Amir Meshgini
For the first part of this exercise, I’d like to go back to the article I used in Exercise 3. In 2024, Ottawa removed the “provincially significant” designation from wetlands in Goulbourn Township, opening the door to suburban housing development on previously protected land. While Canada is clearly in a housing crisis, this decision raised serious questions for me. We know that ecologists had already confirmed the importance of these wetlands, yet the City of Ottawa decided to remove them from protected areas—and people only started to take notice after a year. As for my position on this, I’m strongly…
Documentary Reflection
July 15, 2025 By: LK
Anna Mehler Paperny, “Canada Approves Law to Fast-Track Resource Projects, Faces Indigenous Opposition,” Reuters, June 27, 2025, https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/canadian-senate-approves-law-fast-track-major-resource-projects-2025-06-26/?utm. Canada’s Senate approved a Bill on June 26, 2025, fast‑tracking “national interest” resource and infrastructure projects, like mines and pipelines, by granting the Cabinet “Henry VIII” powers to override existing environmental laws and limit Indigenous consultation. The move prompted immediate backlash from Indigenous leaders and environmental organizations. I, too, strongly oppose this Bill. The rush to expedite projects undermines Canada’s constitutional duty towards meaningful free, prior and informed consent practices, as well as core conservation principles. Sacrificing environmental assessments and community input for capitalist gain…