SESD Flashcards
the anthropocene
human dominated geological epoch
assigned back to agricultural revolution? steam engine? the great acceleration? Atomic bomb
geological cycle of plastics and their use as a stratigraphic indicatior of anthropocene (Zalasiewicz et al 2016)
working to homogenise who is at fault
ideas of nature
intrinsic essence of something - fixed, any interference is problematic
an inherent force - inevitable, natural disasters
the external world - physical/biological world out there, non-human
the enlightenment - nature is inheriently divorced from man, empiricism
nature in geog
Ellen semple - 1880’s -1920’s - environmental determinism - Social Darwinism - geography determines social, moral and cultural characteristics
1930’s-1950’s - society develops under reciprocal influence of nature - challenged racist determinism of earlier thinkers
1960’s-80’s - human impact on a separate (and threatened) nature.
1990’s-2010’s - social constructivist term, nature is defined, delineated and physically produced by society, there is no ‘nature’ without social shaping, influence or ‘production’, cannot exist without society
political ecology
Who owns or benefits from nature ?
Who shapes decisions about land use and development?
Who wins and loses from those decision ?
Environment is fundamentally social and political
Ecological footprint
area of biologically productive land and see needed to regenerate the resources a group of humans consume and to absorb and render harmless the waste produced.
earth overshoot day
Rockstrom, 2009
planetary boundaries
sade operating spcaes for humanity
Boundaries crossed - genetic diversity, biogeochemical flows. Crossed but in ‘uncertainty’ - CC, land-system change.
critiques - scientific base insufficient, boundaries arbitary, not the goal, will be taken as targets
bill mckibben 1990
the ‘end of nature’
characterised nature as a force, no longer independent, impacted by human actions, therefore our responsibility to fix
2010 - created new planted, still recognisable, but fundamentally different
history of envrionmentalism
2000s - Suddenly we are not just billions of individuals and millions of collectivities but a single species alongside other species, one whose survival is threatened by our own behaviour’ (Gibson-Graham and Roelvink 2009) .
1960’s - understandiing that our actions are critically important, power to destroy nature - rachel carson 1962
1860’s - recognition of human impact on planet
nature as a resource
Grounded in European imperialism - nature as a resource for commerce, to be extracted, exploited, transformed into new forms of development.
17th century, new knowledge from colonies catalysed intellectual enquiries, stimulated imperial ambition.
doctrine of improvement
nature as vulanerable
Thomas Malthus - 1796 - population growth vs food supply (exponential vs linear) - resource shortages
as populations exceeded supply, natural checks (famine, disease, war) reduce numbers - prevent long term human progress unless population can be controlled
overpop = env degredation, worsening survival conditions
George Marsh (1864)
Man and Nature; or, physical geography as modified by human action - show that man impact made the earth, warned man could destroy himself and the earth. Helped to launch the modern conservation movement.
utilitarian conservation
- USA progressive era 1890-1910, seeking to address problems caused by political corruption, urbanisation, industrialisation
- Also no new land for the West to appropriate
- Theodore roosevelt pushed
Policy of planned use and renewal of forests - US forest service 1905
preservation vs wise use
preservation - argues for protection of nature in unaltered state
wise use - sustainable use of natural resources, responsible development
Hetch Hetchy dam - 1900s, San Fran had need for water, Pinchot argues for building, resource can be used fro public good.
muir fought agaist, should remain preserved as part of national park
dam was authorised in 1913 - raker act
turning point in the history of conservation in the U.S., where the balance between human development and environmental preservation was tested.
Wise use
1949 UN scientific conference on the conservation and utilization of resources -
- Ensure the sustainable utilisation of species and ecosystems
- Maintain essential ecological processes and life support systems on which human survival and development depend
- Preserve genetic diversity
sublimation of nature
reaction against the enlightenement, late 18th century
spiritual redemption, romantic idealisation of nature, poets such as kon keats depicted nature as powerful and deeply connected to human experience
USA national parks
yellowstone 1872
yosemite 1890
US national parks service 1916
1935 wilderness society
1964 wilderness act - 37,000 km of federal land protected, wilderness recognised as ‘ area where earth is untrampled by land, man himself is a visitor’.
global growth of protected areas
- 1962: UN ‘World List of National Parks and Equivalent Reserves’
- Area in Protected Areas doubled 1970s, 1980s, 1990s
2005: 100,000 PAs, 2 million km2 , 12% land surface - 2020+: 30x30 movement
Earth as home
‘blue marble’, 1972, prominent symbol of environmental movement, earth as solitary and self-confined
‘spaceship earth’ finite resources - Fuller, 1968
DDT
prominent insecticide
eradicating malaria
builds up along the food chain
campaign from chemical companies, controversy increases public awarness
love canal , niagra falls
1978
urban issues of toxicity and pollution
impact on children
1947-52 Hooker Chemicals & Plastics Corporation dumped 21,800 tons of chemical byproducts in a disused canal
1952 land filled and donated to Board of Education for a school
1978 campaign: closest people evacuated, school and 2 streets bulldozed. Chemical reburied with plastic and clay liner
980 Congress ‘Superfund’ allows EPA to clean up contaminated sites(Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act)
environmental justice
certain peoples are more prone to costs of environmental pollution
USA 1980s
- Hazardous and polluting facilities in Black, Hispanic and indigenous communities * U.S. General Accounting Office (1983)
- Siting of Hazardous Waste Landfills and Their Correlation with the Racial and Socio-economic Status of Surrounding Communities. General Accounting Office, Washington, D.C.
- 75% off-site, commercial hazardous waste landfills in Region 4 (eight states in the South) in predominantly African-American communities.
what is development
constant progress in materiality
exacerbated by comparisons
idea of improvement
development is made evident by improvement
not intrinsic, nor universal agreement
normative vs descriptive
Normatively - to set out what should happen in the world as societies, environments and economies change, or what is planned (intentional development), based on goals, policies and plans (SDGs)
Descriptively - to describe what does happen (immanent development), oberving and describing procesess without making value jusgments - organic,spontenous dev, how societies evolve due to historical, cultural, economic and env factoes (growth of informal economies)
19th century ideas around development
linear progress led by imperial powers, colonisation, capitalism, investment, term implies a naturalness therefore inevitability.
indigenous concepts of time
rather than linear - often cyclical, seasonal and multidimensional
connected to land, ancestors and spiritual beleifs
healing happens in relationship with place and community
govs often implement short-term health programmes with measurable sucess criteria - not holistic and long-term (community well being, spiritual)
top down - Northern Territory emergency response 2007 - intervention, restrictions on Indigenous communities without consultation, leading to distrust and resistance.
Hart 2001
little d development -
long-term, historical, and often informal processes that shape economic and social structures over time.
capitalism evolves unevenly across different regions—creating wealth in some areas while marginalizing others
spontaneous and unplanned, rather than being the result of government policies or international organizations.
examples Industrialization in Europe vs. resource extraction in colonies (Europe developed, but at the expense of its colonies).
Urbanization in the Global South—cities grow as people move for work, but often end up in informal housing/slums.
big D development -
formal, professional, and institutionalized field of development, where governments, NGOs, and international organizations create policies and projects aimed at improving economies and societies.
expanded after World War II, as wealthy nations and organizations like the World Bank, IMF, and UN took on a major role in shaping global development
Colonial Origins: Many early development policies were based on colonial governance, where Western nations controlled how “underdeveloped” regions should modernize.
examples - World Bank and IMF structural adjustment program, The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Harry truman 1949
inagural address
described large parts of the world as underdeveloped
framed them as needing western intervention
US playing larger role in aid
framed dev as a moral duty, tied to ideas of freedom, democracy and capitalism
created a binary
blamed “underdevelopment” on a lack of modernization - opposed to colonialism
The Marshall plan 1948-1952
$12 billion economic recovery programme - given to western nations post WWII
rebuild economy, modernise industy, expand trade, prevent spread of communism
Development decade
1960s - coined by UN
role expanded beyond international peace
became agent of dev rather than mediator
Economy is the arena through which it occurs, and should be formalised as a measure
global economic growth did occur - rise of critical dev theory
1970s dev theory
Dependency theory - relationship between GN and GS, employed a relationship creating dependencies inhibiting independence, richer countries needed poorer nations to remain poor
Periphery countries worked to provide cheap labour, resources and consumer markets for core
Power of multinationals, articulated growth and notions of development
1980s dev
neoliberalism
Recession early 1980s
Failings in current mode of economics
Inhibited ability of markets to facilitate development therefore created dependency
‘Counter-revolution’ in development theory and practice - too much government intervention, retreat of state
Idea that human wellbeing can be best advanced by liberating individual entrepreneurial freedoms
WB and IMF imposed SAPs
Orientation of privatised service provision for social improvement
1990s
challenge of development is increasingly moved from the economy/ nation and its GDP and vehicle for change to poverty.
1996 - human development report - human development is the end, economic growth is the means
capabilities approach
shifts focus from purely economic measures
lack of freedoms and opportunities - deprived of basic capabilities—things like good health, education, political participation, and social respect
development as the enhancement of freedoms
policy focus - governments should focus on improving education, healthcare, and social inclusion. The UN’s Human Development Index (HDI) was inspired by Sen’s ideas.
Sen 1985, 1999
Millenium development goals
The eradication of poverty a formal international objective
aim to reduce by 50 per cent the proportion of people in absolute poverty by 2015 - simple and transparent, easy to communicate, represents special needs of less developed nations.
helped lift a billion out of poverty
hunger target missed, CO” emissions still 50% above 1990 level
SDGs
2015, sus dev summit in NY
Framework for ending poverty and hunger by 2030
Attentions to environment - different dimensions of poverty and wellbeing intersect with the environment
new era of SD, environment put at front and centre with development
acceptance that poverty exists in the GN too, countries overall are having an upper class, convergence amongst poor in GN and GS
SDG limitations
too general
top down
avoid political complexity of poverty
Don’t challenge dominant models of development or progress
No obligations to business or consumers
buen vivir
Ecuador and bolivia
Alternative ideas to dominant development
Emerges from indigenous traditions
Beyond an ‘exhausted project of modernity’
Community is understood to include nature
Happy planet index
151 nations
Life expectancy, experienced well-being and ecological footprint
Happiness vs environmentalism
