Lecture #20
13 March 2008
Copyright: Ronald B. Mitchell, 2008

 

I.           Introduction

A.         “If you don’t like the news, go out and make some of your own” - radio personality Scoop Nisker

B.         What would you do to make “different news”?

C.         What could be done to address environmental problems:

1.          Respect developing countries interests

2.          Re-balance the current economic bias of transatlantic cooperation

3.          Establish multi-state forum to advance transatlantic environmental cooperation

D.         What is wrong with making statements about addressing environmental issues?

E.          Which issue should take priority?

F.          It is hard to choose among equally important issues and actions under severe resource constraints

II.         Overview of the Course

A.        Various environmental problems touch on different perspectives discussed during    the course.

B.         How to identify problems: is it about science, identity politics?

C.         Uncertainty does not prevent people from making choices about environmental issues.

D.         Problems are a combination of facts and values.

E.          Negotiation of solutions is an important step in addressing environmental issues.

F.          Compliance and effectiveness problems are the most difficult to address.

III.       Gelman: “Seven interlinked transitions needed for the Earth to survive”

1.          Demographic transition: need to slow the population growth.

2.          Technological transition: need decrease the technological impact on people.

3.          Economic transition: need to create incentives for reducing energy use.  This transition might affect social transition, might challenge equity principle.

4.          Social transition: requires changes in distribution of resources. Need for equity.

5.          Institutional transition: how to create international regimes and institutions to overcome environmental problems, reduce self-centered behavior?

6.          Informational transition: getting more information about the problems, learning about solutions to environmental problems.

7.          Ideological transition: change of values, raising the sense of concern for environmental problems. The hardest change to make.

IV.       What does it mean to be an environmentalist?

A.        Personal environmentalist: making your daily choices, taking personal actions to help the environment, making value judgments, be informed about the issues, affecting the normative behavior of others.

B.         People in Russia need to worry about different problems. They have less leisure time.

C.         Political environmentalist: take the next step, inducing change on the political level. Shifting the goals of people’s actions which affect the environment. Involvement in the political process by pushing for an environmental platform. Using voting behavior to affect environmental change.

D.         Policy environmentalist: be able to look a problem and find the answer, comparing different issues, presenting coherent plan for action. Need to connect policy proposals with experience.

V.         Conclusions: Being a Full Environmentalist

A.        Heart-felt concern about environmental problems.

B.         Creative innovation: need to come up with new ideas.

C.         Careful implementation: listen to the needs, adjust your plan accordingly, engage other people and views.

D.         Thoughtful evaluation: evaluate carefully the results of policy actions.

E.          Non-defensive revision: do not be afraid to revise and correct mistakes made.