Final Exam Study Guide ENV 1 Fall 2022
Part I: Very Short Answer— be able to define these terms in a single sentence or use them in a
matching or fill in the blanks type context:
Vector (Bird’s
Eye View)
An employer's
a view from a
demand for more high angle as if
output without
seen by a bird in
more pay.
flight. : an
overall or
cursory look at
something.
Labor Speed ups
Rastor
(Worm’s Eye
View)
an impression
of what is
happening in a
situation from
the point of
view of
someone who
has a low
status, or is
considered
inferior in
some way.
Atlalt
Spear-thrower
used by Native
Americans, uses
leverage to gain
velocity.
Sacrifice Zones
residents –
usually lowincome families
and people of
color – live in
proximity to
polluting
industries or
military bases
that expose them
to all kinds of
dangerous
chemicals and
other
environmental
threats.
Virtual Water
the water
“hidden” in the
products,
services and
processes
people buy and
use every day.
Shifting
baselines
type of change
to how a
system is
measured,
usually against
previous
reference
points, which
themselves
may represent
significant
changes from
an even earlier
state of the
system.
Rez Quad Origin
built in 1864 as part of the
Mystic Water Works project to
serve as a water source for the
expanding population of Boston
and its surrounding suburbs. The
water was pumped from the
Mystic River and held at the top
of the hill so it could be easily
distributed throughout the area
Forest Canopy
canopy refers
to the upper
layer or habitat
zone, formed
by mature tree
crowns and
including other
biological
organisms.
FEMA
Federal Emergency Management
Agency
Temple Grandin
prominent author
and speaker on
both autism and
animal
behavior.humane
treatment of
livestock for
slaughter
Biocentric
considering all
forms of life as
having intrinsic
value.
Mast
Ecocentric
having a
serious concern
for
environmental
issues
management.
Ecofeminism
a philosophical
a tall upright
and political
post, spar, or
movement that
other structure
combines
on a ship or boat, ecological
in sailing vessels concerns with
generally
feminist ,both
carrying a sail or resulting from
sails.
male domination
of society
Stakeholder
a person with
an interest or
concern in
something,
especially a
business.
.
Watershed
an area of land
that drains
rainfall and
snowmelt into
streams and
rivers.
Deep Ecology
environmental
philosophy that
promotes the
inherent worth
of all living
beings
regardless of
their
instrumental
utility to human
needs
Microgrids
Usufruct land
ownership
Queer
Ecofeminism
a small
network of
electricity users
with a local
source of
supply that is
usually
attached to a
centralized
national grid
but is able to
function
independently.
Planned
Obsolescence
Forest
Understory
DDT
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane,
commonly known as DDT, is a
plant life
colorless, tasteless, and almost
growing
odorless crystalline chemical
beneath the
compound, an organochloride.
forest canopy
Originally developed as an
without
insecticide, it became infamous
penetrating it to for its environmental impacts.
any great
extent, but
above the forest
floor.
Succession
NAFTA
the process by
which a plant
or animal
community
successively
gives way to
another until a
stable climax is
reached
North America Free Trade
Agreement, between USA,
Canada and Mexico
Structural
Racism
Post-Fordism
a form of
racism that is
embedded in
the laws and
regulations of a
society or an
organization
Debt bondage
the idea that modern industrial
production has moved away
from mass production in huge
factories, as pioneered by Henry
Ford, towards specialized
markets based on small flexible
manufacturing units
“Manifest Destiny”
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the right to use
and benefit from
a property, while
the ownership of
which belongs to
another person.
Queer ecology
disrupts
prevailing
heterosexist
understandings
of gender,
sexuality and
nature.
Fee-Simple Land
Ownership
Full and
irrevocable
ownership of
land, and any
buildings on that
land. Fee simple
is the highest
form of
ownership
Externalized
costs from “The
Story of Stuff”
costs generated
by producers but
carried by
society as a
whole. For
example, a
factory may
pollute water by
dumping waste
in the river
without paying
for it.
“The Original
Affluent
Society”
The original
affluent society
is a term coined
by the
anthropologist
Marshall Sahlins
to describe the
traditional way
Anthropocentric
regarding
humankind as
the central or
most important
element of
existence,
especially as
opposed to God
or animals.
an employer
is a policy of
compels a
planning or
worker to pay
designing a
off a debt with
product with an work
artificially
limited useful
life or a
purposely frail
design, so that
it becomes
obsolete
Perceived
RAFT
Obsolescence
(Renewing
from “The
America’s
Story of Stuff” Food
Traditions)
is what
happens with
conserve the
fashion when
great diversity
products go in
of foods that
and out of style gives North
every few
America its
months.
distinctive
Changing the
culinary
style is another identity that
way that
reflects our
corporations
multicultural
get consumers
heritage
to keep
shopping.
the idea that the United States is
destined—by God, its advocates
believed—to expand its
dominion and spread democracy
and capitalism across the entire
North American continent
Paradigm
Tomatl
A paradigm is
a set of beliefs,
values, and
assumptions
that shapes the
way people
think about and
understand a
particular
Gary Paul
Nabhan
Gary Paul
Nabhan is an
American
ecologist,
author, and
food and
farming activist
who has
Food Democracy (from the
Vandana Shiva article)
refers to the idea that everyone
has the right to access healthy,
nourishing, and culturally
appropriate food.
Gary Paul Nabhan is an
American ecologist, author, and
food and farming activist who
has written extensively about the
intersection of food, culture, and
the environment.
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of life of certain
hunter-gatherer
societies. In his
book "Stone Age
Economics,"
Sahlins argued
that these
societies, which
rely on hunting,
gathering, and
sharing
resources, are
able to meet
their basic needs
with a relatively
small amount of
effort.
Love Canal
canal was turned
into a municipal
and industrial
chemical
dumpsite. Book
by Lois Gibbs,
husband Dr
Stephen Lester
Gaia Hypothesis
posits that Earth
and its biological
systems behave
as a huge single
entity. This
entity has
closely
controlled selfregulatory
negative
feedback loops
that keep the
conditions on the
planet within
boundaries that
are favorable to
life.
subject or
phenomenon.
written
extensively
about the
intersection of
food, culture,
and the
environment.
Founder of
RAFT
Chelsea,
Massachusetts
GreenRoots
Chelsea
Chelsea has a
rich history,
with roots
dating back to
the early
colonial era. It
was settled by
Europeans in
the 1620s, and
was
incorporated as
a city in 1857.
GreenRoots is
a non-profit
organization
based in
Chelsea,
Massachusetts
that works to
improve the
environmental
and social
health of the
community
through
education,
advocacy, and
community
engagement.
Corporate Tomato
refers to tomatoes that are grown
and produced by large
corporations, often as part of
industrial agriculture operations.
These tomatoes are typically
grown on a large scale, using
techniques that prioritize
efficiency and cost-effectiveness
over other factors such as taste,
nutrition, or environmental
sustainability. E.g using
monoculture and fertilizers
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CHEJ
Centre for health
environment and
justice
Lois Gibbs and
Stephen Lester
Eutrophication
excessive
richness of
nutrients in a
lake or other
body of water,
frequently due to
runoff from the
land, which
causes a dense
growth of plant
life and death of
animal life from
lack of oxygen.
Increasing
Climatic
Extremes
Tragedy of the
Commons
a situation in
which
individuals with
access to a
public resource
act in their own
interest and, in
doing so,
ultimately
deplete the
resource
Just in time
scheduling
Importance of
crop genetic
diversity
Environmental Justice
Commodity
Chain
Standing Rock
Increasing
climatic
extremes refer
to the increase
in the
frequency and
severity of
extreme
weather events,
such as
heatwaves,
droughts,
floods, and
storms, due to
climate change.
Just-in-time
(JIT)
scheduling is a
production and
inventory
control system
in which
materials,
parts, and
finished
products are
delivered to the
production
process or to
the customer
just in time for
use, rather than
A commodity
chain is the
sequence of
activities
involved in the
production,
distribution,
and
consumption of
a particular
commodity or
product.
Environmental justice refers to
the fair treatment and
meaningful involvement of all
people, regardless of race, color,
national origin, or income, with
respect to the development,
implementation, and
enforcement of environmental
laws, regulations, and policies.
standing Rock is the name of a
Native American reservation
located in North Dakota and
South Dakota in the United
States. The reservation is home
to the Standing Rock Sioux
Tribe, a federally recognized
tribe of Lakota and Dakota
people.
5
Rachel Carson
Author and
marine biologist
who wrote Silent
Spring
Environmental
Racism
form of
institutional
racism leading to
landfills,
incinerators, and
hazardous waste
disposal being
disproportionally
placed in
communities of
color.
Vandana Shiva
Negative
Externality
exists when the
production or
consumption of
a product results
in a cost to a
third party. Air
and noise
pollution are
commonly cited
examples of
negative
externalities.
Antiglobalization
author, wrote
ecofeminism
being stored in
inventory.
Redlining in
urban planning
NIMBY
Transatlantic Slave Trade
Not in my Back involved the transportation by
Redlining is a
Yard
slave traders of enslaved African
discriminatory
people, mainly to the Americas.
practice in
The slave trade regularly used
which services
the triangular trade route and its
are withheld
Middle Passage
from potential
customers
who reside in
neighborhoods
classified as
"hazardous"
to investment;
these
neighborhoods
have
significant
numbers of
racial and
ethnic
minorities, and
low-income
residents
Impervious
Plantationocene Point v. Non-point Source
surface
Pollution
The
An impervious Plantationocene Point source pollution refers to
surface is a
is a term used
pollution that is discharged
surface that
to describe the directly into the environment
does not allow historical and
from a specific location, such as
water to pass
ongoing
a factory, sewage treatment
through it, such impacts of
plant, or agricultural operation.
as a paved road European
or parking lot.
colonization
rather comes from a diffuse or
and the global
widespread area. Non-point
expansion of
source pollution can include
plantationpollutants such as fertilizers,
based
pesticides, and sediment that are
economies on
carried into water bodies by
the natural
stormwater runoff.
environment
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Islands of Run & Cloves &
Manhattan
Climate Change
Run Island and
Manhattan
Island are two
separate islands
located in the
northeastern
United States.
There is
evidence that
climate change
is having an
impact on the
production and
distribution of
cloves.
Subsistence
“Capital that
labors”
Subsistence
refers to the
means of
supporting
oneself or one's
family,
especially by
growing food or
other basic
necessities.
"Capital that
labors" is a term
used to describe
the use of
capital, or
financial
resources, to
directly produce
goods or
services, rather
than simply
investing in the
production
process
“Social
Geographic
embeddedness of Information
consumption”
Systems (GIS)
(VanDeever
article)
Dutch East
India Company
It was based in
the Netherlands
and was one of
the first and
most powerful
multinational
corporations in
history.
“The Original
Affluent
Society”
“Tenacity of home”
The tenacity of home refers to
the strong emotional attachment
and sense of belonging that
people often have to their homes
and the communities in which
they live
FEMA
The original
affluent society
theory states
that huntergatherers did
not lead lives
of subsistence
but instead
enjoyed
affluent,
comfortable
lives.
UNFCCC
FEMA stands
for the Federal
Emergency
Management
Agency
United Nations
Framework
Convention on
Climate
Change.
Climate justice refers to the fair
distribution of the costs and
benefits of climate change and
the efforts to address it. It
involves ensuring that the most
vulnerable and marginalized
communities, who often bear the
greatest burden of the impacts of
climate change, have a strong
and equal voice in decisionmaking processes that affect
their lives and environment.
Mitchell’s
Axiom 5:
“Landscape is
power”
Mitchell’s
Axiom 2: “Any
landscape is (or
was)
functional”
Shiva’s “Creating Hunger with
Monocultures”
Climate Justice
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Part II: Short Answer— Be able to define these terms and state their relevance to
environmental policy in at least three sentences:
Trade liberalization
Food Security
Mike Davis Late Victorian
Holocausts
Basic human needs vs
socially constructed human
needs
Sustainable Development
Irish potato famine
Map Algebra
Political Ecology
The Story of Stuff
Why is it important to take
“virtual stuff” into account
during production of a
product?
Landscape Literacy
What are three strategies
that the Merchants of Doubt
use to turn scientific fact
into political opinion?
Mystic River Watershed
Association (MyWRA)
Mitchell’s Axiom 1: “The
landscape is produced; it is
actively made: it is a
physical
intervention into the world
and thus is not so much our
‘unwitting autobiography.’”
Worldview
Anthropocentric
Biocentric
Ecocentric
Love Canal
Climate change as
a systems example
Negative
Externality
Climate refugees/
migrants
Limiting Factor
“Shishmaref is
everywhere”
Leverage Point
How do fuel
pockets discussed
in Wessels relate to
recent California
fires?
Transboundary
Shifting baselines
Unnatural Natural
Disasters
Hazard-centric
ideology v.
Vulnerability
Lois Gibbs
Rachel Carson
Sun Come Up
Standing Rock
Climate Justice (including
an example)
Environmental Justice
(including an example)
Vandana Shiva
Merchants of Doubt
Indigenous
Knowledge
Local Knowledge
Globalization from
above versus
globalization from
below
A stock in a system
Why did ENV 1 visit
the Royall House
Mansion & Slave
Quarters?
Precautionary Principle
Environmental racism
System Self-Organization
Lakoffian Frames
Lakoff’s ideas on how
humans make decisions &
“Bounded rationality”
from Meadows
System Traps
Thomashow’s “PlaceBased Perceptual
Ecology” and how it
relates to recognizing
climate change
Reinforcing
Gulf Coast Dead
Federal Recognition (of a
feedback loop
Zone
Native American tribe)
What are the local impacts of climate change in Shishmaref
• Weather
• Permafrost Thaw
• Thermokarst Ponds
• Freeze Up
• Coastal Erosion
• How does this relate to climate change impacts elsewhere?
Alewife River’s challenges as part of the Mystic River Watershed’s issues
Tribal Sovereignty
Why are systems delays problematic for environmental What is a combined sewer overflow? What
issues?
causes CSOs and what are their
implications?
Global Environmental Health
Ecofeminism
Key Insights from the Oxfam Donut
Social embeddedness of
Food Democracy
Mitchell’s Axiom 5: Redlining in urban
consumption (from the
(from the Shiva
“Landscape is
planning
VanDeever article)
article)
power”
8
Universe of possible essay questions below:
1. How has environmental injustice played a role in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and
how can environmental problem solving be used to respond to this health issue? Does
the term “unnatural natural disaster” apply? Expand on any similarities between the
COVID-19 pandemic and the environmental health disasters described by Gibbs in Love
Canal and Marino in Fierce Climate Sacred Ground.
Environmental injustice is the unfair exposure of poor and marginalized communities to harm
from hazardous waste, resource extraction, and other land uses. During the COVID pandemic,
those who were less fortunate to afford healthcare or those in poverty-ridden nations who did not
have access to vaccinations at the same time as the rest of the world greatly suffered covidrelated deaths and other disparities during a time where certain resources were limited. E
especially those in Sacrifice zones, areas usually home to low-income families and
people of color were at a huge disadvantage.
Although nationwide lockdowns discouraged the use of transport which reduced automobile
related emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, thus reducing air pollution, the
use of single-use plastics and paper within sanitation devices such as masks, disinfectants,
packaging, covid tests which increased ocean pollution.
Environmental problem solving refers to a long-term approach to solving ongoing environmental
issues that tend to arise often. Too frequently does humankind conjur small-scale, short-term
solutions seeking to address large, long-term, and complex problems. Yet challenges such as
climate change require large scales of adaptive problem solving. Long-term solutions can still be
straight forward, however. The increasing scale and complexity of environmental challenges
often thwarts simple, straightforward policy solutions. There is not a scalar relationship between
aspects of human communities and wildlife, but instead there are complex and dynamics
between humans and the environment due to the interconnected nature of the ecosystem.
Although the pandemic was not solely an issue concerning the natural environment, similar
principles can be applied. Since WHO has now named Coronavirus an endemic, it requires longterm mitigation strategies as well as solutions that tackle the root cause of the problem- humans
and their exploitation and misuse of the natural environment. As a species, we are interfering
with biological systems that we have not inherently been a part of. For example, we are
contracting viruses from animals that we should not have naturally had access to. While
vaccination schemes and wearing masks or staying healthy has been successful in slowing the
spread of the disease, we need to start putting an end to the human exploitation of nature because
it not only disrupts the natural course of things, it also puts our survival under threat.
In Love Canal, Gibbs explains the defects that children who lived in the love canal
community were born with. For example some children were reported to have been born with
“An extra row of teeth” shortly following the initial recognition of the Love Canal disaster
(Gibbs 2010). Additionally, in Fierce Climate Sacred Ground , Marino uses the phrase
“Shishmaref is everywhere,” which refers to the marginalized communities everywhere who are
suffering as a result of environmental issues that weren’t created by them.
9
Similarly, COVID-19 has revealed social issues in various nations, especially isolated nations in
the continent of Africa. In poverty-stricken communities, there is already a shortage of
necessities such as food and clean water for sanitiation and drinking. On top of that, even jobs in
the informal sector were scarce during the most intense months of the pandemic. People in these
communities have suffered the consequences of the pandemic that they were not responsible for,
while those in richer communities haven’t had to endure such situations.
2. US law has recently deemed that corporations have the same rights as humans reinforcing
the idea of “capital that labors.” Consider exploring ideas relating to the original affluent
society, the Royall House & Slave Quarters, Shiva’s “Hijacking the Global Food
Supply,” and “the Story of Stuff” in your answers to the questions below:
•
•
What historical decisions and concepts produced this fundamentally capitalist
idea?
What are the environmental and human rights implications of categorizing
corporations as citizens?
Historically, those who had the power to colonize and rule over less developed nations believed
that they in return for the knowledge and infrastructure they were imparting to the communities
they looked down upon, they should exploit its citizens for labor. This is seen in the British
imperialist rule of India and also earlier during the Transatlantic Slave Trade. In the Royall
House and Slave Quarters, the idea of the enslaved peole as being commodities to the enslavers
was commonly reflected in the architecture of the house and the careful selection of each object
in the quarters. For example, the spit roast was automated as opposed to being a manually
operated device. This was to avoid any injuries caused to the enslaved people to ensure that they
survived long enough to have children and grow their family. This meant that enslavers would
have more laborers for the initial cost of less and this inhumane theme is reflected today’s
society as well. The site serves as a reminder of the role that slavery played in the development
of the United States and the ways in which the wealth and prosperity of some individuals and
families was built on the exploitation and oppression of others.
The original affluent society theory states that hunter-gatherers did not lead lives of subsistence
but instead enjoyed affluent, comfortable lives. It is based on the notion that human societies
were originally designed to be self-sufficient and to meet their own needs through resource
sharing and cooperation, rather than through the accumulation of wealth and the exploitation of
resources. This theory is often used by anthropologists today to critique modern, industrialized
societies that produce more waste and depend on the manipulation of workers from
underdeveloped nations in order for the supply to meet the growing consumer demand.
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There are a number of potential environmental and human rights implications of categorizing
corporations as citizens.One potential implication is that corporations may be able to exert
greater influence over governments and public policy, particularly through activities such as
lobbying and campaign contributions. This could lead to policies and practices that prioritize the
interests of corporations over those of the general public or the natural environment.
In "Hijacking the Global Food Supply,” Indian environmental activist Vandana Shiva discusses
how the global food system has been shaped by the interests of large corporations and the
negative impact this has had on the environment and on small farmers. Shiva argues that the
global food system has become increasingly centralized and controlled by a few large
corporations, which have used their power and influence to shape policies and practices in ways
that benefit their own interests, rather than the interests of small farmers or the general public.
"The Story of Stuff" is a book and multimedia project by environmental activist Annie
Leonard, which explores the environmental and social impacts of consumerism. She argues that
he current economic system, which is based on the constant production and consumption of
goods, is not sustainable and is leading to environmental degradation and social inequities. She
also emphasizes the role that individuals and communities can play in creating change, through
actions such as reducing consumption, supporting ethical and environmentally responsible
businesses, and advocating for policy changes.
3. We’ve encountered slavery and its echoes multiple times this semester in the US and
beyond. If someone who had not taken this class asked why slavery was so important in
this Fall’s ENV 1 course, how would you respond?
a) Sub-questions you could consider:
i.
How does modern slavery differ from historical slavery?
ii.
How did historical slavery create a space for modern slavery?
iii.
How are they linked to environmental degradation? To environmental
racism and environmental justice?
iv. Why is all of this worth studying?
v.
How does this relate to the chocolate or tuna in your lunch?
Slavery is an extremely significant topic of study in the ENV 1 course and has added depth and
relevance to my understanding of the course material.
Modern slavery is typically less institutionalized and more hidden than historical slavery, and it
may involve different forms of exploitation, such as trafficking in persons or forced labor in the
informal economy.In addition, modern slavery tends to be more geographically dispersed than
historical slavery, as it often involves the exploitation of individuals in different parts of the
world, rather than being concentrated in specific geographic regions. Finally, there is often a
greater emphasis on the role of individual perpetrators and criminal networks in modern slavery,
as opposed to the role of governments and institutions in the institutionalization of historical
slavery.
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The existence of historical slavery has shaped cultural attitudes and beliefs about the value of
human labor and the rights of individuals. In many cases, the exploitation and abuse of enslaved
individuals was justified with racist and dehumanizing ideologies, which have persisted in
various forms and continue to be used to justify modern forms of exploitation and abuse. One
way in which historical slavery contributed to the persistence of modern slavery is through the
legacy of systemic racism and discrimination that it has left behind. Historical slavery was often
based on race, with enslaved individuals being taken from Africa and other parts of the world
and brought to Europe and the Americas to work on plantations, in mines, and in other
industries. This legacy of racialized slavery has contributed to ongoing racial and ethnic
inequalities and discrimination, which can make certain individuals and groups more vulnerable
to exploitation and abuse. This is seen in the racism that is prominent in various regions of the
United States alone, depite this country being looked upon as a leading nation in terms of
progressive ideals. Retaliationto the racism has also been seen in the Black Lives Matter
movement, which is in many ways reminiscent of the smaller scale resistance of enslaved
individuals on plantations, as we learnt during our visit to the Royall House and Slave Quarters
in Medford, Massachussets.
One way slavery has contributed to environmental degradation is through slave labor in
industries such as mining and agriculture, which can have significant environmental impacts. For
example, the use of slave labor in the production of cotton in the United States in the 19th
century led to the clearing of vast areas of land and the depletion of soil nutrients, which
contributed to soil erosion and other environmental problems.
Environmental racism refers to the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards and
degradation on marginalized and disadvantaged communities, particularly communities of color.
Slavery has contributed to environmental racism in a number of ways, including through the
disproportionate impact of resource extraction and other environmentally damaging activities on
the communities and lands of enslaved individuals. Today, this is seen in sacrifice zones where
chemical waste and other pollutants are dumped in areas where people of color live as those
regions are seen as less valuable to society.
Slavery can provide important insights into issues of power, inequality, and injustice. Slavery is
a fundamental violation of human rights and represents the exploitation and abuse of individuals
for the benefit of others. By studying slavery, we can gain a greater understanding of the ways in
which power and privilege are exercised and the ways in which they can be challenged and
dismantled.
Finally, studying slavery can help us to better understand the experiences and perspectives of
marginalized and disadvantaged groups. By learning about the histories and cultures of enslaved
individuals and their descendants, we can gain a deeper appreciation of the challenges and
struggles they have faced and the resilience and resistance they have shown in the face of
oppression. Overall, studying slavery can help us to better understand the world we live in and to
work towards creating a more just and equitable society.
Furthermore, in todays time we purchase things without full appreciating and understainding the
efforts of those without whom our consumer lifestyle is not possible. For instance, the chocolate
we buy takes time and energy to produce, from the planting and groeing of cocoa beans, to the
extraction of cocoa poweder and the labpor involvedin the refining process. Often, the
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manipulation opf workers is a consequence of cheap chocolate or other items we buy, even when
somethihng is fair trade certified. Modern slavery will continue to exist and we must not be
ignorant of it and we should not only be aware of our own privelage but avtively advocate for
those who deserve to reap appropriate and full benefits of their labor.
4. What are the similarities and differences in the ways in which Love Canal and
Shishmaref are vulnerable. Offer an analysis using one or both of these course themes as
they relate to each community:
•
•
Environmental racism and/or justice
Government and media narrative
Love Canal is a neighborhood located in Niagara Falls, New York that was the site of a chemical
waste dump in the 1950s and 1960s. The waste, which included toxic chemicals such as dioxin
and PCBs, was buried in the area and later built over with homes and a school. In 1978, a series
of health problems and birth defects were discovered in the area, leading to the evacuation of
over 800 families and the declaration of a federal emergency by President Jimmy Carter.
Shishmaref is a village located on a small barrier island in northwest Alaska. The village is
vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, including sea level rise and storms, which have
already caused significant erosion and flooding. The village is also located near a military
training range, which has contributed to environmental contamination and health issues in the
area.
One key similarity between Love Canal and Shishmaref is that both communities have been
disproportionately affected by environmental problems and health issues. The phrase
“Shishmaref is everywhere: gratly encompasses this idea. Love Canal is an example of
environmental racism, as the largely poor and working-class community of color was targeted
for the disposal of hazardous waste. Similarly, Shishmaref is a predominantly Native American
community that has faced a range of environmental and health issues due to its location near
military activities and its vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, an issue that they have
not contributed to. Rather, developed nations allowed the climate crisis to progress after the
industrial revolution, despite having the resources and information availible to slow the onset of
the climate disasters that affest communties like shishmaref.
There are also some key differences between the two communities. Love Canal was the site of a
specific, discrete event - the disposal of chemical waste - while Shishmaref is facing ongoing
impacts from multiple environmental factors. Additionally, Love Canal received significant
media attention and government action, including the evacuation of residents and the declaration
of a federal emergency, while Shishmaref has faced less attention and less action in response to
its environmental challenges. This difference in media and government response may be due, in
part, to the fact that Love Canal is located in the contiguous United States, while Shishmaref is
located in a remote part of Alaska. Additionally, Lois Gibbs and the other women, many of
whom are mothers, emotionally appealed to the State and the Nation to solve the Love Canal
issue for the betterment of the future generations lifetsyle. This emotional appeal was not present
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in the case of the Shishmaref who have only recently gained recognition as a martginalized
community suffering enviornmental injustice.
5. In class, we have discussed several narratives that offer explanations of how the world
came to be the way it is; please discuss two of these— the narratives from Davis’ Late
Victorian Holocausts and Merchants of Doubt. What do they explain, what are the
causal factors according to each narrative, and how can you use these explanations or
the idea of narrative itself going forward? Finally, discuss how these narratives may be
helpful in understanding ongoing challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In his book Late Victorian Holocausts, historian Mike Davis argues that late 19th and early 20th
century famines in India, China, and other parts of the world were caused not by a lack of food,
but rather by political and economic factors that resulted in the unequal distribution of resources.
Davis argues that these famines were largely the result of colonial policies and practices that
prioritized the interests of European powers over the needs of local populations. The narrative
put forth by Davis highlights the role of power dynamics and structural inequalities in shaping
events and outcomes. This perspective can be helpful in understanding ongoing challenges
related to the COVID-19 pandemic, as the pandemic has disproportionately affected
marginalized communities and has been exacerbated by systemic inequalities in healthcare and
other sectors.
Merchants of Doubt is a book by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway that discusses the tactics
used by a group of scientists and industry lobbyists to create public doubt about the reality and
risks of climate change. The authors argue that these individuals and groups used tactics such as
cherry-picking data and promoting misinformation in order to undermine the scientific consensus
on climate change and protect the interests of certain industries.
The narrative put forth by Oreskes and Conway highlights the role of misinformation and special
interests in shaping public understanding and policy related to environmental issues. This
perspective can be helpful in understanding ongoing challenges related to the COVID-19
pandemic, as the pandemic has been accompanied by a proliferation of misinformation and the
influence of special interests on policy responses.
The narratives put forth in Mike Davis' Late Victorian Holocausts and Naomi Oreskes and Erik
M. Conway's Merchants of Doubt can provide helpful frameworks for understanding the
challenges related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
In Late Victorian Holocausts, Davis argues that famines in the late 19th and early 20th centuries
were caused not by a lack of food, but rather by political and economic factors that resulted in
the unequal distribution of resources. This narrative highlights the role of power dynamics and
structural inequalities in shaping events and outcomes, and can be applied to the COVID-19
pandemic in several ways. For example, the pandemic has disproportionately affected
marginalized communities and has been exacerbated by systemic inequalities in healthcare and
other sectors. These inequalities have been shaped by historical and ongoing power imbalances
and discrimination, and have contributed to the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on
certain populations.
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Merchants of Doubt discusses the tactics used by a group of scientists and industry lobbyists to
create public doubt about the reality and risks of climate change. The authors argue that these
individuals and groups used tactics such as cherry-picking data and promoting misinformation in
order to undermine the scientific consensus on climate change and protect the interests of certain
industries. This narrative highlights the role of misinformation and special interests in shaping
public understanding and policy related to environmental issues. This perspective can be applied
to the COVID-19 pandemic in several ways. For example, the pandemic has been accompanied
by a proliferation of misinformation, which has made it difficult for the public to understand the
risks and realities of the virus and has hindered effective policy responses. Additionally, the
influence of special interests, such as the pharmaceutical and insurance industries, has shaped
policy responses to the pandemic in ways that may not always align with the best interests of the
public.
Regenerate response
6. Labor rights justice has been a major theme across this course. Bethany Jackson and
Jessica Sparks described how modern slavery in the global fishing industry is intrinsically
linked to a cycle of increasing environmental degradation and human rights abuses.
These themes are also seen in Tangled Roots and our deeper study of food systems.
Consider and discuss the following questions in an essay with both historical and
contextual background:
•
•
Why is labor justice always linked to environmental, land, and wildlife
justice?
How and why are gender and race so important in tackling these issues?
7. What is transit justice and why is it crucially important to tackling environmental
issues and systemic racism? Connect your answer to Merchants of Doubt, “capital that
labors,” Taken for a Ride and Equal or Better: The Story of the Silver Line.
Transit justice refers to the idea that everyone should have access to affordable, reliable, and safe
public transportation, regardless of their income, race, or location. It is a key element of
environmental justice, as it promotes sustainable transportation options that can reduce
greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, while also providing people with a viable alternative
to driving.
There are several reasons why transit justice is crucially important to tackling environmental
issues and systemic racism.
First, many low-income communities and communities of color are disproportionately affected
by environmental pollution and other negative impacts of transportation, such as traffic
congestion, noise, and air pollution. By providing these communities with better public
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transportation options, transit justice can help to reduce these negative impacts and promote
more equitable and healthy communities.
Second, inadequate public transportation can be a major barrier to economic opportunity,
especially for people who do not have access to a car or who live in areas with limited or
unreliable transit options. By improving public transportation, transit justice can help to create
more equitable and inclusive economic opportunities for all members of the community.
Finally, as highlighted in the book "Merchants of Doubt" and the films "Taken for a Ride" and
"Equal or Better: The Story of the Silver Line," the transportation sector has often been shaped
by the interests of powerful corporations and other actors, rather than the needs of the public. By
promoting transit justice, we can help to shift the balance of power and create more equitable and
sustainable transportation systems that benefit everyone.
8. Stephen Lester stated that science is crucial, but is not enough by itself; we must combine
science with advocacy and emotions. Using examples from two cases, describe how Lois
Gibbs’s work, the Tomato Trail, and/or the Shishmaref’s community work demonstrates
the power of Stephen Lester’s point, discussing what methods each of the two cases used
to gain traction and make their voices heard. Please also include the Merchants of Doubt
in your discussion.
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