ENVR 3400 - systems thinking and personhood

environmental science

the pursuit of knowledge about the natural world; scientists here would try to remain objective

environmentalism

a social movement dedicated to protecting the natural world

barry commoner

one of the founders of the modern environmental movement

• opposition to nuclear testing: “Baby Tooth Survey” to measure strontium-90 levels in baby teeth, linking radiation exposure to nuclear tests.

“Closing the Circle”

Commoner’s book; one of first to suggest sustainability (natural products > synthetic)

• theorized that capitalist technologies were chiefly responsible for environmental degradation, NOT population pressures

“everything is connected to everything else”

one of Commoner’s laws of ecology; interconnectedness and complexity, emergence and emergent properties

• change/damage in one part of ecosystem = cascading problems elsewhere

“there is no such thing as a free lunch”

one of Commoner’s laws of ecology; inter-relationships and reciprocity

• ecological gain / technological advances is won AT A COST

  • e.g. nuclear fallout spreading Strontium 90

“nature knows best”

one of Commoner’s laws of ecology; integration

• major manmade alterations to natural systems are harmful + incompatible with natural processes

“everything must go somewhere”

nestedness: nothing exists outside of its ecology

interdependence, cycling, non-linearity, uncertainty

rethinking of waste as part of ecological processes

• matter can’t be created or destroyed; it only changes form or moves

toxoplasmosis

a typically lifelong infection

• from contaminated meat, water, fruits, veggies, cat feces, maternal transfer

effects of toxoplasmosis

stillborn child or major neurological problems for children, immunocompromised infants

how is leptospirosis an example of the host-agent-environment model

agent: leptospira

host: rodents, dogs, humans

environment: high-density urban slums and marginalized areas lacking sanitation

our health is not just a reflection of our physical bodies, it is also shaped by…

the environment: e.g. pollution

economic systems: influences lifestyle options and medical access

war: e.g. infrastructure destruction, generational trauma

gender inequality:

examples of human impacts on water environments

• hydrodynamics are altered by…

  • construction on dams, levees, canals

• channelization, concretization, extraction

human impacts on water environments are main contributors to environmental issues like…

eutrophication

biodiversity loss

cyanotoxins in drinking water

loss of indigenous way of life regarding food, washing, drinking, etc.

different types of human induced water pollution

nutrients (N and P)

• nitrogen and phosphorus entering water body (eutrophication)

chemical contaminants

• naturally occurring or discharged from point source to non-point source

biological contaminants

• bacteria, viruses, parasites, etc. from many sources including human + animal waste

why is dilution not always the solution to human induced water pollution

chemicals do not stay dissolved in water, they partition (move) into sediments and biota depending on their unique physical-chemical factors

which groups of people especially champion environmental causes that are otherwise voiceless?

youth, women, and indigenous

what river was granted personhood in 2017 in order to protect it from mountain and ocean discharge and to respect it as a living ancestor for the Maori?

Whanganui River, NZ

what has caused the quality of the whanganui river to degrade?

water quality: degraded by erosion thanks to abandonment and Genesis Energy re-depositing used water for hydro

what river was given the right to flow, to maintain biodiversity, and to legal action in 2021 and is represented by the Innu community?

Magpie River, QC

what is the ‘environmental personhood’ movement

a response to the belief that governments have failed to protect the environment

• it also acknowledges indigenous peoples’ rights and their legal concepts

which country declared that all of their rivers have living status?

bangladesh

consequences of all rivers being declared as living entities

farmers and fishermen fear their rights will hurt their livelihoods and result in eviction

• 2.2 million people live in the slums along the river, and some camps have been dismantled

Bangladesh’s National River Conservation Commission (NRCC)

govt agency and legal guardian of rivers in bangladesh