The past semester of international environmental politics has been both eye opening and frightening in a number of ways, and it is a course that I will not soon forget. Coming into the first day of class in August, I thought I had a decent grip on all things environmental; essentially, the U.S. wasn’t too hot on global warming, Europe was taking action and 2009’s Copenhagen Conference was a complete dud. Little did I know that there was so much more at play than just this. From international environmental governance to human development issues to ideas on sustainability, I realized that to refer to the “environmental movement” refers to an extremely wide breath of issues, issues that aren’t completely covered in the course of a 15 week university class.
The course definitely gave me a new perspective of the global environmental scene, and unfortunately, is leading me to end the semester on a pessimistic note. I’ve seen the effects of climate change and environmental destruction up close, yet the gridlock and ineffectiveness of the environmental governance system has led me to think that nothing can get done. For ten years now at the UN level, it has been the same; media-hyped conferences in faraway exotic locales finishing with no success or advancement to speak of. And as an American, it is sad to see that even on the domestic side of environmental politics, nothing is more important than getting more jobs (no matter what they are) at the expense of environmental degradation.
If there’s anything I’m taking away from this course however, it is a newfound respect for the world we live in. Now when I take hikes back home, I’ll be sure to admire the native foliage and ecosystems much more than I did before the course. The semester has made me realize just how significant all of our small decisions can be, and that no matter what we do, our actions have consequences for all of those around us, whether they’re just down the road or across the country. Thanks for a great semester.
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