There are certainly a lot of things that I will take from this course. Even though I am winding down my college career, this is the first purely environmental course that I have taken. I have picked up some new information on the various subject and topic areas we have discussed. But what I have taken away the most is a way of thinking, a mindset that considers the many different aspects of the environment and environmental thinking. This all probably all sounds a bit cliché, but the exposure to environmental thinking has made these issues much more visible to me.
I don’t intend to become utterly devoted to a radical environmental worldview or shift my career toward environmentalism (although if I can find a job in environmentalism now, I’ll take it). My concentration and my area of greatest interest remain development. But this course has taken a lot of what I learned in numerous development courses, and allowed me to further understand this material within an environmental framework. My thoughts and beliefs in development have become better formed from these materials.
At the same time, my greater knowledge of environmental issues of today is leaving me with a bit of exasperation. Throughout the course, so many of the biggest problems we face environmentally have been discussed, as have some of the potential solutions. I personally, struggle to understand the optimism for our future in some situations. Bill McKibben must be idiotically optimistic if he believes the solutions proposed to the apocalyptic future are possible or even enough. From a global view, the reality of reversing human impact seems hopeless, and it is something I make no attempt to think I can solve. Global efforts may be required, but I will take solace in the local efforts and local mindset. These smaller pictures can have hope. Apologizes for making it seem all I take from the class is to give up.
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