All Things Come to an End: A Semester of Environmental Anthropology in Summary

What is the boundary between “natural” and “artificial”, between “culture” and “environment”? The answers to these questions may seem obvious at first, but devoting thought to our classification of concepts like these reveals our cultural and ideological biases. It seems to me that discussions over how these concepts should be defined are the core of Environmental Anthropology as a field of study. This class has maintained an element of practicality within the subject matter. Our instructor noted at the beginning of the course that those of us taking it were doing so because, to some degree, we were concerned about environmental issues. Sure, at the beginning of the semester we were given an overview of the major historical theories regarding how nature influences culture and vice versa, which some may regard as less practical; this was helpful to us insofar as it provided context for our understanding of modern Environmental Anthropology. We also got some tips on how to be more effective as writer-activists addressing environmental issues, which led up to the composition of our personal blogs. Writing these blogs has perhaps been the most creative and practical offshoot of this class. It made me think about what issues caught my interest, with regard to the intersection of humans and the environment. As I have had a passing fascination with small and obscure island nations, and since I knew that sea level rise poses immediate risks for many of them, I settled on it as my topic of interest. I suppose there was a sort of irony to this, given that I have lived in Kansas my whole life thus far, and have seen the ocean only once. When I began writing this blog, I focused more on the scientific aspect, about how climate change is linked to rising sea levels. It was background material, most of which I was already familiar with, but it seemed like a good place to start from. It was when I began addressing the human factor in relation to rising sea levels that the subject became more interesting and engaging for me. My research acquainted me with some of the major political, social, and economic problems faced by these low-lying island nations in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and the views that their citizens hold regarding climate change. As with just about any problem involving humanity, it quickly became apparent to me that the problems and solutions are not quite so simple or clear-cut. Meanwhile, through our class, this general question was repeatedly posed to us: what change does the world need that only you can make? A general answer we arrived at is this: our experiences, knowledge, personality, goals, and beliefs, when combined, make us each unique as human individuals. Therefore, each individual is capable of unique contributions to their fellow humanity, even if it is small in scale, or unremembered. There was one assigned reading which stood out for me, in terms of its implications for environmental activism and the future of human society. It was an opinion piece in the New York Times written by Roy Scranton, a veteran of the Iraq War, titled “Learning How to Die in the Anthropocene”. Scranton argues that the biggest challenge of climate change involves some basic philosophical notions: what it means to be human, what it means to live, and what life means in the face of death. Taking this last one, he argues that we must “learn how to die” both as individuals and as society. Individual people and civilizations both have difficulty doing this, as he notes that “civilizations have throughout history marched blindly toward disaster” because they refused to accept the possibility of their own demise. His ultimate argument is, therefore, that we must arrive at an understanding: “that this civilization is already dead.” The sooner we accept that the nations, institutions, policies, and ideologies in which we live share our own inevitable mortality, the sooner humanity can begin adapting to new realities and saving itself. This last point was the most meaningful for me. At a certain point which I cannot exactly remember, I started thinking about my own mortality. I came to a similar conclusion: I am mortal, sooner or later, in one way or another, I will die. With this realization comes the fact that I have only a limited span of time to achieve my goals, to get what I want out of life, and to make my life as meaningful as possible while it lasts. Mortality puts a hard limit on how much we can procrastinate, and put off important decisions. Having read Scranton’s piece, I have come to realize what I believe is a key problem with the United States and other industrialized nations: we are procrastinating as a civilization, and ignoring the fact that we cannot do so forever. All civilizations have met their end, collapsed, and paved the way for new social orders throughout history. It is sheer arrogance to assume that the United States of America, and the global civilization of which we are currently a part, will be the first to last forever. Recognition of the reality that everything in this world has its end, whether on an individual level, or as a civilization, could end up having a far greater and far better impact than we are capable of imagining. For me, this seems a fitting insight with which to conclude the school year.

Note: This is my final blog post in conjunction with the Environmental Anthropology course I took this semester. I will likely write new posts on occasion (but not on a regular basis) for those who remain interested.