GOLD GOES GREEN: Understanding the USF Lens of the Environmental Movement Presenter: Kelly Cook.
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Transcript of GOLD GOES GREEN: Understanding the USF Lens of the Environmental Movement Presenter: Kelly Cook.
What is Social Justice?• A People Issue!
• Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being.
Humans and Environmental Impacts
• How does environmental degradation ultimately affect people?• Air Pollution• Water pollution• Hazardous waste• Food and nutrition• Climate Change
• Are some people affected more than others by environmental degradation?
Group Exercise: Community Stakeholders and Decision-Making
Instructions: Everyone get in groups according to the title you are given, either Government, Business, Upper Class, Middle Class, or Lower Class. Listen to the scenarios given about your relationships to other groups. Then have a discussion: What is your reaction to thse relationships? Who is responsible for fixing the inequities?
Conclusions for Sunnytown
• Environmental degradation is a visible problem in Sunnytown
• The lower class, a community made up of low income households and ethnic minorities, is affected by this environmental degradation more than other parts of the community
• Environmental inequities should be fixed• BUT, assigning responsibility is difficult – shared
responsibility of other 4 stakeholder groups makes creating a change very difficult because no 1 party wants to change their behavior
What about on a Global Scale?Climate Change is happening due to an excess of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, causing our global temperature to increase.
Hardest Impacts of Climate Change:
South/Central America and Africa will be affected the most by climatic changes, just based on temperature
Implications of Climate Change for Developing Nations
• Temperature will rise, causing heat waves• Seasons will change, disrupting agriculture and food security• Lack of money to provide infrastructure that may defend against climate change impacts, especially natural disasters• Thus, countries that do not share historical responsibility for climate change will have to suffer from the worst impacts of it
Developed Countries Need to Take Responsibility in Order to Attain Environmental Justice
BUT, who’s responsible? Governments? Corporations? Communities? Individuals?
This argument currently makes up most of the political debates about climate change, weakening the global response.
Our Response?A collective effort to lessen our carbon footprints
in order to achieve a more equitable future for those countries bearing the burden of climate
change that they did not cause.