Transcript GOLD GOES GREEN:

GOLD GOES GREEN:
Understanding the USF Lens of the
Environmental Movement
Presenter: Kelly Cook
Traditional Views of Environmentalism
•Hippies
•Idealists
•Putting trees
before people
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.
Are environmentalism and social
justice related??
Humans and Environmental
Impacts
• How does environmental degradation
ultimately affect people?
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Air Pollution
Water pollution
Hazardous waste
Food and nutrition
Climate Change
• Are some people affected more than others by
environmental degradation?
San Francisco Income Distribution
San Francisco Waste Management Facilities
San Francisco Stormwater Treatment Facilities
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.
What are Greenhouse Gases from?
Sources of Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Hardest Impacts of Climate Change:
South/Central America and Africa will be affected the
most by climatic changes, just based on temperature
Traditional Views of Environmentalism
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.
What can we do?
BE THE CHANGE:
Encourage USF to develop a
climate action plan TODAY
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