Analyzing An Environmental Stress in Detail

A.  For a given environmental stress or problem:

1.  Describe the core of the environmental stress, including proximate causes and proximate effects.

2.  What extended effects of the stress are significant (both upstream and downstream)?

3.  Who gains and who loses from these extended effects, and what/how?

4.  How does the stress contribute to, or impede, sustainable relations between humans and environment?

5.  What are the general and basic causes of the stress?

6.  Who benefits most from activities causing the stress?

7.  What solutions to the stress have been taken or proposed?  (Include both sham and actual solutions, with examples of each.)

8.  What can you do, both directly and indirectly, to lessen the stress?

OPTIONAL:  B.  Typical Responses to Each Stage of an Environmental Stress

Before answering the questions above, it is helpful to estimate the developmental stage of the specific issue at hand.  For each of five commonly-occurring stages (incipient, emergent, crisis, abating, residual), the table below indicates typical responses (by capitalists, the public, and government), which tend to suggest, and also limit, what can be done about the problem.  For instance, if the stress is incipient or emergent-- such as genetic engineering of crops, currently-- then solutions typically call for expanding public knowledge and political action; whereas a problem in crisis stage may require vigorous factual attacks against corporate disinformation and buying of legislators.

Stage Knowledge/ Understanding of Problem Capitalist Economic Response Public Response Political/ Governmental Response
Incipient scientific ignore local only ignore
Emergent limited public deny enviros discuss
Crisis wide but shallow public "news" PR to avert blame; promote business-as-usual & technofix "solutions" let's treat proximate causes and symptoms remediate worst aspects; largely ignore prevention (sustaining the problem)
Abating put on back page socialize costs again local only some structural reform
Residual archival ignore only victims recall reforms weakened

 

OPTIONAL:  C.  Temporal and Spatial Characteristics of Selected Environmental Stresses

Stress Present Stage Emergent Period Spatial Scale Distribution
Petroleum use crisis 1950s global worldwide
Marine oil pollution crisis 1970s sub-country oceans nearly worldwide
Global warming emergent 1980s global worldwide
Plastics, pesticides & other POPs crisis 1950s regional worldwide
Car culture crisis 1930s regional urban areas
Lead pollution residual 1930s sub-country urban & industrial areas
Acid rain crisis 1970s regional MDCs
Nuclear radiation crisis/ abating 1940s country nuclear power & weapons areas
Deforestation crisis varies regionally regional low- and mid-latitudes
Agricultural bioengineering incipient/ emergent present regional most agricultural regions
Overfishing crisis 1970s regional oceans nearly worldwide
Shrimp farming emergent 1980s country tropical coasts
Plant & animal invaders abating 1600s regional worldwide (esp. W. Hemisphere & islands)
Amphibian decline emergent 1990s regional* land worldwide?
Big dams crisis 1970s sub-country worldwide

*regional scale as used here means supra-country or transnational, but not global

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Thomas Detwyler maintains this page (tdetwyle@uwsp.edu)
Last updated 17 October 1999

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