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Introduction to the issue: Our relationship with the environment

It may be important to see this issue as a two-way relationship:

Our impact on the environment
The impact of the environment on us

When considering the environment it is also important to focus on a broad definition of environment, not only on the natural world but also on the ‘built’ or ‘man-made’ environment, that is, the physical world in which we live.

Activity 1
Consider how human behaviour impacts on the environment.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

Fast food chains (e.g. McDonalds, Hungry Jacks, etc). and cattle farming in Brazil leading to Amazonian deforestation
Our environmental footprint, including eating imported food, buying imported clothing, cars, etc.
Whaling (see attached article), over-fishing and fish stock depletion
Over farming, chemical fertilisers
Land clearing in Australia, and other areas in the world
Smog and air pollution (in China – The 2008 Olympics, Indonesia - forest fires)
Chemical spillages/dumping (la marée noire: Exxon Valdez 1989, Erika 1999)
Three Gorges dam on the Yangtze River, and many other dam projects (the Franklin in Tasmania)
Dubai where human “interference” has modified the environment to allow inhabitants to ski in the heart of the desert. At what cost to the environment? For what reason? Consider the imported labour, the upheaval for their families etc.

Activity 2
Reflect on how the environment impacts on us.

Here are some ideas to start you thinking:

Our built environment:
1. France: HLMs (habitation à loyer modéré)/public housing - originally created to help those in need of housing but lead to ‘banlieues chaudes’ (ghettos/slums). Overcrowding has led to dysfunctional behaviour of some of the population. Social interaction breaks down due to lack of good infrastructure, such as schools, parks, shops, transport and hospitals. Groups of young people, ‘gangs’, form to overcome boredom and disadvantage. Buildings are graffitied/trashed and there may be little sense of belonging or community.
2. India, Mumbai - removing the ‘slums’ on the outskirts of town to allow developers access to city land thus causing social dislocation and removal of the ability to work for millions of the long term residents.
Human behaviour, e.g. global warming has led to the implementation of programs for us to modify our behaviour, such as recycling/reusing. However, this has happened as a result of earlier human foolishness/ignorance and rapacious consumption of resources.

Don’t forget that each argument has a counter argument. Hence you also need to examine the positive impact of global warming, e.g. as a result of the melting of the ice-caps, Greenland has been able to create a dairy industry on the lush, green and now productive pastures that were once covered in snow.

Working with or against Nature

Consider and discuss the following:

the destruction of species and habitats for economic reasons, e.g. movements such as WWF, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, as well as many private foundations attempt to save the orang-utans in Indonesia vs the logging companies clearing the forests in which the orang-utans live.
How in Australia and around the world, species and habitats are being irreparably damaged e.g. flora and fauna, reefs and fish stocks, tropical plants and trees, tigers, elephants and pandas.

Also overfishing vs fish farming (which creates its own problems of pollution and malformed species).
The exploitation of resources for economic reasons, possible alternatives and barriers to their implementation, e.g.
- Cubbie Station and cotton farming, Black River, and rice farming in Queensland, and the overuse of limited water resources for inappropriate crops for the climate.
- Coal and oil mining in Australia. There are some positives with energy for all at accessible prices vs the negative such as CO2 emissions, increasing global warming and therefore unsustainable practice. This leads to the need to know how to manage the negatives e.g. enfouir le CO2 dans le sous-sol, et le problème de l’épuisement des ressources.
- Nuclear energy can be positive. It is a clean energy (énergie propre) vs the negative of waste disposal and safety problems with rogue regimes Sûreté et sécurité.
- Renewable non-polluting energy sources - wind, sun, wave, tidal and geothermic.

There are many points to be argued for and against this issue.

You must be prepared to investigate further all options in order to be prepared to answer fully the questions in the HSC exams.
Read articles, books and blogs to keep yourself informed of what is current and how other people are debating the issue.
Discuss with your friends, your penpals or online to gauge other people’s opinions.
Keep a vocabulary list of words, phrases and expressions and update it in order to be able to keep up with the discussion and access it often to revise and improve your vocabulary.