Introduction: Tackling the Environmental Challenges of the 21st Century
Course Content
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Lesson 1: Understanding the Challenges We Face
This introductory content sets the stage for why the problems we face are so urgent, and why it’s not an option to use only the tools and approaches that have been traditionally used in environmental conservation. An overview of the drivers of environmental problems will give you a sense of the different problems and opportunities you might engage in, and set you up to select a topic to work on.
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Lesson 2: Analyzing Complex Environmental Problems
In the face of pressing environmental problems, it is natural to want to jump straight into action and focus on an immediate solution. But in order to design successful, equitable, and lasting interventions, we need to take a step back and get a deep and contextualized understanding of the problem.
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Intro: Understanding the Challenges We Face
What are the drivers of the extinction crisis, and how severe are these problems?
This introductory content sets the stage for why the problems we face are so urgent, and why it’s not an option to continue using the same tools and approaches that were traditionally used in environmental conservation. An overview of the drivers of environmental problems will give you a sense of the different problems and opportunities you might engage in, and set you up to select a topic to work on.
Pre-Reading
We’ll start by framing the problems we face: what challenges are conservationists trying to address, and how serious are these problems?
- WWF’s Living Planet Report Chapter 2 (pages 52-72) offers a comprehensive review of the environmental crisis, highlighting the challenges, their causes, and potential solutions. WWF’s Living Planet Index tracks biodiversity around the globe and helps to paint a picture of the environmental crisis.
- A Horizon Scan of Emerging Issues for Global Conservation in 2019 summarizes innovative and emerging technologies, systems, and industries that might impact conservation, positively and/or negatively.
Consider some proposed approaches to addressing these problems, and nuanced considerations as we apply them:
- Mongabay: What Works in Conservation? (and the linked Conservation Effectiveness site) shares some themes of what makes conservation projects succeed, and showcases failures that we can learn from.
- Take Action for the Sustainable Development Goals introduces the SDG’s: 17 actionable areas where all countries can seek to make improvements to tackle the intersectional issues of climate change, conservation, poverty, inequality, education, health, and economic growth.
- Environmental justice and the SDGs: from synergies to gaps and contradictions explores how the SDG’s failed to explicitly address issues of environmental justice, and focused on goals such as economic growth when they should have included other measures of success more in-tune with people’s needs.
- I’m a black climate expert. Racism derails our efforts to save the planet encourages us to consider how racism impacts BIPOC (black, indigenous, and people of color) environmentalists and their work. In order to effectively address environmental issues, we need to recognize the intersections of race and climate, and prioritize diverse voices and perspectives to build just, equitable solutions.
At the end of this lesson, you’ll be asked to choose a challenge to work on throughout the course. Review this problem bank for inspiration, and to get a sense of how you might frame your chosen challenge.
You can also download the entire lesson content below.