Studying Environmental Sciences is learning about the varied
ways everything is interconnected. I
think the readings brought that across well.
Our studies will not be limited to a specific field or even group of
fields, but will be wide open. Biology,
Geography, Ecology, Physics, Tectonics, Meteorology, Oceanography, Sociology...
they all play a part in defining our world and they all relate to each
other. The more we know about our world,
the more we can predict how our actions will affect the present and the future.
Juneau, Alaska is a unique location for a symposium of this
kind, on the coastal waterways in a temperate rainforest and bordered by
glacial mountains so close guests can take a tour walking on the Mendenhall
Glacier. We have a unique collection of
ecosystems here and a unique way of life.
Tiered levels of buildings seam to clime the steep hillsides
downtown. Drainage allowances compensate
for the high annual rainfall. Indigenous
people study their culture and languages while adapting to the changing modern
world with agility and ingenuity.
We are not living in a pastoral paradise, but neither are we
living in an apocalyptic nightmare.
Times are changing and we are adapting to those changes, altering our
own actions as we gain more wisdom as well as knowledge. The more we share with each other, the
farther we will be from the frightening conclusions of images like those
brought forth in Rachel Carson’s Silent
Spring (1962) or in Waterworld
(1995 film).