death of environmental science

Death of Environmental Science

The Genealogy of the Idea of ‘Environmental Science’

From Renaissance to Green Economy

Amulya Ratna TuladharProfessor of Environmental Science

2016


• The Genealogy of the Idea of ‘Environmental Science’

• From Renaissance to Green Economy


• OVERVIEW BLURB


2. DARK AGES TO RENAISSANCE

What is Dark Age: Infallibility of Religion > Science


3. Dark Age: Metaphysics > Physiks

What is Dark Age: Infallibility of Religion > Science

Other World > Real World


4. Renaissance: Re-Birth: Plato etc – Dark Age –Rebirth Leonardo da Vinci


5. Dark Ages: Eastern Culture – Nepal –Mahabharat/Ramayan-Lekhnath poems


6. Deepening of This World Focus I: Birth of Science –Natural History


7. Science – Ecology – Environmental Science

Remnant of ‘old’ Tradition/Superstition/Religion


8. Natural History/Romanticism e.g. Alexander von Humboldt

Search for rudimentary Pattern in “Nature” of Human habit, Mountain


9. Nature – Patterns - on Observation sum –(Methods)

Observation -> Hypothesis -> Laws e.g. Gaia Hypothesis


10. Summation of Nature Knowledge -> Differentiation

- Natural History -> Biol, Zool, Bot, Geol etc

- Ascol Experience 30 yr : 9th – Isc – Bsc – AIFC – MS - Phd


11. My Personal Journey

NH Knowledge Accummulation (Bookish) -> My Real World, Ktm/Nepal – Tiger, Birds, Trees, Monkeys, -Sparrows and Crows 2 types


12. My Scientific Disciplinary specialization -> Cross Cutting New Themes


13. Natural history -> Ecology > Not Polar Ends like Plants, Animals, Geology but Interactions: AbiotaBiota

More Renaissance Celebration of This World


14. Renaissance for human emancipation: freeing from Superstition, Gods, heaven/Hall, Starvation, War, Pestilence.

How to understand and Make this More LivableSpace Earth – This Life


15. Success of human emancipation: 1 m – 1 B – 7 B – 10 B;

Stone Age, Agri Rev, Industr Rev, 2050-2100

Human Population increase by Renaissance-> Science-> More Knowledge > Use in Public Life


16. Human Numbers Universal Number 1 Value/Aspiration


17. Human Numbers Good to Bad

Malthus in late 18th Century; Beginning of Industrial Rev; Pop Boom , london


18. Pop Increase as Root of All Human Problem: Malthus Life Time

Minority Opinion to Majority Opinion

Min Public Role to Greater Public Policy Control


19. Pop Increase as Biggest Problem of mankind

From London FW (18th century) to Global (TW) > 1950s


20. Need for Specialization focus from

Ecology: Interaction of Biota Abiota to

Env Sci: Interaction of Man His Nature


21. Env Science: to control Human Numbers –Reverse Feedback.

Biota Abiota: Interaction Knowledge > More Pop Increase (Green Rev) Food Excess

Man -> Env -> Man: Reverse Feed Back : Raison de etre: Env Science


22. Development: solution of Increasing Population = DTC =Global => TW

1923 => FW; 1950-2000 TW nepal


23. Development Studies

Dev Economics -> Sustainable Dev ->

(1980, 87, 92, 2012)

Quality of Earth Life Maintain Over Generations = Sustain w/o Increase pop numbers or degradation of env


24. Dev=> Sust Dev => Green Economy

Movement in World Consciousness and Action

UNCHE 1972 => UNCED 1992 => WSSD (2002)=> UNCED -2 (2012)


25. Green Economy as Continuation of Renaissance and Human Emancipation

= Death of Env Science ???

Green Econ = Human World Env World

Focus interaction to HW Env World


26. Sust Dev: Econ+Env+Social Interacting Spheres = Poverty Empowerment CC

Oxymoron – difficult to measure progress


27. CC as emerging Threat to Sust Dev: Large, Uncertain, huge Data, Understanding needed, Local to Global


28. New Big Interacting Challenge: Landscape Conservation Approach: Landscape Theory Mode Interaction; Ecosystem Mgt.


29. Ecosytem Mgt: Adaptation to Uncertainty, Large Data base, Multiscalar: 1 century work to current cutting edge: CFUG, CRMA, TAC, Hariyo Ban


30. Env science = “dead” = yes like NH, Bot, Zool, Geol, Ecol

Trend: NH > Bio (Bot, Zool, Geol) > Ecol > Env Sci>Sust Dev> Ecosyst Mgt > Green Economy


31. CONCLUSION: KEEP LEARNING AFTER MSC LIKE ME

Bio 9th=Zoo Isc= Entomology Bsc Ornithology = Forestry/Wildlife Mgt AIFC = Comm For/SocFor/Farm For=Silvicuture MS= Human Dimensions of Global Env Change /RSGIS/Mnt Env Phd=Env Sci = sust dev/Green Econ NOW