Ideologies of Environmental Communication
Environmental communication broken down to its simplest form is expressing the ideologies one has about nature. Environmental communication is especially important today, as people’s ideologies are divisive as ever.
In the book “Communicating Nature: How We Create and Understand Environmental Messages,” Corbett lists ideologies and goes into salient depth about them. The two foundational ideologies in which much of our land management is based in today is Conservationism and Preservationism. These concepts were first established around the time the first national parks were being created. Conservationist Ideology is the belief that we must conserve nature so that future generations can continue to enjoy its benefits and recreate. A good example is managing forests so that lumber may be used in wood industries. A modern example that Corbett used is the concept of sustainable development. The purpose of creating sustainable infrastructure is to be minimally taxing now and well into the future, ensuring that those who inherit are not left with archaic systems. This ideology claims nature only has value when useful to humans.
Preservationist ideology is the concept of protecting nature beyond the benefit it may give to humans. It is establishing wilderness in which motorized equipment is not allowed and, letting ecosystems progress without much human intervention. True preservation, however, is difficult to accomplish as wilderness areas still experience some form of mistreatment. The following ideologies are more explicit. Nevertheless, a brief summary is enough to get a rudimentary idea:
Deep Ecology- Prefigured by a Tucson based organization Earth First, it is the belief that humans have no right to diminish diversity. They are quoted, “No compromise in defense for mother earth!” This ideology is often hostile and uses nearly militaristic tactics to protest ecological disturbance.
Social Ecology- This ideology puts the source responsibility on human society. Capitalism and manipulative systems are the cause of much destruction/alteration of nature. It states that change must come from the reformation of social systems in order to ratify change.
Land Based Ethics- Human activity shouldn’t be destructive to the functions of ecosystems. It is the belief that all life has value and extends this value to ecosystems while recognizing ecosystems are self-regulatory and can exist functionally without human intrusion.
Eco-feminism- Based in feminism, it can expand on the idea that women are closer to nature. It compares the subjugation women face in patriarchal society to the oppression that nature experiences. It celebrates the feminine and ensuing natural similarities.
Eastern Ideologies- There is little hierarchy between man and nature. Empathy, contemplation, and serenity are all themes within Eastern ideologies.
Ecological Sensibility- Like Land Based Ethics but incorporates methods of land management as well. It is based on holistic systems to aid nature and ecology. However, it does not often consider human society and the impacts that come with it.
Animal rights- Humans are in a place of privilege and act discriminately towards animals who are at a place of disadvantage. Animal rights is a fight for equity amongst species and acknowledging if one can feel pain, it shall not suffer.
Corbett explains the mechanisms of social experience that change our perception of nature and environmental ideologies in their book “Communicating Nature: How We Create and Understand Environmental Messages.” They explain that environmental communication is multifaceted and ever-changing; based on one’s beliefs of the natural world. Environmental messages are the social efforts we use to justify our actions regarding nature. These messages, along with childhood experiences and later experiences, mold our environmental belief systems. Experiences that affect our perception of nature can be recognized by three categories: Direct, Indirect, and Vicarious.
Direct experiences could include ascending a tree, watching wildlife, sitting by a creek in a wilderness area. They are experiences that you witness first-hand and, debatably, some of the most meaningful experiences to influence your environmental belief systems. Indirect experiences are like direct in that you are physically interacting with nature in some way. These, however, only include analogs for nature like a city park. Vicarious experiences on the other hand are ones that are witnessed through a medium in which you are not physically present. Examples are watching nature documentaries, reading a book, or listening to a podcast.
What about the way we interact with nature locally? Corbett argues that as you develop a sense of place, a connection to your environment, you are more likely to defend it. This is the base of bioregionalism: a practice/idea of living entirely locally with nature in a harmonious way. This means understanding the natural systems at play and recognizing you are a part of it. This contrasts with how the United States has developed. Our societal view is very much separate from nature, based on the colonialist belief that nature is wild and must be tamed. This has led to the view that nature is ours for the taking.
We cannot change this from the top to bottom. Our views and beliefs majorly come from the ground up and are often only solidified from the top down. Grassroots solutions that would otherwise be effective are limited by social norms, governmental regulation, Community expectations, money, and time. This is the root of the struggle with effective environmental communication.
It is important to hear of different environmental ideologies to confidently establish your own. Though it seems a passive process, you can actively seek to alter the way you interact with and contribute to nature.
