Cultural Interpretations of Nature and the Effect on the Environment - Essay Example

Client Cultural Interpretations of Nature and the Affect on the Environment The word nature creates a sentimental feeling when spoken aloud. The word is used in advertising to create a sense of authenticity to products. When something is ‘all natural’, the consuming public tends to believe that the product is more real and has better ingredients. The concept of nature and how it is perceived creates an attachment to the environment. For some, nature is an obstacle for the attainment for profit. For others, nature is a refuge of peace and tranquility. As well, some interpret nature as a hot sticky mess that is rampant with bugs and irritants. In the same way that individuals have different views on the concept of nature, so do different cultures as a whole approach the concept. Perceptions of what can be termed the ’natural world’ differ between cultures, creating a change in how environmental concerns are considered and in how the ecology of the world is handled. Nature is a concept. Despite the fact that nature has very tangible elements that can be touched, sensed, and held, the true idea behind nature is a description of a state of being. Nature tends to refer to areas where organisms and plant life grow unrestricted and without interference from human influence. However the true meaning of the word is a 1 Client’s Last Name 2 synonym for essence. The dictionary might define the word as “the genetically controlled qualities of an organism”. It also might described as the “inherent character or basic constitution of a person or thing“, or it could be described as “ a creative or controlling force in the universe”(nature, 2009). These dictionary definitions do not nearly encompass the many ways in which the natural world is defined by the different cultures across the globe. Nature has had an influence on many aspects of cultural development. Nature influences art, science, and philosophy. It is at the base of medical discovery, just as it has the strongest representations of mathematical equations within its many structures. However, the cultural perception of nature creates a stronger impact on the world than the many disciplines that derive their principles from the concept. Within these perceptions lay the foundations of preservation and destruction upon which a society will build and expand. In cultures where nature has less connection to its people, it is much easier to clear away the ecosystems that exist in order to pour concrete and lay stone. In cultures where nature has been given reverence, one might find no permanent structures inhibiting the natural world. Regardless of the reverence or lack of reverence, the ’nature’ of man has become one of destruction and creation as the landscape is recreated to the needs contrived by human design. Before a discussion commences over the many different interpretations of nature and the affect those points of view have had on the environment, it is worth taking the time to look at the many ways in which the ecosystems of the world are connected and 2 Client’s Last Name 3 work in unison for planetary benefit, rather than just the benefit of the local environment. An important global connection to the growth of a natural environment is the one created by the existence of rainforests and their affect on atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. Rainforests emit and absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide, helping to maintain atmospheric balance. Oceans are central to the overall health of the planet because it is the ocean evaporating that provides a source for a good portion of the world’s rainfall. Both the ecologies of the rainforests and of the oceans affect weather patterns and temperature changes across the globe. In understanding the connectivity between natural planetary environments and the health of influential natural occurrences, such as weather and air quality, it is possible to comprehend the importance of environmentally conscious behavior. The harsh reality of our world is that while the ecology of the world is connected across thousands of miles of land and ocean, the geography of the planet divides it into nations that govern their areas by laws designed to reflect their own conceptualization of nature. Therefore, the laws in the rainforest may not reflect the concept that a more northern country might have of nature, despite the fact that the weather and air quality is affected by the health of that rainforest. One example of this geographical control with global consequences can be seen in the aftermath of the war in Kuwait after the occupation by the Iraqi government. As a consequence of the military actions by the Iraqi government, 6 million dollars a day in oil was lost to burning oil wells. Costs of environmental restoration were high due to “large 3 Client’s Last Name 4 quantities of oil spilled into the ocean and desert, both of which were caused by Iraqi attacks on oil wells” (Faour 24). One of the many possible affects of the burning oil is the possibility of Gulf War Syndrome being caused by prolonged exposure to the noxious fumes. This syndrome is comprised of two or more multi-system illnesses presenting in Gulf War veterans and are theorized to stem from exposure to organophosphorus/ carbamate toxins. The burning of this oil, the dumping of many gallons of the oil into the ocean and into the desert has undoubtedly affected the ecology of air, ocean and land. These acts were committed that would affect more than just the nations who were at war and have yet to show the full affects of this damage to the ecological systems involved. In an examination of nature and the cultural perception of nature, it is important to consider the viewpoints from history that have affect on those perceptions. In William Cronin’s book, Uncommon Ground, he writes an article titled, “The Trouble with Wilderness, or Getting Back to the Wrong Nature”. In this article he discusses the perception of the concept of ’wilderness’ and how it has changed throughout history. The ’wilderness’ was originally, as he describes it, “a place to which one came only against one’s will, and always in fear and trembling” (Cronin 71). He uses the examples from the Bible to prove this point. Adam and Eve were driven from the garden of Eden into the ’wilderness’, as was Moses and Christ driven into the ‘wilderness‘. Being in the ’wilderness’ represented a separation from the comfort of home and being burdened with hardship from a lack of civilization. However, Cronin (1996) suggests that with Thoreau came the change of attitude 4 Client’s Last Name 5 about the wilderness that would develop into the twentieth century. Cronin says that “Thoreau, in 1862 could declare wildness to be the preservation of the world suggests the sea change that was going on“. Cronin (1996) suggests that with the writings of Thoreau the change took the wilderness from a place of darkness to a place that was more like Eden. From this new perception of the natural world would develop the concepts of preserving the natural world. The attitudes of different cultures towards nature has determined the way in which nature has been addressed by those cultures. “In the relationship of humans to nature, the worldview of the U.S. culture promotes domination over nature rather than subjugation to it”(Jackson 480). Under this viewpoint, whatever is available to this type of culture is subject to use. Resources are considered a prerogative and the urge to use is culturally imbedded and the need to preserve takes a deliberate act of cultural will. Hispanic, African, Asian, and Native cultures believe that humans should be in harmony with nature. In these cultures one might find a stronger willingness to protect the natural world. One example of this is a release by the American government in response to the Kyoto Protocol which calls for more responsible and mandatory environmental regulations, to which the U. S. refused to agree. “Declaring the mandatory environmental regulations of the Kyoto Protocol combating global warming too expensive and a threat to U.S. jobs, President Bush unveiled his administrations voluntary "better alternative" -- the Clear Skies and Global Climate Change Initiatives.” (Bush). Of course, according to 5 Client’s Last Name 6 the Sierra Club, this initiative is not only inadequate, but would “weaken many parts of the Clean Air Act and would result in significantly fewer reductions of air pollutants” (Clean). This contradiction in intension is an example of the cultural viewpoint that drives the American people. In looking at the contrast between the work of the administration and the work of the Sierra Club, the American attitude of dominance is evident in both groups. While working for the side of environmental responsibility, the Sierra Club and others who attempt to overcome this domination as a concept in the view towards nature, the founder of the club, John Muir, is said to be the Father of our (meaning the U.S.) National Parks. The act of creating a national park asserts dominance over nature by defining its parameters and designating it in its function. The act of protection can be an act of dominance. In Britain, the sense of nature is that it is a source of healing as the British turn towards the ’country’ to find tranquility. In the late nineteenth century, people “turned to the natural world and the countryside to solve individual and social problems” (Pepper 215). David Pepper, in his book Modern Environmentalism talks about the ties between socialism and a return to nature. “Communal working and control of the land was seen as the source of all economic power and therefore the key to establishing socialism”(Pepper 215). In this way, nature became tied to political power. However, it is possible that this association with political control began long before the nineteenth century. The aristocracy was always very fond of owning country homes and going on retreats for their health and on holiday into the natural countryside. This romanticism still prevails. Pepper says that “Romantic escapism, anti-urbanism, and anti-modernism persist: Client’s Last Name 7 intensified, it seems, during national crisis and unhappiness such as economic depression and war.” (Pepper 225) The approach on environmentalism that has prevailed in India is based on the principles developed by Gandhi. Gandhi criticized the way in which Western industrialization and modernization was accomplished at the expense of the natural world. The way in which India has proceeded, “emphasizes equity over the production of wealth” (Hughes 175). As the onset of modernization comes to India and the economy is created on worldwide terms, “India may become a ’land of milk and honey for all’ but not necessarily ’a country of Honda’s and IBM’s for all’” (Hughes 176) The prevailing attitude is that “ecological prudence need not be the enemy of economic development” (Hughes 176). In striking a balance with nature, while trying to emphasize the harmony that is necessary for a conservative and reverent attitude toward the natural world, the Indian culture maintains a dignity and sense of control that does not sacrifice the ecological world. Cultures have grown around professions as much as they have developed in different nations. Scientists analyze the natural world and seek to manipulate it for the purpose of discovery. In looking at nature they develop theories about the way in which it works and then deconstruct the functions in order to understand how things work. For the researcher, the world is a place of possibilities and for answers to questions that can only be found in the mysteries of nature. For the politician, this same search for answers can be used as a platform to gain or suppress reform. In order to create change in the world, each of these professions view nature as a catalyst for their purposes. However, Client’s Last Name 8 where the scientist sees nature as an abundant source of answers, the politician sees nature as an obstacle, a rallying point, or possibly a source of controversy. The state of the environment is, ironically, a very human issue. While toxins and gases are pumped into the air at alarming rates, the ecological balance of the climate and the quality of the air is at stake. The irony comes in the form of survival. If all of the resources are used up and the climate shifts dramatically, or if the air becomes unbreathable, the planet will still survive. Humans will find themselves short of a living space. It isn’t the planet that is at stake, it is the survival of the human race. As human beings indulge in cultural divisions and attitudes that are not conducive to conservative use of resources, time is ticking away toward the day when one too many toxins will shift the resource availability. The cultural diversity in the way that nature is approached and adopted into the societal policies and expectations creates a path that is inconsistent across the world. As discoveries have been made about the impact of rainforest carbon dioxide exchange and of the climate influence of the oceans, the actions or inactions of a part of the world in control of important environmental bodies will impact the quality of life in other parts of the globe. The concept of dominance over the environment is an exercise in delusion which events like Hurricane Katrina should prove. As well, the idea that nature is a tool to be used for political gain does not bode well for the health of the planet. In embracing Eastern ideas about conservativism and balance, the current ecological balance may have a chance. 8 Client’s Last Name 9 Works Cited “Bush Announces Clear Skies Initiative: A ‘Better Alternative to Kyoto Protocol, says President Bush”. About.com. 2003. U.S. Government Info. 2 February 2009. Castree, Noel. Nature. New York: Routledge, 2005. “Clean Air: Clear Skies Proposal Weakens the Clean Air Act” The Sierra Club. 2008. Explore, Enjoy, and Protect the Planet. 2 February 2009 Cronon, William. Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature. New York: W.W. Norton & Co, 1996. Faour, Muhammad. The Arab World After Desert Storm. Washington, D.C.: United States Institute of Peace, 1993. Hughes, J. Donald. The Face of the Earth: Environment and World History. Sources and studies in world history. Armonk, N.Y.: M.E. Sharpe, 2000. Jackson, Yo. Encyclopedia of Multicultural Psychology. Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE Publications, 2006. "nature." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2009. Merriam-Webster Online. 3 February 2009 Pepper, David. Modern Environmentalism. New York: Routledge, 1996. 9 Read More