Whether studying about, or actually participating in, an environmental issue - having a good grasp of both the “facts” (true and untrue) and the opinions which swirl around it, is as necessary as intelligence gathering is to the military when planning for battle.  In the background debate or controversy that frames an issue, a holistic understanding about the complete “lay of the land” must be the prime objective.  Whether the objective is to actually create a solution as a participant in the issue, or to gain wisdom through a close examination of its case study, one should strive for an empathetic understanding of how different groups of people think or feel about an issue, as well as how that shapes their support of different positions on it.  Failing to acquire even a simple “working knowledge” about the socio-economic, and political grey-area elements of an issue, as well as the hard facts of its science – will make it very difficult either to be an effective participant in its eventual resolution, or to gain much wisdom from studying about it. 

In either case, a good way to be adequately comprehensive is by challenging oneself to dig deep enough and avoid the all too easy pretext of: “There are two sides to every issue.”  This rather short-sighted myth has emerged because so many environmental issues have ended up being played out on the political stage – which often results in a final decision being forced from a limited number of choices – (usually, just two.)   From an environmental education perspective (which emphasizes the more positive approaches of whole understanding and  proactive rather than reactive behaviors) it is quite important to steadfastly look beyond the easy “headlines” or glib slogans, and focus on the many original common interests or points of agreement. 

During the very early stages of an issue – there is often general agreement that a particular problem exists.  But if the possible compromises and cooperative spirit of resolving the problem begin to falter, controversy begins to germinate out of the disagreements.  The controversy morphs into a full-blown issue as the many different viewpoints splinter and realign as allies in anticipation of a showdown via some formal resolution process such as a vote, or court decision, or forced arbitration.  When it reaches that stage, it can indeed appear “two sided” because of all the compromises that have taken place during the winnowing-down process of finding enough political allies to “win” the showdown – but the reality is that there were and still are many different perspectives, many different viewpoints, and many different wants and needs underlying the issue.  It is essential to examine those to truly understand the whole picture.   

As an issue evolves over time, it is important to monitor the ebb and flow of the arguments or positions that people take within the debate – and to understand the reasons and rationale behind those positions.   Misconceptions are as important (and often, even more important) to consider as the accurate conceptions, because they are a by-product of the underlying attitudes, opinions and beliefs held by the stakeholders or other interested parties – and may be a good gauge in determining how each group or individual might react to different alternatives in the run up toward some eventual resolution.  Researching the beliefs and values behind different viewpoints is a highly effective strategy for addressing Steps 1-2 in the problem-solving process.

Assignment #6: Fact (AND Opinion) Finding

Select a local environmental issue and do some background research.  For the purposes of this assignment, you don’t need to get into great “depth” or detail – but rather, you should explore the wide variety of facts and opinions that exist.  Use different sources.  Do Internet searches to uncover facts, but also clues or indications of opinion and different possible viewpoints.  Can you find sources OTHER than the Internet?  Can you discover “scientific” claims of “fact” that contradict or dispute each other?   Can you find differing perspectives on the economic and social consequences?  Try conducting some interviews with a couple of people who are likely to give you a diverse perspective on the issue (e.g. someone in favor of some new referendum, and someone against it.)  Or, ask a couple of random, “people on the street” what they think.

Then, in your Post to the Discussion Board, describe the issue and report to the class your  “findings” from what you’ve heard and read.  

Please note: You are free to actuallly take a position if you’d like, and explain why – but that’s really not the point of this exercise.  (So if you do – don’t take up a lot of space defending one side or the other.)   Rather, if you’re willing to share it, it would be more enlightening to know how your own viewpoint may have undergone any changes in either direction – strengthening or weakening from your initial opinion – based upon what you uncovered.  (But, that’s also optional.) 

Institute Discussion Board