REply: Environment and Creation

[Fred Stoss <fstoss@acsu.buffalo.edu>]

I am reminded by Andrea L. Stoeckel of the multidisciplinary nature of environmental studies. I am also reminded of the need examining some of the spiritual aspects of our understanding of the environment and the natural resources it holds--the biotic and the abiotic. Tony Campolo, a Baptist minister from Philadelphia, has written a very interesting book, "How to Rescue the Earth without Worshipping Nature." PART of his discussion requires us to look at the environment as part of the Creation (to which I would add a Creation of any religious origin). 

Andrea points to the need for a sharing of information and ideas ACROSS disciplines.

Many of our environmental information needs are provided by a rather analytical and objective process of gathering ecological or environmental data: air pollution measurements, water pollution levels, environmental quality paramenters, species richness and diversity data. The process of gathering environmental information starts with the generation of scientific and technical data, usually and hopefully following standard operating procedures, subject to quality controls and assurances, and generated using any number of means of measurement and quantification.

After the data has been collected, we have a series of physical, chemical, geological, biological attributes that describe a multitude of aspects of the "REAL" and "PHYSICAL" environment. This environmental data is then provided for others to analyze, evaluate, summarize, interpret, modify, and submit to any number of subjective tests. This process involves a large number of societal, cultural, and demographic "filters" through which we examine the data and draw conclusions about our PERCEPTIONS of the environment. Such filters included, and are certainly NOT limited to, things such as religious beliefs, levels of education, lines of work, where on lives, political affiliations, memberships in professional and civic organizations, and any number of other factors that define an individual's "quality of life."

The differences between the REAL environment and our PERCEPTIONS of the environment, lead us on to that merry path of environmental decision making, which requires an end result of environmental policy (which then can alter conditions so that both the real and the perceived environments are [or may be] changed). 

This entire process involves generating, collecting, using, sharing, managing, and storing vast amounts of environmental data and information. So critical is this process that it can be easily used to define the users of data and information into categories of those how have access to and an understading of the data and information, and to those who do not.

Are things this black and white? No, because there are any number of government and private agencies and organizations along the way that are standing at the ready to assist you with their interpretations of how individuals should look at the realities of the environment, and are often very willing to help you select from any number of additional [their] filters and lenses through which to look at the environment. This is the fun part of the environment: ADVOCACY! It is complex. It is controversial. It is confrontational. It IS confusing.

This is all part of PIP!

Fred Stoss