Post #5
Climate change is a topic that is commonly discussed, but it has also gone through phases of evolving into other issues. In more recent years, developing countries see this issue as a larger threat to their homes than those of us in more developed countries. There is a sense of a “call-to-action”, but as mentioned in my last blog post, many people do not know what actions to take. For those living on smaller islands or in less developed countries, they see where human actions are needed on this issue and are starting to put more efforts in.
After watching Dr. Lindsey’s TED talk, I got a better understanding on how climate change has developed into an issue involving human rights. As native of Hawaii, Lindsey explained how these two topics relate to each other through stories her elders told her growing up (Lindsey, 2012). These ancient stories are starting to be forgotten by many and she was warned that one day the world would be in turmoil because of their forgetfulness.
The bigger issue comes from larger countries who contribute to such harsh pollutions to our Earth. All of that pollution causes global warming issues, which then affects climate change. We may not notice much of a climate difference in the midwest, but smaller areas, such as islands, will see a change. They have encountered rising water levels that affect their living conditions tremendously. Beaches are disappearing, homes are being washed away and the islands are becoming smaller. Those who live on islands like these are losing their livelihood and their country, thus violating their human rights. Due to the increase in pollution and waste from the more developed countries, it is causing many people to see their underdeveloped countries perish right before their eyes.
In Brazil, the climate change issues affect their rain cycles, their water sources, and their scarcity of human resources as well as several other things. There have been some efforts made by the Ministry of the Environment to develop a Climate Change department; the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation. Their focus is on taking action on environmental licensing, inspection and control (Climate Change in Brazil, 2017).
However, Brazil still faces issues related to scarcity of human resources (both in quantity and quality), and poor infrastructure and logistics to adequately address emerging issues related to conflicts between economic development and measures to ensure protection, conservation and sustainable use of environmental assets (Climate Change in Brazil, 2017).
As mentioned earlier, many people are forgetting their ancestors stories about the Earth and how to treat it well. Not only are people forgetting those kinds of stories, but there are also some people who are forgetting their cultures. As our societies have advanced through the years, people have lost some touch with what their culture actually is and means. In Wade Davis’s TED talk, ‘Dreams from Endangered Cultures’, he discusses his experiences with several cultures so that he could pass down some of their own stories (Davis, 2003).
Endangered cultures can and do go unnoticed, but I have learned about this happening in our present day. Anything from stories, to traits or languages can fade away easily, which is upsetting to see that happen. I agree with what Davis talked about and it reminded me of a time in a class when there was a discussion about the disappearance of Native American tribes and their cultures. In class, we talked about how the younger generations of these families are starting to make this issue more aware in their communities. They are bringing more awareness to their culture’s traditions and language, which is so important and positive to see.
Now to get back to the human rights topic I brought up earlier, in Farish Noor’s book he talked about Eurocentrism and going beyond it. Eurocentrism — a discursive tendency to interpret the histories and cultures of non-European societies from a European (or Western) perspective (New Dictionary… of Ideas, 2005). Noor summed it up as their western culture having a large impression on many other cultures around the world. Noor talks on expanding our views on the world through other culture’s perspectives; not just through the European eye (Noor, 2001). I agree with his points and felt he has a great outlook on this topic. Going forward, I think more people should get a different perspective on issues, because getting another look into things could be beneficial in so many ways.
Sources
Noor, Farish. “Beyond Eurocentrism.” Dealing with Human Rights: Asian and Western Views on the Value of Human Rights. 2001. pp. 49–72.
