Historiography: Environmental History (Research Paper Sample)

Aaron Laird
Dr. Dietrich-Ward
History 397
MWF
2-3:15
The Balance between Development and Natural Environment Conservation: the Case of US Highway 411 connector.
Historiography
Development has always competed for the same resources with the natural environment and in essence, development depletes nature of its natural resources. Before the 20th century, people were encouraged to exploit natural resources in whatever manner for the sake of development or what is popularly known as Industrialization. However, in the 20th and 21st century, there has been heated debates, movements and literature works which encourage people to be conscious of the environment and take steps to ensure that the natural environment is protected rather than exploited. As pertaining the problem at hand, the Coalition for the Right Road (CRR) argue that the proposed development will negatively affect the protected Pettit and Nancy Creek watersheds which are sensitive environmental resources.CRR warns that the interruption with these watersheds will pollute the rivers following from the Dobbins mountains and this will present a negative threat to the low laying lands and Aqua life that depends on the water from the rivers a position that Stewarts also agrees with indicating that the digging of the road through the Dobbins Mountains will expose minerals in the mountains which will release impurities to rivers. This begs the question, should we favor development regardless of the effect that development has on the natural environment? CRR further indicates that an alternate but the more expensive road should be adopted as this will lead to reduced threat to the natural environment. Their argument follows the recommendations by UN as further discussed that if sustainable development is to be achieved, an extra cost has to be incurred. The costs are exaggerated with the calls by the Rollins Ranch Cartersville to be compensated for their inconvenience. This brings another issue of whether the Cartersville Ranch should be forced to relinquish its property right for the good of the environment? This points to the idea that development comes with a financial cost and an ecological cost, the problem underlying problem is coming up with a system that can help find the balance between the protection of the natural environment and development. This historiography will try to analyze the opinion of different individuals on the best ways to attain this balance and the impacts of favoring one instead of the other.[Coalition for the Right Road. "Project Overview." Accessed February 26, 2015. therightroad.wordpress.com: https://therightroad.wordpress.com/essential-info/project-overview/.] [Stewart, J. 2012, October 4. "Mine Prompts 411 Connector Route Shift." GpB News] [Coalition for the Right Road.2011, July 13. "Benefits of an Alternate Route for U.S. 411 Connector. Retrieved." http://patch.com/georgia/cartersville/bp--benefits-of-an-alternate-route-for-us-411-connector.] [Rollins Ranch Cartersville. "Corporate law Rollins Family's Mega Bucks Buy Southern Clout Tha..."]
To start off, we analyses the birth of natural environment conservation. When President Theodore Roosevelt took office, there were only a handful of natural environment protection laws. Only a few months after Roosevelt assumed office, the Congress established the Right of Way Act. This Act allowed for public infrastructure to pass through reserves and parks. It allowed for roads, electricity lines, railways and water and oil pipelines to pass through protected land. This act served to open the misuse of land. However, the Act argues that allowing for access is critical to opening up rural areas for development. The Act goes further to suggest that infrastructure rarely affects natural environment; this will leave to be proven wrong by Oil spills, such as BP offshore oil spill, and environment destroying projects, such as Eco Park Dam, which sought to establish infrastructure within natural environment or protected areas but ended up having massive negative impact to the natural environment. All in an all, this piece of legislation is so important and actually forms the basis of the problems being experienced with developmental projects passing through protected natural resources.[U.S. Local Government. "Documentary Chronology of Selected Events in the Development of the American Conservation Movement, 1847-1920." Accessed February 27, 2015. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amrvhtml/cnchron4.html.]
It is probably this legislation that led Nathaniel Southgate to write the book ‘Man and the Earth’. In his book, Southgate forecasts that if the citizens of the United States do not start rethinking about natural resources before adopting development projects, a time will come where all they will have to do is protect the environment. Southgate prophesied that, "the care for the economic resources of the earth... for which people are already prepared, will be merged into a larger care for the sphere as a part of man from which he has been alienated by ignorance, but with which he is to be reconciled by knowledge". He goes on to argue that there is need to find a balance between economic development and protection of the natural resources. His work opened the eyes of many and inspired people to start thinking critically about the relationship between development. Stewart Udall echoed the sentiments expressed by Nathaniel indicating that the current unchecked Development is a time bomb waiting to explode. In his own words, Stewart described it as a ‘quiet crisis’ and further highlighted the need to be environmentally conscious while undertaking development projects positing that failure to consider the impact of development projects to the natural environment may create more problems than good in the long-run.[Shaler, Nathaniel S. 1905. Man and the earth. New York: Fox, Duffield & company, 1905.] [Ibid., 230.] [Ibid., 234.] [Stewart, Udall L. 1963. The Quiet Crisis. New York.] [Ibid., 87.]
The dangers of the ‘quiet crisis’ were well explained by Racheal Carson in her book highlighting the dangers of DDT pesticides. In her book, she warns that adopting new technologies without thinking about the negative effects to the environment is a negative course. Carson comes out strongly against development projects which destroys the natural habitats of different forms of life particularly aquatic life. Her work influenced the government to rethink their policies and banned the use of DDT. However, her work had an even more important role, it raised the awareness that led to the birth of the ‘Earth Day Movement’ in 1970. In her book, Carson intimated that making blind development would lead to a retrogressive development due imbalance in natural environment. This is probably what served as the waking call for the decision to be made later by the government to ban DDT pesticides.[Carson, Rachel. 1962. Silent Spring. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1962.] [Ibid., 158.] [Ibid., 160.]
Appreciating the problem that exists as people try to improve their life through industrialization, the United nations Developed a sustainable development guide commonly referred as Agenda 21, meant to help developers find a balance between development and the ecosystem. In the Agenda 21 opening remarks, the UN indicates that,
Humanity stands at a defining moment in history. We are confronted with a perpetuation of disparities between and within nations, a worsening of poverty, hunger, ill health and illiteracy, and the continuing deterioration of the ecosystems on which we depend for our well-being. However, integration of environment and development concerns and greater attention to them will lead to the fulfilment of basic needs, improved living standards for all, better protected and managed ecosystems and a safer, more prosperous future. No nation can achieve this on its own; but together we can - in a global partnership for sustainable development.[United Nations. United Nations Conference on Environment & Development Rio de Janerio, Brazil, 3 to 14 June 1992: Agenda 21. Rio De Janerio: United Nations, 1992.]
This is basically a small summation of what is discussed within the brief. Avoiding going to the specific guidelines established by the brief, the UN appreciates that there is a dare need to ensure that all the development projects undertaken by each country are sustainable and deliberate measures are undertaken to ensure that such projects do not exploit natural resources indiscriminately. It appreciates that every government agency must take part if the desired sustainable development is to be achieved. The UN in their brief believes that it is possible to attain a balance in development and environment protection if due diligence is taken, but this requires not only personal commitments but also financial commitment.[Ibid., 23.] [Ibid., 34.]
In a guide to public officials in the implementation of Agenda 21, Understanding sustainable development: Agenda 21, the author indicates that issues where government agencies were undertaking development programs that have a negative effect on the environment led to the United Nation development of the U.N. Sustainable Development Agenda 21 or what is simply referred to as agenda 21. The guide indicates that sustainable development can only be achieved if every official takes it as their responsibility to ensure that development projects are sustainable. It defines sustainable development as, "Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." What this means is that the development projects should not deplete the natural resources rather should try to use them sparingly so that they continue benefiting even tomorrows generation. The guide appreciates that sustain...