On the Nature of Things and Environmental Decision-Making

Abstract

This project compiles knowledge from personal experiences and reflections, and graduate level coursework and research at the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment, and it encompasses a) influential fields of study that shape decision-making in relationship to the environment: environmental conservation, environmental governance and corporate sustainability; and b) cases and examples that nudge human awareness, education and behavior in the direction of environmentally-conscious lifestyles through environmental citizenship. Conducted alongside experienced professionals and professors, this work gathers insights on past, current and potential scenarios for human agency, belief, and comprehension of the environment. Its main goals are to inform and push the reader to think deeply about and act on environmentally sensitive matters throughpersonable and pragmatic examples of work done in the United States and abroad. Therefore, I will be ‘bringing home’ the seriousness and the realities of climate change to enable people to grasp the dimensions of past and potential contributions, both positive and negative, to this worldwide phenomenon via the content of this practicum. In the face of the alarming threat of anthropogenic climate change and the lack of philosophical inquiry of men’s ventures and reasoning, I was spurred to produce this piece so that readers could be enlightened on part of the intricate causal web that exists between human agency and environmental phenomena. My expectation is that through the lenses of veteran decision-makers, negotiators, researchers, and vivid, relatable examples readers will be moved to engage in new efforts to change individual and communal behaviors that are environmentally predatory.