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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Political Science

Portland State University

Environmentalism

Articles 1 - 7 of 7

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Human Confusion: Why There Must Be Justice For Non-Humans, David Johns Oct 2020

Human Confusion: Why There Must Be Justice For Non-Humans, David Johns

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Over the last twelve millennia—since agriculture first emerged—humans have increased their exploitation and efforts to control other species and to colonize the Earth. Human on human hierarchy and colonization of other humans follows on the colonization of the natural world. The task of conservation is to undo that colonial relationship. We have been causing the extinction of other life-forms, including hominid species, since we left Africa at least 60,000 years ago. In the last 50 years, or just about two human generations, nearly 68% of all vertebrate animals have disappeared due to human activity (WWF 2020). Humans go into an …


Biodiversity Gains? The Debate On Changes In Local- Vs Global-Scale Species Richness, Richard B. Primack, Abraham J. Miller-Rushing, Richard T. Corlett, Vincent Devictor, David Johns, Rafael Loyola, Bea Hass, Robin J. Pakeman, Liba Pejchar Jan 2018

Biodiversity Gains? The Debate On Changes In Local- Vs Global-Scale Species Richness, Richard B. Primack, Abraham J. Miller-Rushing, Richard T. Corlett, Vincent Devictor, David Johns, Rafael Loyola, Bea Hass, Robin J. Pakeman, Liba Pejchar

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Editorial: Do changes in biodiversity at local scales reflect the declines seen at global scales? This debate dates back at least 15 years...


How Might Ecologists Make The World Safe For Biodiversity Without Getting Fired?, David Johns Dec 2012

How Might Ecologists Make The World Safe For Biodiversity Without Getting Fired?, David Johns

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This essay raises the following questions: What if conservation success depends less on speaking truth to power than on organizing a political force that can bring more pressure to bear on decision makers than their opponents? But what if natural scientists, by virtue of their knowledge, passion, commitment, are pretty much the only group that can be trusted with the fate of biodiversity and leading humankind out of their destructive ways? What if begging policy makers to do the right thing means barren oceans, the end of many species, and the end of wild places (not to mention a more …


Our Real Challenge: Managing Ourselves Instead Of Nature, David Johns Jan 2003

Our Real Challenge: Managing Ourselves Instead Of Nature, David Johns

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

As cultural animals we create meaning and order. Stories are the primary means our species uses to do this. Stories that rise to the level of myth exert powerful effects on behavior. The dominant myths that explain our relationship to the natural word have two serious failings: our self-importance and a superficial and simplified image of who we are. These stories obscure more than they enlighten, thereby preventing us from addressing the causes of the current extinction crisis. Conservationists can and must fashion new stories that take account of our disproportionate impact on the Earth and its origins in our …


Wilderness And Energy: The Battle Against Domination, David Johns Jan 2002

Wilderness And Energy: The Battle Against Domination, David Johns

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This opinion piece discusses the problems associated with human energy extraction and the political ramifications.


Getting From Here To There: An Outline Of The Wildlands Reserve Design Process, David Johns, Michael Soulé Jan 1995

Getting From Here To There: An Outline Of The Wildlands Reserve Design Process, David Johns, Michael Soulé

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Turning back the assault on the natural world is a monumental and complex task; even the first step – planning a network of reserves – is an enormous undertaking. This paper is intended as a general guide to the steps needed to produce a regional proposal for a Wildlands reserve system. It is based on an assessment of work underway in some regions, and extensive discussion with regional groups throughout the continent.


The Practical Relevance Of Deep Ecology, David Johns Jul 1992

The Practical Relevance Of Deep Ecology, David Johns

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

As proponents of Deep Ecology and Biocentrism have begun to define both a vision for the future and a critique of the existing human relationship with the rest of nature, they have often been the subject of criticism from the Third World and from leftists in the developed world concerned with Third World issues. They are commonly charged with failing to adequately take into account the complexity of the human social dynamic involved in destruction of the environment; ignoring that human societies are under the control of elites who benefit from the degradation of nature while most people suffer; failing …