How to Cope with Environmental Amnesia
Spring 2021 — Special Topics #3
Every generation remembers events differently. If something significant occurred during the time you were present, it has a larger impact on you, but what about the next generation? The next generation won’t know about it, may experience it but forget or believe it’s irrelevant. In terms of natural disasters, these generational gaps are environmental amnesia.
Environmental (generational) amnesia is when each generation perceives the environment they were born into as the norm, no matter how polluted or developed it may be.
For example, the Earth as we recognized it ten years ago is not the same as it is now. There were fewer natural disasters and more regulated environments. Now, there are wildfires every year in California, leading to the stay-at-home protocols. For those born in this generation, these wildfires are what becomes the new normal — something familiar, something perceived as “just another wildfire.” However, those of us who have been alive longer in California are concerned about what this may mean, with not many ways to mitigate it as it is part of a more significant issue — climate change.
So, how do we cope and address environmental amnesia? There is no easy way, as environmental amnesia has been an issue for centuries. The best way to begin addressing any issue at large is first to educate ourselves through reliable sources.
To tackle environmental amnesia and other problems (i.e., climate change) associated with it, there are several steps you can take:
- Ditch the Shame
- There is nothing wrong with knowing nothing about environmental issues in the past if you take the time to educate yourself now and get acquainted with them. There is always time to learn and grow as long as you start now.
2. Focus on Systems (not just yourself)
- It is easy to be influenced by everything around you. It takes a group of people to change a system, but only a few to take charge. Identify the strategies that need to be removed or changed to address these problems.
3. Join Effective Groups
- Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and get acquainted with people who want to address what you want to address.
4. Define Your Role
- What can you do to address the issue and change?
5. Envision the Future
- What do you want for the future? What do you think has to be changed?
Everything listed above can be of use in every situation. Like all global issues, there is no one way to solve them. Educate yourself and use what you know to educate others and the next generation. Generational gaps will always exist as we continue to adapt and change. Still, every generation’s responsibility is to remind those born into the next generation that the current status quo is not normal, especially not in terms of the environment.
Author: Sunnie Wu | Editors: Vivian Kuang and Smera Patil | Graphics: Natalie Chu | Team: Social Good
