Edward Burtynsky, Manufactured Landscapes and Beck’s Risk Society

In Manufactured Landscapes, internationally renowned photographer Edward Burtynsky travels to China to document the effects of the countries massive industrialization and the devastating impacts on the environment. Although this documentary was produced in 2006, the environmental impacts shown are still prominent today (e-waste, the Three Gorges Dam, manufacturing, etc.). What struck me the most was at 24:40, when Burtynsky shows a photograph of a woman in front of her house, which is just inundated with e-waste, but he discusses how she must have lived through Mao, the Great Leap Forward and a Cultural Revolution. This somehow made me think of Beck’s risk society thesis, the transition from an industrial society to a risk society, where we are unable to comprehend the advance effects from the products of our technologies (in this case, the degradation of the environment from advanced and abundant industrialization). Beck defines a risk society as, ‘a systematic way of dealing with hazards and insecurities induced and introduced by modernization itself.’ Humans have always been subject to various risks; in early civilizations these were most common to be natural disasters and non-human forces. But as humans become more advanced due to modernization, we become more subject to manufactured risks, i.e, pollution, nuclear energy disasters, etc. On a side note, Chernobyl is often referenced when the risk society is discussed, which is quite interesting due to its connections to another communist state. Back to the topic of Burtynsky, his photography has been featured internationally and I was lucky to view an exhibit of his work last spring at the Vancouver Art Gallery. He presents landscapes devastated by industry, electronic waste and global consumerism through such exquisite and captivating images. Take a look! This is a direct link to his collection of photographs from China.

Some questions to think of…

1. Would you classify China as a risk society?

2. How can we reconcile our desire for modern conveniences of mass-produced goods with our concern for environmental destruction?

2. What effect, if any, did Edward Burtynsky’s visually stunning images have on your reaction to the landscape? Would you have reacted differently if the images were bleaker and less visually seductive?

An Environmental History of Russia, p.60-69

What caught my attention the most in this segment was the quote by Knipovich on page 64 discussing how delicate Russian natural resources are and the lack of knowledge exhibited by officials; “those natural resources which are spread abundantly to all ends of Russia, from the desolate cold other to the fertile heat of the south, and on the surface of the land and in its bowels, and in the depths of the waters, are all poorly understood. And that which we know, we don’t use rationally and wisely.” After reading about the repercussions from the prodrazvertska and fisheries industries, it does make it clear that there was a significant lack of knowledge regarding the effects on the environment. Josephson then discusses some work surrounding environmental activities, including the development and expansion of zapovedniks. In 1920 with the support of Lenin, ll’menskii was established as the first scientific reserve funded by the state. This chapter concludes with scientists making an active role in the education and management of natural resources but only to be see environmental destruction in the late 1920’s by Stalin with the increase of industrialization and construction. I think there were some serious attempts to forge a feasible relationship with the environment, but then destroyed with the industrialization.

CommUnity Innovation Lab, February 2nd – 5th.

There is really neat conference next week at TRU, February 2nd to 5th at the Campus Activity Centre. The CommUnity Innovation Lab (CIL) is hosted by TRU and Fresh Outlook Foundation with partners including the City of Kamloops, Urban Systems and BC Sustainable Energy Association. The CIL aims to create conversations to promote sustainable change in communities with themes that foster a healthier economy, healthier people and a healthier environment. There are going to be many interesting workshops and talks with topics including Vibrant Solutions for City Centres, Environmental Protection & the Built Environment: Develop with Care 2014, How Can We Make Change Instead of Excuses?, etc. It is free for all TRU students and faculty, but you have to register in advance! You can here register here and look at the program http://freshoutlookfoundation.org/events/community-innovation-lab-kamloops-bc/ .