Email Jim at jim.thompson@ipulpmedia.com

This is going to be a different kind of column series this month. We are not going to be discussing the science behind the environmental movement; we are going to discuss the emotions and human behavior drivers behind the environmental movement.

I first heard the word "environment" along about 1965 or 1966 when a project was offered in 4-H about the subject. It was just after the book, "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson appeared, although this book was not mentioned in the project nor had I ever heard of it. I still haven't read the book.

I would put this book in the same category as "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Harriett Beecher Stowe.

These books were about one hundred years apart and had similar effects. Ms. Stowe's book pushed us over the edge and into the Civil War and the annihilation of slavery. Ms. Carson's book had a similar effect in launching the environmental movement. Both books, as I understand them (since I have never read them), draw upon our emotions.

Now, I like most reasonable people, want to live in a world that is colorblind, when it comes to our fellow humans and we want clean air, clean water, and unpolluted soil and vegetation. We may even want these things more for our children and subsequent generations than we want for ourselves.

However, emotions are big drivers here and there have been many tugs in directions not based on scientific facts but based on emotions.

For instance, a couple of years ago, I sat through a talk by a speaker at a conference in Nashville who was bewailing the lack of virgin forests in North America. She presented her data in such a way that it would appear that we have no virgin forests left. She did not explain the desirability of a virgin forest; she only wailed about their absence. She admitted that she would lie to the audience in order to make her point. I have a question: How about the one tree in my front yard? If I have not cut it down, isn't it a virgin forest on its own?

Then another time, at a conference in Maine about fifteen years ago, a state representative stood up in a meeting and was talking about significantly raising the GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight) on over-the-road trucks. The reasoning he had been coached to say this? There would be fewer trucks on the road causing less pollution if the GVW was raised. Really? What about when one of these trucks encounter an automobile? What will the F = ma equation look like then? Never mind, I doubt he ever heard of F = ma.

So, if you want to look at environmental issues in a different way, Stay in touch this month.

Be safe and we will talk next week.

For a deeper dive, go here.

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Study Guide: Emotional and Behavioral Drivers of the Environmental Movement

This study guide examines the themes presented in Jim Thompson's "Environmental Month" series. It explores the shift from scientific discourse to the emotional and human behavior drivers that underpin environmentalism, historical literary catalysts for social change, and the tension between emotional advocacy and scientific fact.

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Part 1: Short Answer Quiz

Instructions: Answer the following questions in two to three sentences based on the provided text.

1. What is the stated purpose of Jim Thompson's column series for the current month?
2. How does the author describe his initial introduction to the concept of the "environment"?
3. What historical comparison does Thompson draw between Silent Spring and Uncle Tom's Cabin?
4. What does the author identify as the primary motivation for "reasonable people" regarding natural resources?
5. According to the author, why are emotional drivers significant in the environmental movement?
6. What specific criticism does Thompson level against the speaker at the Nashville conference regarding "virgin forests"?
7. What rhetorical question does the author pose regarding the tree in his front yard?
8. What was the reasoning provided by the Maine state representative for increasing Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) on trucks?
9. How does the author use the physics equation F = ma to counter the Maine representative's argument?
10. What is the author's ultimate conclusion regarding the source of many environmental "tugs" or directions?

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Part 2: Answer Key

1. What is the stated purpose of Jim Thompson's column series for the current month? The series focuses on the emotions and human behavior drivers behind the environmental movement rather than the science. The author intends to look at environmental issues in a "different way" throughout the month.
2. How does the author describe his initial introduction to the concept of the "environment"? Thompson first heard the term around 1965 or 1966 through a project offered by 4-H. This occurred shortly after the release of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, although he notes that the book was not mentioned in the project and he has not read it.
3. What historical comparison does Thompson draw between Silent Spring and Uncle Tom's Cabin? The author views both books as emotional catalysts that pushed society toward major shifts. Just as Uncle Tom's Cabin helped launch the Civil War and the end of slavery, Silent Spring is credited with launching the environmental movement.
4. What does the author identify as the primary motivation for "reasonable people" regarding natural resources? Reasonable people desire a colorblind world and access to clean air, water, and unpolluted soil. Thompson notes that people often want these clean resources even more for their children and future generations than for themselves.
5. According to the author, why are emotional drivers significant in the environmental movement? Emotions are viewed as powerful drivers that can pull the movement in directions not always based on scientific facts. The author suggests that these "tugs" often rely on emotional appeals rather than rigorous data or logic.
6. What specific criticism does Thompson level against the speaker at the Nashville conference regarding "virgin forests"? He criticizes the speaker for "bewailing" the lack of virgin forests and presenting data in a misleading way to suggest none remain. He also notes that the speaker admitted she would be willing to lie to the audience to make her point.
7. What rhetorical question does the author pose regarding the tree in his front yard? The author asks if a single tree in his yard, provided it has never been cut down, could be considered a "virgin forest" on its own. This question serves to challenge the speaker's lack of clarity regarding what constitutes a virgin forest.
8. What was the reasoning provided by the Maine state representative for increasing Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) on trucks? The representative argued that raising the GVW would result in fewer trucks on the road. Consequently, this reduction in the number of vehicles was presented as a way to cause less pollution.
9. How does the author use the physics equation F = ma to counter the Maine representative's argument? Thompson uses the equation (Force = mass x acceleration) to highlight the safety risks of heavier trucks colliding with automobiles. He suggests that the representative ignored the physical consequences of increased mass in favor of an emotionally coached environmental argument.
10. What is the author's ultimate conclusion regarding the source of many environmental "tugs" or directions? The author concludes that many directions taken within the environmental movement are not based on scientific facts. Instead, they are driven by emotional responses and human behavior.

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Part 3: Essay Questions

Instructions: Use the themes and examples from the text to develop comprehensive responses to the following prompts.

1. The Catalyst of Literature: Analyze Thompson's comparison of Silent Spring and Uncle Tom's Cabin. How does the author characterize the power of emotional storytelling in initiating massive social and political movements?
2. Ethics in Advocacy: Discuss the ethical implications of the Nashville speaker's admission that she would "lie to the audience in order to make her point." How does this support or detract from the author's argument regarding emotional versus scientific drivers?
3. The Intergenerational Drive for Conservation: Explore the author's claim that humans desire a clean environment more for their children than for themselves. How does this human behavior driver shape the goals of the environmental movement as described in the text?
4. Scientific Reality vs. Environmental Policy: Using the example of the Maine state representative and the F = ma equation, evaluate the potential dangers of prioritizing environmental benefits (such as reduced pollution) over physical safety and scientific laws.
5. Subjectivity in Environmental Definitions: Examine the author's critique of the "virgin forest" argument. How does the lack of clear definitions and the use of "wailing" reflect the author's view that the movement is often guided by sentiment rather than objective criteria?

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Part 4: Glossary of Key Terms

Term Definition

4-H A youth organization through which the author first encountered the term "environment" via a project in 1965 or 1966.

Environmental Movement A social and political movement aimed at protecting the natural world; launched, according to the text, by the emotional impact of Rachel Carson's work.

F = ma The physics equation representing Force equals mass times acceleration; cited by the author to critique the safety of increasing truck weights.

GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight) The total weight of a vehicle, including its load; discussed in the context of Maine trucking regulations and pollution reduction.

Silent Spring A book by Rachel Carson that acted as a major catalyst for the environmental movement by drawing upon the reader's emotions.

Uncle Tom's Cabin A novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe that influenced the start of the American Civil War and the abolition of slavery; used by the author as a parallel to Silent Spring.

Virgin Forest A term used by a speaker in Nashville to describe original, untouched forests; the author critiques the speaker's emotional presentation and lack of definition for this term.

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