Land. Water. Air. Three things essential for human well-being that we take for granted, all of them under threat. To tackle the challenges of a changing climate, growing pollution, and shrinking biodiversity we need new ideas and innovative leaders to implement them. That’s where you come in: become an innovator of the future with knowledge and skills to turn pressing social and environmental challenges into opportunities and solutions.
More students than ever are interested in building a career in this vital area to create a more sustainable planet for future generations. Here are three ways having an environmental studies degree can help you change the world for the better.
Over sixty million new automobiles built each year. Warmer ocean temperatures. Droughts. Disappearing bees. Rising food prices. Mountains of plastic waste. Twenty million people displaced worldwide annually. Do you see the connections?
An environmental studies background helps you connect the dots between the world’s most pressing challenges. It’s not just about raising awareness of environmental issues, but having the motivation to think big and tackle them. Maybe that means creating a new system to help eliminate the of food waste each year – enough to feed three billion people. Or perhaps it’s about creating plastic that biodegrades in a year, not 400 years. What challenge will you solve?
Human wellbeing is directly linked to the health of the environment. Sometimes the connection is obvious: dump pollution into a river and people living downstream get sick. Other times it’s not so obvious: new science shows that climate change is affecting the mental health of young people. It’s not a surprise to us that doctors around the world are increasingly telling people they need to get outside more often, to go for a walk in the woods to improve their mental wellbeing. As a student of environmental studies, you’ll approach problems like these from a 'one health’ perspective: protect and improve the health of nature and we protect and improve the health of people.
Sure, between global warming, rising oceans and plastic pollution, it may seem like today’s challenges are insurmountable. Who hasn’t felt anxiety and worry about the future of the planet? But – and this is important – the tools, technologies, and expertise necessary to build a sustainable future are available to us. Until recently, they either did not or were not affordable. But now they are, and this is our opportunity to get on the path to sustainability.
Maybe you’ll enter the clean-tech industry and slash greenhouse gasses or become a sustainability expert for businesses. Or you’ll help a rural community prepare for climate change impacts or design a footpath that connects suburban neighbourhoods to the downtown core. Whatever you decide to do with your Environmental Studies degree, you’ll diagnose problems, find solutions and take action.
