Perspectives Article
“But where the danger lies, also grows the saving power”: Reflections on Exploitation and Sustainability
This article looks at the discovery and storming of the Americas in relation to narratives of sustainability.
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Exhibition chapter
The Northwest Passage as a Matter of National Security | The Northwest Passage
Once an environment in which the notion of nations was unheard of, the Arctic region is now a disputed space among superpowers. This is a chapter of the virtual exhibition “The Northwest Passage: Myth, Environment, and Resources”—written and curated by historian Elena Baldassarri.
Exhibition chapter
The Northwest Passage as a Question of Sovereignty | The Northwest Passage
To whom does the Northwest Passage belong? Historian Elene Baldassarri writes about the politics of the Far North. This is a chapter of the virtual exhibition “The Northwest Passage: Myth, Environment, and Resources.”
Exhibition chapter
Natural Resources | The Northwest Passage
Apart from a diverse and previously unknown fauna, explorations and receding ice caps have uncovered a sought-after abundance of natural resources in the Arctic region. Historian Elena Baldassarri argues that the exploitation of these resources not only constitutes a threat to the non-human world, but also to the Inuit people. This is a chapter of the virtual exhibition “The Northwest Passage: Myth, Environment, and Resources.”
Multimedia | podcast
Flight Maps: Adventures With Nature In Modern America
In five sharply drawn chapters, Flight Maps charts the ways in which Americans have historically made connections—and missed connections—with nature.
Perspectives Article
Conspicuous Elevations and the High Art of Posing the Right Question
Reflects on how one best selects a research question in environmental history. Three Ps are offered as guidance: personal interests, practical matters, procedural concerns, professional considerations, and public issues.
Perspectives Article
The Ecological Sustainability of Local Food Systems
Although simply reducing food miles does not guarantee a more sustainable diet, choosing to participate in alternative local food systems instead of the conventional food system is a sure way to increase your access to environmentally friendly food and to support more ecologically sustainable agricultural practices.
Multimedia | film profile
Chasing Ice
This film follows photographer James Balog’s multi-year record of the impacts of climate change on the Arctic.
Perspectives Article
Curb Your Enthusiasm: On Scarcity and Replenishment in Literature
In literature and the arts, scarcity has often been given a positive interpretation as something to be cherished not shunned, actively endorsed and idealized rather than dismissed as an obstacle to artistic success.
Perspectives Article
Line in the Sand: The Promises and Perils of Ordering the Ocean’s Edge
Looking at coasts, this paper reveals the extent to which unruliness occurs when the human need for stability negotiates with nature’s dynamism, highlighting how we will be forced to renegotiate our relationship with the sea.