Learning to Live with the Trickster: Narrating Climate

Change and the Value of Resilience Thinking

Robin Kundis CraigWilliam H. Leary Professor of Law

University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law

2015 Lloyd K Garrison Lecture on Environmental Law

Introduction

The Tricksterby Kinpouju

“Humans As Controlling Engineers”: WWII & After

Private Land Transformation: Farms

Photograph courtesy of American Prairie Reserve

Private Land Transformation: Cities

Hollywood c. 1900Photograph courtesy of Title Insurance & Trust

Hollywoodland, 1928

Hollywood, Late 20th CenturyPhotograph by Eric Norris

Public Lands Transformations

Clearcutting, Olympic National Forest WA, 1957

Ahwahnee Hotel, Yosemite Village, Yosemite National ParkOil Drilling on BLM Lands in CaliforniaPhotograph courtesy of the BLM

Transforming Aquatic Ecosystems

Dams in theUnited StatesMap from U.S.Army Corps ofEngineers data

Hydropower Dams in the Lower 48Map courtesy of VOX

Missouri RiverFlood ControlMap courtesy of

Oil-Electric

Map courtesy of the USDA

Humans as Controlling Engineers in Environmental Law

Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment FacilityPhotograph courtesy of the City of New York

Orange County, CA Wastewater Treatment & Reclamation Facility

Technological Regulation of Power Plants

Engineering in Restoration

Portage Creek & Kalamazoo River CERCLA Restoration, MIPulp & Paper Plant Contamination

Surface Mining Restoration under SMCRA

The Paradigm of Nature that Supports the Humans as Controlling Engineers

Narrative

How Nature Really Works

Panarchy & Climate Change

NARRATIVE #1: Climate Change Isn’t Happening

NARRATIVE #2: It isn’t us.

NARRATIVE #3: Technology Will Save Us

NARRATIVE #4: It’s the End of the World as We Know It

Blending Narrative #4 with Apocalypse Narratives

#4 Variation: Carpe Diem/ Party Like It’s 1999

Image courtesy of NASA

“If Antarctic Melting Has Passed The Point Of No Return We Should Do Less About Climate Change, Not More”

Why the Trickster Can Help: Change but not Despair

Climate Change as the Trickster: One Example

A Better Framework for Changing Times

ResilienceThinking

Acknowledging Different Outcomes from Changes

Acknowledging that Transformations are Possible

Consequences for Environmental & Natural Resources Law

• Laws that reduce existing stressors on ecosystems are even more important.

• We need a strong precautionary principle.

• We need to increase protections for ecosytems and habitats and open more corridors.

• Population and consumption have to be part of the discussion.

Reduce Existing StressorsEX: Pollution Control

Graphic courtesy of the EPA.

Graphic courtesy of the USGS

Active & Pending Superfund SitesMap courtesy of the Nicholas School, Duke University

Employ a Strong Precautionary Principle: EX: Oceans & Fisheries

Graphic courtesyof NOAA

Protect Ecosystems & Habitats and Create Corridors

Include Population & Consumption Issues in Policy

The Empowerment

• Resilience thinking warns us that undesirable transformations are possible, and in some cases, maybe, inevitable.

• HOWEVER, resilience thinking also teaches us that we can work to avoid the socio-ecological transformations we REALLY don’t want.

And One Last Point . . .

Resilience thinking also counsels us that if we don’t get serious about mitigation, the climate change trickster will play a bigger and bigger role in our lives, in ways that make us increasingly uncomfortable.

Trickster Print by Bill Lewis