Introducing GeoLiteracy, LLC & the GeoLiteracy Project
Earth from satellite orbit.
(c) Unsplash
The IPCC report issued on August 9th, 2021 stated that humans are unequivocally causing global climate change on our planet. As a life-long aspiring scientist, I know that it is extraordinarily rare for a group of hundreds of scientists to agree to use the term “unequivocal” in this way. After reviewing over 14,000 studies, the group of scientists came away certain that we are the architects of our own planetary crisis.
How did we get here?
I don’t believe that it was all through evil scheming and intentional Earth-killing on the part of industry and commerce. (Though I do think some of it was…) I believe that as a species we have mostly ended up here by accident. Some of the worst ecological damage has come from well-intentioned efforts to make life better.
DDT was initially used to help save people from dying of insect-borne diseases in the 1940s. It went on to use in agriculture, helping propel the Green Revolution of the 1950s and ‘60s, which allowed for massive increases in food production worldwide. Unfortunately, without understanding the ecological implications of widespread use, DDT began wreaking havoc in animal populations and is now considered a probable carcinogen in humans as well. (1)
Plastic was first invented as a substitute for natural ivory in the late 19th century. It helped reduce the trade in elephant ivory, animal horn, and tortoiseshell. As the Science History Institute writes, “Plastics could protect the natural world from the destructive forces of human need.” (2) And, indeed, the ability to manufacture sterile disposable medical tools and equipment saved countless lives. However, their physical persistence in the environment and the chemical risks of plastic components on reproductive health have turned plastics into a gigantic and challenging environmental problem.
I believe humans can be too smart for their own (and the planet’s) good. I believe that the better we understand how the planet works, the better the decisions we can make for sustaining the planet and our existence within its ecosystems. But we have some work to do.
“Geoliteracy” describes understanding the Earth.
Just as with “literacy,” “geoliteracy,” doesn’t just mean you can read the planet, it means you can understand. The National Geographic Society defines geoliteracy as, “the ability to reason about Earth systems and interconnections to make far-reaching decisions.” To do that, the NGS goes on to say that you need to understand interactions on the planet, interconnections, and the implications of those interactions and interconnections.
Our planet is degraded, warming, and losing species in a human-caused extinction event that rivals the major extinctions that occurred before humans even existed. And running environmental programs is a tough gig. It takes extraordinary vision, the patience of a saint, determination, and maybe a bit of delusion. You work extraordinarily hard to get people on board, implement strategies, monitor progress, and then… you wait. It can take years, decades, to see whether you’re moving the needle in the right direction, if at all.
Meanwhile, many devoted scientists, activists, philanthropists, students, and public servants have devoted their lives to solving these problems, but scant information exists to show which strategies are the most successful.
We need to use all of our science, strategy, and management wits to understand how to best reverse and correct the damage done to the Earth, but we face challenges of geographic scale and time scale whenever we try to definitively answer these questions.
Where does the GeoLiteracy Project come in?
I believe that the intersection of effective strategy and cutting-edge science is where the best solutions lie, and the GeoLiteracy Project is devoted to researching and reporting on successful strategies and helping you replicate them in your environmental work. To be certain, we are not starting from zero. We stand on the shoulders of giants like Rachel Carson (3), Bill Ruckleshaus (4), H.T. and Eugene Odum (5), MaVynne Betsch (6), countless others who cared, studied, and committed their lives. And thanks to their efforts, we have baselines, strategies, successes, and stories to propel us further forward.
I have spent my career — more than 25 years — trying to follow in the footsteps of these and other environmental heroes. I have focused on studying and solving trickly environmental problems, including a mysteriously disappearing lake in Florida, balancing nomadic herding and wetland protection in Morocco, and uncovering the root causes for the Flint, Michigan drinking water contamination crisis. I have seen decades-long programs stall and brand-new programs soar. I have developed tools to solve ecological puzzles and qualitative tools to solve management puzzles. I started the GeoLiteracy Project to bring my experience and skills to bear to help you truly move the needle on solving environmental problems. To do that, I am studying what works so that I can help you replicate the most successful strategies.
The vision for the GeoLiteracy Project is that we can save the Earth faster—through cutting-edge science and proven strategies.
Will you join me?
Here are four ways you can participate:
Through the GeoLiteracy Project, we will collect, analyze, and publicize information on what works well and how to replicate it. SUBMIT A SUCCESS STORY
We can work together to solve your trickiest problems, and you can build your capacity to become a continuous Earth-improvement marvel. REQUEST A CONSULTATION
You can pick up the tips and tricks we provide through our monthly newsletter, Read Your Planet. SUBSCRIBE TO THIS NEWSLETTER
You can share this site with a friend or colleague who is working to solve a particular tricky environmental puzzle, or who has an amazing success story to share. SHARE GEOLITERACY
Endnotes:
(01) The EPA provides a discussion on the history of DDT here: https://www.epa.gov/ingredients-used-pesticide-products/ddt-brief-history-and-status
(02) The Science History Institute provides a brief discussion on the history of plastics here: https://www.sciencehistory.org/the-history-and-future-of-plastics
(03) Rachel Carson wrote what many consider to be the seminal environmental text, Silent Spring, which was published in 1962. If you have not read it cover to cover, I recommend remedying that.
(04) Bill Ruckelshaus was the first EPA Administrator, appointed in 1970 by Richard Nixon. He set the EPA off on excellent footing, leading out by banning the pesticide DDT, which Rachel Carson calls out in Silent Spring. He returned to steer the EPA through rough waters in 1983, and began the Agency's Superfund program during his second Administratorship. Ruckleshaus also famously issued the "fish bowl" memo in 1983. In this memo, he emphasized open and clear communication from the agency with everyone. He wrote, "EPA will provide, in all its programs, for the fullest possible public participation in decisionmaking. This requires not only that EPA employees remain open and accessible to those representing all points of view, but also that EPA employees responsible for decisions take affirmative steps to seek out the views of those who will be affected by the decisions. EPA will not accord privileged status to any special interest group, nor will it accept any recommendation without careful examination." When I worked in the Office of Inspector General, I frequently reflected on this memo as we reviewed the EPA's programs and activities. It is a principle that is dear to my heart.
(05) H.T. and Eugene Odum represent the parenthood of modern ecology. Eugene Odum spent his career at the University of Georgia and many believe he drove the popularization of the term "ecology," and the concept that environmental studies make the most sense when elements are considered as interconnected systems. H.T. Odum spent his academic career at the University of Florida, where I was fortunate to study his system for "emergy analysis." This systemic way of assessing an ecosystem considers first how energy enters and dissipates through the system. By tracing these energetic (or emergetic) connections, the analyst is able to better understand not only the ecological connections, but the strength of those connections based on energetic sources and sinks.
(06) MaVynee Betsch devoted her later life to saving Florida's American Beach, which has had served for almost a century as a Black vacation area. An opera singer by training and profession, Bestch performed in European opera houses in the 1950s and '60s. Betsch worked to preserve the beach her uncle helped develop as the "African American Hyannis Port" in the 1930s. Betsch publicized the beach during her lifetime in an effort to save the area from development and highlight the beach's significance to Black history. In her later life gave her fortune to this and other environmental causes.
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