On the tenth of January, we discussed the history of environmental problems in the Mediterranean. For class on this day, we read two sections of a book called "Pan's Travail: Environmental Problems of the Ancient Greeks and Romans" by J. Donald Hughes. The reading covered various topics and the ones that we focused on most were the ideas of communities in prehistoric times and their treatment of their environment, the ways that the warlike nature of the ancient Romans influenced the treatment of their environment, and how this attitude has influenced the dynamic between us and the way that we interact with our surroundings today. These themes were reoccurring ones during our time in Venice.
In prehistoric times, humans had a better idea of how to strike a balance between environmental health and cultural development. We discussed how the people of the Neolithic period viewed the environment not just as an entity they could take things from, but as a friend who could provide for them. This, in contrast with the way that the ancient Greeks and Romans viewed their environments, presents a stark contrast.
In Venice, while taking in the beautiful views, we also witnessed some ways humans have degraded the environment of the Mediterranean. We went on a tour that was all about factories and the Industrial Revolution in Venice specifically. On the tour, we saw many of the factories that had been built and learned of the ways that they degraded their environment, primarily through air and noise pollution. We also discussed the MOSE damming system (image to the left) which was created to combat the sinking of Venice and rising sea levels (you can see how high up the water is in the photo above). We learned more about this system while on a visit to the fish market in Chioggia. They discussed how the MOSE system has good and bad aspects. Essentially, people who live on the water like it because their houses get flooded less-- the speaker at the market cited his own experience, describing how he does not have to put up water protection as much as he used to before the dams were built. However, the speaker said that the MOSE system is controversial because it is destroying the fragile marshlands that surround it. While there are advantageous aspects of the MOSE system, it seems that in the end, this is just another example of how we as humans are continuing to follow the example of the Romans by putting our own needs before those of the environment.
By Kirsten Iverson
Comments
Post a Comment