Sample Statement of Purpose for Environmental Studies
Statements by Americans
The Environmental Studies Student
Two scenes stand out in my mind from my visit to Brazil’s Wetland:
Forests burning before seed planting and trees as hedgerows. Before
the planting season, I could see the leafless remnants of burnt
trees still standing. The burning of pristine forests destroys both
the habitats and countless species which depend on and thrive in
these habitats. The few remaining bare, scarred trees silently
convey the cost to our natural resources of pursuing our economic
interests. Some forests are preserved by government edict issued in
response to international pressure. But most of this preservation
occurs alongside major roads — not to protect the ecosystem, but to
prevent disturbance to ranches and farms along the highways. The
clash between economic and environmental concerns that I witnessed
in Brazil fascinates me and attracts me to the Environmental Studies
Program.
Two courses in my geography department increased my interest in the
connection between the environment and economics: Conservation of
Underdeveloped Countries and Environmental Impact Analysis. In the
former, we studied the problems of natural resource management in
developing countries. The balance is always tilted toward economics
growth at the expense of environmental preservation. For example,
because the Pantanal Wetland could become a highly productive
agricultural system once it’s drained, it is drained regardless of
the destruction that drainage causes to the ecosystem. Only portions
of the wetland are preserved for tourist purposes.
The other course that piqued my interest is an interdisciplinary
course called Environmental Impact Analysis in which we, as a group,
created matrix and flow diagrams discussing the economic and
environmental impact of logging and preservation of old growth
forests. I was able to use tools that I acquired in my economics and
environmental studies classes. In general, logging creates economic
benefits at the local level. It increases employment in the timber
industry and subsequently in related non-timber industries; it also
benefits local government. Yet, it has great deleterious
environmental effects: soil erosion, watershed destruction, and a
decrease in specie diversity due to loss of habitat. The logging
industry represents the classic clash between economic and
environmental interests.
I also took two sequential classes in the economics department that
are related to Resource Management — Theories of Growth &
Development and Policies for Economic Development. Because the
courses were taught by a professor who is concerned chiefly with
economic growth, I learned the standard economic rationalizations
for development unrestrained by environmental concerns.
In addition to my interest in resource management policies, I have a
specific interest in Geographical Information System (GIS), a
powerful tool for natural resource management. After taking several
related classes in GIS, I began interning for the National Park
Service (NPS). After I learn how to use ARC/INFO, a leading GIS
package, I will assist the NPS in constructing projects. Some of my
duties include spatial and non-spatial data analysis, digitizing
themes such as fire locations, vegetation, wildlife habitats, etc.,
and tabular and graphical presentation of results. I hope to use the
tools I acquire during this internship in my continuing study of our
environment.
I would like to study the social and economic factors that influence
environmental policy formation. For example, because people worry
more about pollution than endangered species, laws and regulations
concerning environmental pollution are more numerous and stricter
than for bio-diversity. Within the School of Environmental Studies,
I have a particular interest in the emphasis: Economics, Policy, and
Management. This emphasis deals with how economic factors can create
negative externalities, such as pollution, and need to be regulated.
This emphasis also tries to consider non-economic values, such as
aesthetic pleasure and specie diversity. It also discusses tools
like GIS and system analysis that apply to environmental management.
Because of my interest in GIS, economics, and environmental studies,
this emphasis suits me perfectly. Furthermore, the interdisciplinary
approach of the School of Environmental Studies attracts me since it
combines social science’s strengths with a knowledge of the natural
sciences necessary to protect and preserve the environment.
After completing my masters program, I would like to continue my
education and obtain a Ph.D. in natural resource management. This
degree would enable me to combine a teaching career with advising
business and government on natural resource management issues.
Teaching college students is more than a one-way channel; I would
also learn from their questions like my professors have from mine.
In advising business and government, I can help them strike a
balance between economic and environmental concerns. GIS will be a
useful tool in helping me give them crucial information.
I have enjoyed an interdisciplinary approach in my environmental
studies major and become fascinated by the clash between social
interests, especially economics, and environmental needs. I pursued
an additional major in economics to better understand this conflict.
Furthermore, my work for the NPS will train me in the latest
techniques in natural resource management. I would like to continue
exploring this clash and resource management in the School of
Environmental Studies. Ultimately, I would like to teach and work in
natural resource management. Ideally, I would like to find ways for
allowing development while preventing the burning of beautiful and
valuable eco-systems like the Pantanal Wetland.
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