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Free Sample Personal Statement in Environmental Studies
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 could 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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