Page 204 - Cultural Studies of Science Education

Chapter 14
Questions for Copenhagen: EcoJustice
Perspectives and Summary

Deborah J. Tippins and Michael P. Mueller

More than 17 years ago, beginning with the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit and the
Kyoto Summit 13 years later, representatives from both industrialized countries and
those with emerging economies began a dialogue centered around the reduction of
carbon emissions that are believed to be responsible for the rise in average global
temperatures. Economic concerns associated with costs versus benefits dominated the
summit conversations. And in the plans to address the reduction in carbon emission,
what became known as the Kyoto Protocol was never fully realized.
Fast forward to the present, where world leaders from more than 190 countries
recently convened in Copenhagen in December, 2009 to discuss the impact of
global climate change on habitats and species, including humans. Amidst the con-
versations surrounding the very existence of this phenomena, are the immediate
questions of what actions are necessary and even realistic. In any sphere of human
endeavor, circumstances alter our frames of reference. Different social, political,
and ethical situations demand different actions and attitudes. Yet, there remains an
inherent value in seeking connections in ostensibly dissimilar perspectives and
experiences. The difficult dynamics of listening and learning from the diverse
perspectives represented at the Copenhagen summit prompt us to consider the
relevance of these discourses in light of the insights shared by the ecojustice scholars
in the first section of this book.
Martusewicz, Lupinacci, and Schnakenberg capture our attention by asking us
to consider the way in which language frames our patterns of thinking, particularly
in terms of root metaphors that distinguish western and non-western ecological
understandings. These metaphors reflect the tacit assumptions about the role of
language in consciousness that are oftentimes taken for granted. We can see this in
Anne Sullivan’s work with Helen Keller, which required her to become aware of
taken-for-granted assumptions about language in order to connect curriculum with

D.J. Tippins
University of Georgia
M.P. Mueller
University of Georgia

D.J. Tippins et al. (eds.), Cultural Studies and Environmentalism, 181
Cultural Studies of Science Education Vol. 3, DOI 10.1007/978-90-481-3929-3_14,
© Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010