Without a viable alternative we will lose a whole generation – Science and activism from the perspective of researchers
When we talk about an environmental crisis, the first problem that comes to one’s mind is in connection with nature and economic sciences, since the scientific examination of processes behind negative environmental changes is possible. However, the knowledge of physical, biological or meteorological data alone does not bring about change. Although natural scientists can advise us on what needs to be done, they do not have the power to change the way people think. To gain a better understanding of world concepts, attitudes, motivations, types of behaviour that drive societies and cultures, social sciences and arts are essential. Therefore, one of the most important tasks is to develop the right mindset, in addition to being aware of the exact environmental issues and obtaining factual knowledge on them.
Generations growing up in the 21st century are weighed down by future prospects, they have to deal with a serious mental burden. Not to mention the strong and all-pervading polarization that defines thinking about the climate crisis too. It mostly manifests in the extremes of the apocalyptic approach that feeds hopelessness and the attitude that proclaims the effectiveness of cosmopolitanism. In addition, many people feel that as private citizens or as a part of a non-governmental organization their actions are symbolic at best compared to political and economic measures taking place at high levels. Consequently bottom-up initiatives are seen as more of a sham or an escape strategy in their eyes. The goal of this article is to discuss the perspectives of some Hungarian experts specialized in human environmental science on these questions. We spoke with Dr. habil. Judit Farkas PhD. associate professor of the Department of Ethnography – Cultural Anthropology of PTE BTK, and Dániel Babai, senior scientific associate of the Institute of Ethnography of the HUN-REN BTK.
“Be an active participant in creating a viable future”
This call of action is the first thing you will see opening PTE’s website of human ecology training. Judit Farkas claims that many people feel that things are not going well and that something should be done, but they don’t really know where to turn or where to go. Climate anxiety was also amplified by the appearance of Covid, so the age group attending university specifically requires meaningful communication about their future. Recognizing this, the researcher initiated the revival of UP Special College for Sustainable Development with former leader and political scientist Viktor Glied. Judit Farkas has been researching eco-villages for many years now, which emerged as a phenomenon as a response to the environmental crisis as well. The findings of her studies suggest that in addition to the worrying change in the natural environment, we also face the crisis of communities. The realisation, that there is a connection between natural and social phenomena is not only the result of a researcher’s insight. People themselves experience it, and the young generation suffers severely from the weakening of the sense of community. The ecovillage movement, striving for self-sufficiency and building on the strength of the community gives a more drastic response to contemporary problems emphasising the importance of having a “shelter” in the world. However, most people cannot or do not want to break away from their current lifestyle. They want to contribute to a sustainable future step by step, but without leaving their conventional style of living.
“If we don’t provide alternatives, we will lose an entire generation”.
By stating this, Judit Farkas’s main goal is to draw attention to the fact that scientists and university lecturers should not only respond to the climate anxiety of young people by staying in the ivory tower of science. In all cases, it is necessary to provide serious and practical solutions, to offer help when it comes to mental health, and in some cases to take action. For instance, you can learn a lot by visiting the communities that moved out into the eco-villages. It also helps to gain information about “basket communities” (groups that aim to connect local farmers and customers) or to find out about sustainable shops and restaurants in cities. A good approach is to specifically show options and teach feasible techniques concerning food production, food preservation, garment making, etc. Cooking for us is also a kind of sustainability practice. Judit and many other professionals believe in bottom-up initiatives. There are many possibilities other radical activism. Researchers, students, journalists can all find their role and contribute. From time to time, even multinational businesses are forced to succumb to strong trends starting from the bottom. That is why it is necessary to actively communicate and act.
Transformative change
The discovery and appreciation of indigenous and local knowledge, the techniques and characteristics of earlier ways of life in European societies, and old approaches to the relationship between human and environment can also be experienced as a kind of trend. Biologist and ethnographer Dániel Babai’s research focuses, among other things, on how local, traditional farms react to changing weather conditions. You hear a lot about disasters and crises from faraway places, which usually also affect how people interpret things happening in their own environment. Current research proves that the perception and evaluation of experiences in local communities in relation to changes in the weather point towards the same direction as the measurements of scientific equipment and major trends. The problems most noticeable by local communities in our region are the increase in average temperature, the uneven distribution of precipitation, the accompanying vegetation drought, the shift in the boundaries of seasons and the disappearance of long-lasting snow cover. In response to my question as to whether traditional, local ecological knowledge can have a raison d’être in this way, or whether the future viability of local economies could only be expected from science and new technical innovations at this point, I received the answer that solutions using traditional technology can be successful in Europe for the time being. Unfortunately, there is still a lack of coordination at the macro and micro level. The EU controls the timing and intensity of certain agricultural activities and pays subsidies to local farmers based on whether they follow regulations or not. Although centrally designated time frames are often not in line with seasonal shifts due to climate change and geographical differences, or with local economic methods. Thus, for example, in Transylvania, people either harvest at the ideal time based on the weather and the state of the vegetation, thereby ensuring high-quality hay (ans also renouncing the EU subsidy), or they do it at the centrally designated time in accordance with the subsidy system, producing poorer quality, which then affects other sectors of the economy as well, first and foremost milk yield.
However, accurate environmental knowledge and a change in attitude are not only necessary for the decision-makers responsible for central regulation, but also at local level, since traditional farming methods often need to be promoted there as well, because people feel they are no longer efficient enough. Of course, there are also good examples of the mutually intensifying effects of global and local forces, such as applying strategies and techniques from other areas, that can also be implemented locally. This is certainly true in the case of increasing the diversity of cheese products in Gyimes. Some farmers in Gyimes learned from Swiss masters and introduced new processes locally resulting in a widened product range, therefore strengthening sustainable economy. We see many positive examples across Europe for updating traditional processing of dairy products. Another impressive example for the use of traditional ecological knowledge is the free-range pig farming along River Száva (in Boszut forest, Szerém), meaning that the animals find a significant part of their food in the forests and swamps. This is an environmental management practice that is hardly known in Europe anymore (just like pannage, pig grazing, etc.) can be considered an important biocultural heritage and provides important data on a community’s knowledge of local flora and fauna.
Dániel Babai also highlighted the fact that the only real solution lies in “transformative change”. In other words, a change of attitude and lifestyle is necessary since regulations that already exist and are aimed at sustainability are not sufficient. In which political-economic trends, technical innovations, and the spread of knowledge play important roles, but humanities, civil organizations, and private individuals alike have a special mission. A target- and future-oriented approach is required, not to mention thinking in long-term trends, system-level planning which all should go hand in hand with education and spreading knowledge to reinforce a change in attitude, and activism on behalf of the majority.
Ildikó Tamás
HUN-REN BTK NTI Senior researcher,
author of fashion antropology podcast.
This article was published as part of PERSPECTIVES – the new label for independent, constructive and multi-perspective journalism. PERSPECTIVES is co-financed by the EU and implemented by a transnational editorial network from Central-Eastern Europe under the leadership of Goethe-Institut. Find out more about PERSPECTIVES: goethe.de/perspectives_eu.
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible.
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