Summary and Analysis: Lessons from ‘The War in the Adirondacks’

CLASS AND THE ENVIRONMENT
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Class and the Environment
Summary
The article “Class and Environmental History: Lessons from "The War in the Adirondacks" by Karl Jacoby provides lessons from the set of incidences surrounding Adirondacks when social turmoil swept across the region. The main ideas proposed in the article include that the role of the class has never been fully explored by scholars and that the turmoil in Adirondacks makes a case for exploring social clashes. In summary, the events arose from multiple classes having different interests regarding the environment and natural resources in the region. The peasants were keener for more preservative policies since they believed the exploitation was too much. On the other hand, the upper class, who comprised sportsmen and industrialists, only considered Adirondacks as a vital resource for their capitalist gains. For example, sportsmen needed serene and luxurious parks and vacation homes while lumberjacks needed to continue cutting trees.
Argument
The author’s argument is that Adirondacks can be considered a vital lesson on the role of class clashes in the development and implementation of environmental policies. For example, Jacoby notes that upper-class sportshunters perceived themselves as environmentally-minded visionaries who developed nature ethics more environmentally sensitive than ordinary Americans. The lower-class, comprising hunters, miners, and lumberjacks, were perceived as people only keen to exploit resources in a wasteful manner and who lived too close to appreciate nature's other offers. Therefore, the policies adopted by the commissioners always conflicted with at least one of these parties, which fueled the turmoil.[Jacoby, Karl. "Class and Environmental History: Lessons from 'The War in the Adirondacks'". Environmental History (1997), 325.]
Analysis
The validity of the author’s argument can be examined using evidence and arguments made by other scholars regarding the role of class in environmentalism. According to Grandin et al. preferences for pro-environmentalism are affected by socioeconomic status (SES). In this case, higher social classes are associated with future orientation and tendencies,...