About Us

We are group of Environmental Studies students at Mount Holyoke College who have come together through Dr. Catherine Corson's seminar "Science and Power in Environmental Governance" and our mutual interest in Rio+20. The course applies concepts from political ecology to study how governance, broadly defined, works in relation to the environment. Using case studies of international environmental issues, we explore how people make decisions about the environment in a policy realm. We discuss the role of various agents, such as governments, scientific bodies, and nongovernmental organizations, in the decision-making process. We reflect on who has access to decisions; how scientific data is used; how environmental ideas become powerful; and how policies are legitimated. Armed with this information, we will consider how to advocate for global environmental sustainability and social equity.

We greatly appreciate the Miller Worley Center for the Environment for their generous support that has made this of all possible.

For more detailed information about our research at Mount Holyoke, our classes focused on Rio+20, and many student briefing papers, check out the blog "Science and Power @ Earth Summit 2012"