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Sample:
Statement Of Purpose
Sample
SOP's
Environmental
Studies
Statements
by Americans,The Environmental Studies Student
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 would
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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