Conclusions

Throughout my research for this project, I’ve learned a considerable amount about the limitations of governance.  In fact, sometimes I worry that governance cannot compensate for the problems our environment faces.  However, this project and our course in general have shown me that a combination of strategies is the approach that works best in addressing complex problems. The Great Lakes are an interesting case in environmental degradation because not only do they transcend state and regional boundaries, but national boundaries as well.  The Great Lakes do not belong to one particular governmental entity, so it is multidimensional governance that works best in devising solutions.

In my prior blog posts, I addressed three different avenues of governance in regards to the Great Lakes:  the Great Lakes Protection Fund, the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the US and Canada, and market-driven protective actions fueled by businesses such as the Great Lakes Brewing Co.  None of these three avenues had one formal key solution; however, each provided an integral piece of the puzzle that is environmental protection.  Agencies such as the GLPF raise awareness, encourage collaboration, and offer funding toward collective solutions; treaties like the GLWQA provide a more formal, documented guide for protective actions; and markets and businesses like the Great Lakes Brewing Company increase local awareness, encourage business accountability, and increase the popularity of advertising environmental sustainability as incentive for consumer support.  All of these actors work toward creating a society that values environmental protection and cultivates awareness of environmental problems.

This knowledge leads us to JP Evans’s eight hypotheses. In my research I have been able to most specifically identify with hypotheses one and two: “Governance is about evolution, not revolution,” and “Getting the mix of approaches right is critical.” Environmental problems cannot be solved in the blink of an eye.  It will take a process of evolution of the way people think and act as we work toward developing solutions to the wicked problems that plague us.  This ties into the “mix of approaches.”  Environmental problems cannot be solved by political entities alone, nor can market forces solely create solutions.  Even grassroots organizations, NGOs, and community driven efforts, on their own, cannot succeed in providing meaningful and sustainable environmental solutions.  We must apply a combination of all of these methods to create change for the Great Lakes.  Evans also explains how crucial duality is to the system of solutions, and how large-scale and small-scale movements, governmental and non-governmental organizations, must all be applied.  Although this course could be frustrating for me, because it illustrated the complexity of the environmental problems we face today, this class and this project taught me the significance of collaboration and innovation.  One perspective alone cannot create a solution.  We have to listen to one another and take a variety of approaches in order to create resolutions for the Great Lakes, and also for our world.  For multidimensional problems, we must take a flexible and multifaceted approach.  Rather than excluding certain actors, we must examine the value of a collaborative approach to solving environmental problems.