The fourth event in Tarleton’s Environmental Communications Week was Political Perceptions of Environmental Problems in Europe presented by Dr. Jeff William Justice, assistant professor of political science.

In his presentation, Justice stated that people tend to care less about the environment unless it directly affects their day-to-day life. He listed events such as the Gulf Oil Spill as an example of when people, as a generalized whole, cared much more about environmental problems, because it directly effected their livelihood. He continued to say that oil companies do not want to admit to any fault in environmental problems, such as the Gulf Oil Spill or global warming.

Justice also told students that environmentalism has greatly become a part of the new left’s political agenda, and that, while others do not put as much emphasis on it, “It’s politically uncool to say ‘I don’t care about the environment.” He also noted that people with higher levels of education tend to care more about the environment, due to their understanding that these problems affect us all.

Justice also took time to explain environmentalism from a political standpoint. He said that because global problems are more abstract, and harder for the general public to grasp, they run a lower risk of losing votes by not dealing with these issues.

On the other hand, Justice said that politicians run enormous risks by not dealing with local environmental problems because they tend to be easier for their constituents to take notice of. He also said that political ideology had little to do with these local problems, and that it was something politicians had to deal with to maintain their offices.