Human Interaction with the Natural Environment: The POETICAS Model as a Framework for Understanding and Praxis in Late Modernity

Abstract

Using the acronym POETICAS, we explore eight major facets of humankind’s relationship with the natural environment. We make the case that, while they are not mutually exclusive, they are nonetheless analytically distinct. We explore the roles of: 1) Population & demography; 2) Organizations & institutions; 3) Ecology; 4) Technology; 5) Illness & health; 6) Culture; 7) Affluence & inequality; and 8) Scale & time. We examine each of these facets in turn, looking not only at their main effects, but also considering many of the interactions among these factors in a broader ecological context. Building on earlier models, we make a case that this broader and more robust model can offer a framework for civic discourse about the human-environment interface that is useable to a wide array of audiences, including students and researchers as well as policy makers, members of social movement organizations, and engaged citizens seeking an overarching framework that can help make sense of a variety of otherwise disparate findings.