Title: The Protection of “Ecological Roots”: Sandra Steingraber’s View of River Ecology

Abstract: Starting from the ecological crises along the downstream reaches of Illinois River in the United States and grounded in both scientific knowledge and personal experience, the American ecologist and writer Sandra Steingraber employs a precautionary narrative style in her work Living Downstream to raise public awareness and inspire actions against toxic environments. In this way, she interprets the river crisis as an ecological issue concerning the fate of all humankind. She places children at the center of environmental justice, emphasizing the global tenet that “to protect children is to protect the future.” She calls on humankind to shoulder ecological responsibility, uphold environmental justice, and protect “ecological roots”, which serve as the source of life and the foundation of the environment. In her autobiographical works and poetry, Steingraber weaves personal bodily experience, family history and local narratives into river ecological writing skillfully, elevating her work from a perceptual aesthetic experience to profound reflection on environmental ethics. Consequently, her works have played an active part in promoting the construction of river ecological ethics and social dialogue.

Keywords: Sandra Steingraber, downstream, environmental justice, precautionary narrative, ecological roots

Authors: Li Li, Professor, School of Foreign Studies, Nankai University, Tianjin, China; Yuxi Zhang, Ph.D. Candidate, School of Foreign Studies, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.

DOI: 10.19967/j.cnki.flc.2025.04.003