1.1 Environmental Value Systems

Question 1

define an Environmental Value System (EVS)

Answer 1

a particular world-view or set of paradigms that shapes the way an individual, or group of people, perceive and evaluate environmental issues

Question 2

EVS inputs

Answer 2

• education
• cultural factors
• economic factors
• religious texts and doctrine
• the media
• socio-political factors (communism, capitalism)

Question 3

EVS outputs

Answer 3

• perspectives
• decisions on how to act regarding environmental issues
• courses of action

Question 4

define a technocentric view

Answer 4

believe that technology will keep pace with and provide solutions to environmental issues

Question 5

define an ecocentric view

Answer 5

nature-centred and distrust modern large-scale technology. they prefer to work with natural environmental systems to solve problems, and do this before problems get out of control

Question 6

define an anthropocentric view

Answer 6

believes humans must sustainably manage the global system: this might be through taxes, environmental regulation, and legislation

Question 7

define the cornucopian view

Answer 7

• belief that people will always find a way out of issues
• Optimistic in human’s potential to help the world
• faith in scientific and technological advancements and their impact on the environment

Question 8

define a soft ecologist view

Answer 8

• one end of the ecocentrist worldview

those who reject materialism and have a conservative view regarding environmental problem-solving

Question 9

define a soft deep ecologist view

Answer 9

those who put more value on nature than humanity

Question 10

intrinsic value definition

Answer 10

something has value in its own right, i.e. inbuilt/inherernt worth

Question 11

discuss the view that the environment can have its own intrinsic value

Answer 11

Resources can be valued in several ways;
- Economic: Having marketable goods and services (timber, food)
- Ecological: Providing life support services (gas exchange by forests)
- Scientific: useful applications (medicines)
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- These are examples of resources being valued “instrumentally”.

Resources can also be valued “intrinsically”. This means that a resource is valued for its cultural, aesthetic, spiritual or philosophical (moral) value and are valued regardless of their potential use to humans.

Attempts are being made to acknowledge diverse valuations of nature (for example, biodiversity, rate of depletion of natural resources)
- they may be weighed more rigorously against more common economic values (for example, gross national product (GNP))
- However, some argue that these valuations are impossible to quantify and price realistically
- much of the sustainability debate centres on the problem of how to weigh conflicting values in our treatment of natural capital.

Question 12

anthropocentric approach to nature

Answer 12

• environment = resource for humans to use
• humans must sustainably manage Earths global system

Question 13

ecocentric approach to nature

Answer 13

• enviornment = has intrinsic value (eg. aesthetic, spiritual)
• species /landscape = biorights
• minimum disturbance to natural processes

Question 14

technocentric approach to nature

Answer 14

• nature = model that can be replaced by technology if needed (eg. creating alternatives for some resources)
• enviornmental systems can be controlled, manipulated and changed

Question 15

anthropocentric approach to the economy

Answer 15

• must maintain natural capital
• uses taxes, regulation, legislation by independent authorities

Question 16

ecocentric approach to the economy

Answer 16

• priority is maintaining natural capital
• less materialistic approach
• societies should be self sufficient

Question 17

technocentric approach to the economy

Answer 17

• economic growth is necessary
• resources should be exploited for human economic growth
• only limit = technological limit

Question 18

anthropocentric view on social

Answer 18

• human health/ well being = central
• solutions = debate, compromise, agreement
• population control is encouraged

Question 19

ecocentric view on social

Answer 19

• humans and nature are equal
• ecology & natures well being = essential to maintain humanity’s well being
• education is vital to improve humans relationship with nature

Question 20

technocentric view on social

Answer 20

• mostly optimistic view of role of humans
• scientific research = encouraged
  -> increase our understanding
  -> increase accuracy of predictions

Question 21

who decides? anthropocentric

Answer 21

inclusive/democratic
- elected representatives
- all groups in society

Question 22

who decides? ecocentric

Answer 22

personal
- personal responsibility (self-restraint needed)

Question 23

who decides technocentric

Answer 23

exclusive
- experts (often scientists)

Question 24

The development of the enviornmental movement: Rachel Carson “The Silent Spring”

Answer 24

• novel
• published 1962
• documented harmful effects of pesticides along food chains to top predators
• led to widespread concerns about the use of pesticides and the pollution of the enviornment
• many large pesticide companies and large scale farmers tried to deny facts in this book -> controversy

Question 25

The development of the enviornmental movement: Fukushima

Answer 25

• 2011
• earthquake in northern Japan -> tsunami -> meltdown of 3 of 6 nuclear power reactors
• damage: radioactive material
• led to many countries shutting down nuclear power stations ie. Germany

Question 26

The development of the enviornmental movement: Anti-Whaling Campaign, Greenpeace

Answer 26

• 1975
• confronted Soviet Whalers in the Pacific Ocean