1.1 Environmental Value Systems Flashcards
Where have significant historical influences on the development of the environmental movement come from
- Environmental disasters: 1956 Minimata disease, 1986 Chernobyl Plant Ukraine
- Literature: 1962 Rachel Carsons “The Silent Spring”
- Media: 1975 Greenpeace anti-whaling campaign
- International Agreements: 1972 Stockholm Conference (how human activity is affecting the globe)
- Technological Innovation: alternatives to fossil fuels (i.e. solar panels and wind turbines)
define an Environmental Value System (EVS)
a particular world-view or set of paradigms that shapes the way an individual, or group of people, perceive and evaluate environmental issues
EVS inputs
- education
- cultural factors
- economic factors
- religious texts and doctrine
- the media
- socio-political factors (communism, capitalism)
EVS outputs
- perspectives
- decisions on how to act regarding environmental issues
- courses of action
define a technocentric view
believe that technology will keep pace with and provide solutions to environmental issues
define an ecocentric view
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
define an anthropocentric view
believes humans must sustainably manage the global system: this might be through taxes, environmental regulation, and legislation
define the cornucopian view
- 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
define a soft ecologist view
- one end of the ecocentrist worldview
those who reject materialism and have a conservative view regarding environmental problem-solving
define a soft deep ecologist view
those who put more value on nature than humanity
intrinsic value definition
something has value in its own right, i.e. inbuilt/inherernt worth
state and explain two contrasting EVS in the example of native Americans and European pioneers
prior to the colonisation of North America by Europeans from the late 16th century onward, the country was occupied solely by native American Indian tribes.
Native American EVS:
- saw environment as communal
- had subsistence economy based on barter
- low impact technologies meant they lived in harmony with the environment (animalistic religion where all things have a soul)
incoming European pioneers:
- operated frontier economics → involved the exploitation of what they saw as seemingly unlimited resources
- inevitably led to environmental degradation bc of:
- over population
- lack of connectivity to environment
- heavy and technologically advanced industry
- unchecked exploitation of natural resources
discuss the view that the environment can have its own intrinsic value
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)
- 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.
2 views on environmental challenges posed by the extensive use of fossil fuels
technocentric vs ecocentric
technocentrist: would predict that market pressure would eventually result in the lowering of co2 emission levels
ecocentrist: call for the reduction of greenhouse gases through reducing gas-emitting industry, even if it restricts economic growth.
2 views on approaches of resource managers to increasing demand for water resources
technocentric vs ecocentric
technocentrist: suggest that future needs can be met by technology, innovation, and the ability to use untapped reserves.
ecocentrist: highlight the overuse and misuse of water, encourage conservation of water and greater recycling
