Environmental Value Systems

Question 1

Environmental value system (definition)

Answer 1

A worldview that influences how an individual or group perceives environmental issues. Influenced by cultural, religious, economic and socio-political context

Question 2

Case Study: DDT and Silent Spring (1962) // why was DDT banned?

Answer 2

• 1962
• Rachel Carson’s ‘Silent Spring’
• Carson warned of effects of pesticides on food chain
• Believed pesticides e.g. DDT were accumulating in fatty tissues in people + causing cancer
• Investigation by J.F Kennedy confirmed fears and DDT banned

Question 3

Case Study: DDT and Silent Spring (1962) // why may it do more harm than good to human health?

Answer 3

• It is possible banning DDT did more harm than good to human health
• It allowed malaria-carrying mosquitos to survive
• Thus allowing spread of disease + millions of deaths

Question 4

Case Study: Bhopal Disaster (1984) // what happened

Answer 4

• 3 December 1984
• Bhopal, India
• Union Carbide pesticide plant released 40 tonnes of MIC gas
• Immediately killed 3000
• Ultimately killed between 15,000 - 22,000
• Considered world’s worst industrial disaster

Question 5

What was a key event to occur in the 1940s and what was its impact?

Answer 5

Green revolution - intensive technological agriculture

Resource use (esp. fossil fuels) + pollution increase. Human pop. rises sharply

Question 6

What was a key event to occur in 1951 and what was its impact?

Answer 6

UK’s 10 National Parks established

Recognition of need to conserve natural areas

Question 7

What was a key event to occur in 1962 and what was its impact?

Answer 7

Rachel Carson’s ‘Silent Spring’

DDT banned

Question 8

First Earth Summit

Formation of UN Environment Programme (UNEP)

What year?

Answer 8

1972

Question 9

CITES formed by ICUN

Endangered species protected from international trade

What year?

Answer 9

1975

Question 10

What was a key event to occur in 1979 and what was its impact?

Answer 10

James Lovelock presents Gaia hypothesis

Nature seen as self regulating

Question 11

What was a key event to occur in 1984 and what was its impact?

Answer 11

Bhopal disaster

World’s worst industrial disaster

Question 12

Montreal Protocol

Nations agree to reduce CFC use

What year?

Answer 12

1987

Question 13

IPCC formed by UNEP

Advises governments on climate change

What year?

Answer 13

1988

Question 14

Rio Earth Summit + Kyoto Protocol

Agreement to reduce CO2 emissions
Agenda 21

What year?

Answer 14

1992

Question 15

What is Agenda 21?

Answer 15

Action plan for sustainable development

A product of Rio Earth Summit (1992)

Question 16

When did Kyoto Protocol become legal requirement ?

174 countries signed
Some lower emissions by 15%
Expired in 2012

Answer 16

2005

Question 17

Case Study: Chernobyl (1986) // what happened

Answer 17

• 26 April 1986
• Worst nuclear disaster ever
• A few miles north of Kiev
• An explosion and then fire resulted in a level 7 event (the highest) in reactor 4
• The reactor went into meltdown and a cloud of highly radioactive material drifted over much of Russia and Europe, even reaching Wales + Scotland
• Fission products have a long half-life and were accumulated in food chains

Question 18

Case Study: Chernobyl (1986) // impacts

Answer 18

• 31 people died immediately due to radiation
• Some estimates state that 1 million people will have died as a result of the disaster
• However it is difficult to know for certain as long-term illnesses e.g. cancer are difficult to pin-point to a particular event
• 130,000 evacuated from surrounding regions
• In 2009, there were still restrictions on selling sheep from some Welsh farms due to their levels of radiation

Question 19

Kyoto Protocol (1997) // what it a success? YES:

Answer 19

• in some countries caused 3% reduction in emissions
• increased governmental + public awareness
• many took actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as a household, when travelling and when at work. This means that whilst many governments failed to reach the targets set out by the agreement, individually people were becoming increasingly environmentally friendly

Question 20

Kyoto Protocol (1997) // what it a success? NO:

Answer 20

• In many countries, e.g China, there has been a sharp increase the greenhouse gas emissions produced
• Many countries failed to sign up to the agreement or initially signed up and then dropped out e.g when George Bush became president he rejected it on the grounds that it would hurt US economy
• In Russia the Kyoto agreement caused a collapse in the economy
• The Kyoto agreement’s mechanisms created a carbon marketplace where carbon credits could be traded. This allowed richer nations to avoid cutting their emissions, and in some cases, disguise an increase
• Even the original target of 5.5% was too small to make much of an impacts on climate change

Question 21

3 features of ECOCENTRIC views

Answer 21

• Puts ecology + nature as central to humanity
• Emphasises less materialistic approach to life
• Greater self-sufficiency of societies

Question 22

2 features of ANTHROPOCENTRIC views

Answer 22

• Humans must sustainably manage the global system

- Through use of taxes, environmental regulation + legislation

Question 23

What do technocentrics believe?

Answer 23

Believe technological developments ca provide solutions to environmental problems

Question 24

What do cornucopians believe?

Answer 24

• Extreme technocentrics
• Believe that through technology + invention it is possible to solve any environmental problem + improve living standards

Question 25

What do deep ecologists believe?

Answer 25

• Extreme ecocentric
• Believe in biorights // universal rights where all species + ecosystems have inherent value and humans should not interfere