ESS Standard Topic 1.1

Environmental Movement

Who was Rachel Carson?

She wrote ‘Silent Spring’ That highlighted the negative effects of the DDT Pesticide and Bioaccumulation

Even with businesses trying to discredit her it went to Congress and JFK ordered investigations into it, Leading to a partial ban

Aims of the Environmental Movement

• Climate Mitigation

• Pollution Reduction

• Promoting Sustainability

• Advocating for policy Changes

• Sustainable resource management

International Conference Examples

2015 Paris Agreement COP21

UN conference on Sustainable Development

Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer

UN Conference on Environment and Development / Rio Earth Summit

Intrinsic Value

The inherent worth/value that an entity possesses in and of itself or the inherent rights and worth of non human entities such as species, ecosystems, or natural features, based on their intrinsic characteristics

Environmental Value Systems

A worldview or paradigm that shapes the way an individual or group of people, perceives and evaluates environmental issues, influenced by cultural, religious, economic and socio-political contexts.

The Gaia Hypothesis

Suggests that the Earth is a living organisms, atmosphere, oceans and soil form a single regulating system that maintains conditions necessary for life. (Super System)

Who is James Lovelock?

Some guy who believed that in order to protect the environment from further climate change. People needed to 

• Retreat to Megacities

• Switch to renewables and Nuclear Energy

• Geo Engineering via monitoring the Environment

• Let AI take over Since they would have better solutions to climate change.

 What did Al Gore do in 2006?

Made the documentary ‘An inconvenient truth’ meant to influence the media and government regulations.

What did Greta Thunburg do in 2018

‘School strike for Climate Change’

students stopped attending school on Fridays to protest climate change.

What are the 4 different groups that have stakes in the issue of the Enviroment.

• Non Government Organisations (Independent pressure groups) e.g World Wildlife Fund

• Corporations (TNCs and Businesses) e.g. Coca Cola

• Governments - Creates policies and legislation

• Intergovernmental Organisations e.g UN (Holds summits to address the climate issue, European Union

What is an example of an environmental catastrophe?

Chernobyl Ukraine 1986 - Nuclear Reactor meltdown causing the surrounding areas to be irradiated

Minomata - Wide scale mercury poisoning that still effects the community today

What can shape Perspectives in Society?

• Sociocultural norms 

• Scientific understandings

• Laws and Regulations

• Religion and Spirituality

• Economic conditions

• Local and Global Events

• Lived Experiences

What are Examples of things that shape perspectives?

• SN - Indigenous cultures promoting harmony with living things

• SU - Awareness and Identification

• LR -  ULEZ, Clean air zones (Manchester)

• RS - Stewardship in Christianity

• EC - Cost of living Crisis

• LGE - The great smog of London, Covid 19 pandemic

• LE - Urban resident facing increased occurrence of natural disaster and air pollution

Mutualism

The idea that two organism help each other so both sides benefit

Value Survays

A questionnaire made to gauge the perspectives of different social groups on the Environmental Issues.

What do Value Surveys uncover and what needs to be considered when making one?

Value Surveys need to consider Inclusive Questioning, Cultural Sensitivity, Accessibility and Clear Objectives

• Underlying values

• Beliefs 

• Attitudes

What are the type of questions that can be made?

• Demographic questions - background

• Likert Scale Questions - quantifying attitudes

• Multiple Choice

• Ranking Questions

• Open Ended Questions

• Scenario Based Questions

• Behavioral Questions

Eco centrists

People who value the environment above all, prioritising bio-rights and the fact humans should minimise disturbance of natural processes.

• Resource are limited so we need to use them carefully

• Earth is for all species including animals, plants and humans

• Should be minimum disturbance of natural processes

Anthropocentric

The viewpoint where humans must sustainably manage the global system.

• Through the use of taxes, environmental regulations and legislation

• Debate would be encouraged to reach a consensual, pragmatic approach to solving environmental problems

Technocentric

Technological Development will provide solutions to environmental problems.

• Scientific research is encouraged in order to form policies and to understand how systems can be controlled, manipulated or changed to solve resource depletion

Soft Ecologist

Self-sufficiency in resource management, prioritizing small scale community oriented schemes

Deep Ecologists

Believe there is a need for spiritual revolution as a core fix environmental problems, placing nature at the centre before human needs.

Environmental managers

Believe that the environment can be used if managed properly.

Cornucopian

Doesn’t see the environment as a problem as humans have always found ways to deal wit it in the past. They do not care for the environment as humans come first.