ESS unit 1.1

UNIT 1.1 - ENVIRMENTAL VALUE SYSTEM

  • a worldwide or paradigm that shapes the way an individual or groups of people perceive and evaluate environmental issues

  • influences = cultural, religouse, economic, and socio-political context

  • this influences the way we see envirmental issues

  • upbringing = where you have lived, langoues you speak, religouns, etc

inputs ⟶ envirmental value system ⟶ outputs

  • inputs = all the things you have excperienced (educations, scienece, colture, media)

  • evs = values, arguments, thinking, evaluation

  • outputs = what you do with your knollage (actions, decisions, veiwpoints)

  • saving the environment for our sake (continue supplying goods and services to humankind in a sustainable way) or for its sake (for its spiritual value conserve nature unconditionaly)

  • influential induviduals

  • independent pressure groups

  • corporate buisness

  • intergovermental bodies (e.g United Nations)

  • Enviermental activism

  • norms and behavoir change

  • political choices

  • echnological advances

ecocentric viewpoint - put ecology and nature as central to humanity

anthropocentric viewpoint- argues that humans must sustainably manage the global system

technocentric viewpoint - argues that technological developments can provide solutions to environmental problems

influential individuals - uses media publications

independent pressure groups - awareness campaigns to change

corporate businesses - supply consumer demand

governments - makes policy decisions

intergovernmental bodies - example: UN

Ecocentrism (nature centered)

  • left wing

  • holisitc and sustainable worldview

  • minimum disturbance or nature

  • soft ecologist (self reliant)

    • focus on community involvement to change political policies and practices

  • deep ecologist (extreme), self - reliance soft ecologist

    • nature > humans

    • not all resources are for human use

    • any part of the envirment should be valued just becasue they exsist (an ant has just as much right to be on this planet as a human)

    • seek a more holistic view of the world

    • everyone should be involved and put in effort

    • natural laws dictate human morality

    • nature is needed for himanity + has rights

Anthropocentrism (people centered)

  • humans are responsible for sustainable global systems thorugh population + resource control

Technocentricsm

  • (technology centered)

  • technology providing solutions for invirmental issues

  • money is needed for this idiology

  • growth up capotalism

  • science research is encouraged

  • pro growth agenda

  • cornucopian (exteme)

    • man can always find a way out of any difficulties

    • humans come first

    • world has infinit resoucres

EVS influence -

some people believe that all/some elements of the natural environment have value within

they should be valued just because they exist

Intrinstic value

  • is the inward value of nature regadless of its practial (economics) use to humans:

  • ethical, spiritual + philosophical perspectives

  • hard to quantify

  • how to debate aesthetic value with economist

environmental courses through time:

1930s ⟶ dust bomb

1949 ⟶ aldo leopool (book)

1959 ⟶ mercury poisoning, bio accumulation

1962 ⟶ Rachel Carson (book)

1973 ⟶ cites (international agreement on Endangered Species)

1883 ⟶ UN Brumdtland Report (introduction of the idea of sustainable development

1984 ⟶ bhopah, India (poisonouse methyl, isocyanate from the plant)

1986 ⟶ chernobyl, ukraine (radiation)

1987 ⟶ Montreal Protocol (voluntary agreement which is largely successful)

2011 ⟶ deep water horizons