Politics of Enviornmental Science Notes
Page 1: Understanding Values
Values: A person’s beliefs about what is right and wrong, important or unimportant, worthy or unworthy of desire.
Collective conceptions of what is considered good, important, desirable, and proper.
Help predict behaviors in areas like buying, parenting, and voting.
Authoritarian Personality Hypothesis:
Individuals with authoritarian personalities obey authority and do not question it.
Favor traditional ways as superior.
Exclusion of perceived inferior people and outsiders.
Standard Survey Questions for Authoritarian Tendencies:
Is it more important to have a child who is respectful or independent?
Obedient or self-reliant?
Well-mannered or curious?
Environmental Values:
New Ecological Paradigm (NEP):
A worldview is environmental if one believes:
The Earth has limited resources.
Disagreeing with anthropocentric views (e.g., mankind's dominion over nature).
Judith Layzer:
Environmentalists see nature as precious and vulnerable.
Environmental protection may limit freedom or economic growth.
Cornucopians:
Value economic growth and human integrity above environmental concerns.
Page 2: Ideologies on the Environment
Aldo Leopold:
Statement: A thing is right when it preserves the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community.
Strong environmentalist stance.
Ron Arnold:
Advocates for cornucopianism.
Claims environmentalism undermines the Western worldview:
Unlimited economic growth is valuable.
Technology can solve most problems.
Environmental/social problems can be managed through a market economy with state intervention.
Study Guide Questions:
Values:
What are values? Beliefs about what is considered desirable.
Importance of understanding values: Necessary for effective solutions and predictions in behavior.
Differences in environmental perspectives: Strong cornucopians prioritize growth; strong environmentalists accept restrictions on freedoms.
Page 3: Environmental Perspectives
Environmentalists: Value the environment above all, prioritize it over economic growth, willing to limit personal freedoms.
Cornucopians: Value individual freedom and economic growth as paramount.
Leopold vs. Arnold:
Category A: Cornucopians view nature as a resource for economic gain.
Category B: Environmentalists view nature holistically.
Economic principles should support conservation without priority.
Wes Arnold's Boss:
Views nature as resilient; underestimates environmental problems.
Places Arnold and his view in strong cornucopianism.
Page 4: Environmental Protection Strategies
Tragedy of the Commons:
Exhaustion of shared resources due to individual self-interest without management.
Minimal State:
Protects basic rights, especially property rights.
Encourages good stewardship of owned resources, assumes government regulation burdens economy.
In-Between Regulatory State:
Requires strong regulations to deal with negative externalities and support large-scale projects.
Page 5: The Role of Government in Environmental Issues
Need for Government:
Public sector solutions are necessary for societal issues, according to Amy.
Civil society organizations influence environmental values and policies.
Civil Society Defined: Non-profit organizations voicing member interests based on ethical, cultural, political, or scientific grounds.
Page 6: Coalition Building and Strategic Defining of Problems
Importance of coalitions in civil society: Organize for democratic participation, advocate for views, and resist oppression.
Defining a Problem: Vital for shaping coalitions and garnering support.
Effective environmental strategies must communicate simple, clear narratives.
Cornucopian strategies may downplay risks and emphasize economic costs of environmental action.
Page 7: Policy Issues and Environmental Solutions
Green New Deal:
Approach to urgent environmental and economic issues.
Resistance within Political Framework:
Tragedy of the Commons applies to multiple contemporary issues (e.g., overfishing, logging).
Distinction between minimal vs. regulatory state ideals shapes policies.
Page 8: Administrative Perspectives on Environmental Governance
Government Failures:
Over reliance on markets for environmental solutions can lead to ineffectiveness (Andersen's view).
Role of Individual Property Owners:
Individuals may more effectively protect resources compared to bureaucratic systems.
Page 9: Social-Political Group Analysis
Influencing Environmental Concern: Gifford explores the discrepancies between religious views and environmental anxiety.
Social-Economic Characteristics: Understand the intersection of identity and environmental perspectives among various groups.
Page 10: Civil Society Organizations in Politics
Functions of Civil Society Organizations:
Advocacy and organizing for collective interests; essential for political representation.
Importance of Defining Problems: Defines focus and shapes membership engagement.
Page 11: Personal Characteristics in Environmental Views
Religious Views: May influence environmental concern—more religious people often show less environmental anxiety.
Impact of Polling Data: Shows intersectionality of social factors in environmental perspectives.
Page 12: Legal Framework and Environmental Regulation
Clean Air Act: Major statute affecting environmental regulations, enacted by the EPA.
Checks and Balances: Judicial authority shapes environmental laws—shown in Supreme Court rulings like Rapanos v. United States.
Page 13: Governmental Structure and Legislative Process
Three Branches of Government: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches, each with distinct roles.
Legislatures create laws; Congress balances powers proactively.
Page 14: Executive Powers and the Bully Pulpit
Bully Pulpit: Presidents can leverage public opinion to shape legislative agendas.
Role of political appointees and civil employees defined; their impact on environmental policy.
Page 15: Influence of Civil Action in Politics
NGOs leverage political contributions and public influence to sustain environmental programs, illustrated by historical events like Earth Day.