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:

  1. Is it more important to have a child who is respectful or independent?

  2. Obedient or self-reliant?

  3. 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:

    1. Unlimited economic growth is valuable.

    2. Technology can solve most problems.

    3. Environmental/social problems can be managed through a market economy with state intervention.

• Study Guide Questions:

  • Values:

    1. What are values? Beliefs about what is considered desirable.

    2. Importance of understanding values: Necessary for effective solutions and predictions in behavior.

    3. 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:

  1. Protects basic rights, especially property rights.

  2. 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:

  1. Tragedy of the Commons applies to multiple contemporary issues (e.g., overfishing, logging).

  2. 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.