1. To know the different Environmental Value Systems philosophies.
On your desk is a questionnaire. For each statement write YES or NO.
TOPIC 7 Lesson 1
To know the different Environmental Value Systems philosophies.
To outline the world’s key historical environmental events and explain how they influence our environmental philosophies.
Syllabus Link – Know and explain environmental value systems and philosophies, outline key historical events.

2. Environmental Value Systems
a particular world view or set of paradigms which shape the way an individual or group of people perceive and evaluate environmental issues.

3. What determines your Environmental value system?
Education
Culture
Religion
Media
Peers and Society
Personal experiences
Lifestyle
Wealth

5. ENVIRONMENTAL PHILOSOPHIES
ECOCENTRISM
(nature centred)
Holistic world view. Minimum disturbance of natural processes
ANTHROPOCENTRISM
(people centred)
People as environmental managers of sustainable global systems
TECHNOCENTRISM
(technology centred)
Technology can keep pace with and provide solutions to environmental problems

6. Now take your neighbours questionnaire from earlier.
Read through their answers for each statement. Think about the different environmental philosophies we just discussed. Try to identify which category they fit into, and explain why you think that. Do they agree with you? Why / why not?

7. Historical Events in Environmental Thinking
Historical Events in Environmental Thinking
You will be allocated one of the following events. Find out what the event was, and explain why it is a fundamental event in affecting our environmental philosophies today. You will need to create your own timeline that briefly outlines each of the 10 events.

8. 1956-68 Minamata disease - Japan

9. 1962 Silent Spring – by Rachel Carson

10. 1971 – Formation of Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth (NGOs)
(note: WWF was formed in 1961)

11. 1972 – First Earth Summit
Formation of the UNEP (UN Environmental Programme)
Earth Summits planned for 10 year intervals

12. Love Canal

13. 1983 – Publication of the Brundtland Report
"development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." ["Our Common Future", 1983]
Preservation of the environment
becomes important for development.

14. Bhopal – 1984 and Chernobyl – 1986

15. Rio Earth Summit: Kyoto Protocol – 1992
Agreement to reduce GHG emissions to counter Global Warming.

16. An Inconvenient Truth – 2006

17. BP Oil Spill – 2010
How has this affected the environmental movement?