1. Topic 1- Fundamentals of ESS
1.1 Environmental Value Systems

2. What is an Environmental Value Systems?
A worldview that shapes the way people perceive and evaluate environmental issues.
Influenced by cultural, economic and socio-political factors.

3. Why is it a system? Inputs and outputs all influenced by: Education
Experience
Culture
Media (input)
Interrelated premises
Values
Arguments
Decisions
Evaluations (output)

4. Development of EVS Significant historical influences Literature Media
Major environmental disasters
International agreements
Technological developments

5. Historical Influence Minamata, Japan
In1959, the first human patient of what soon became known as Minamata disease was identified. Symptoms included convulsions, slurred speech, loss of motor functions and uncontrollable limb movements.
As a result of wastewater pollution by the plastic manufacturer, mercury and other heavy metals found their way into the fish and shellfish that comprised a large part of the local diet.
Thousands of residents have slowly suffered over the decades and died from the disease.

6. Historical Influence Bhopal, India
Dec. 2, 1984, a Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal released 45 tons of poisonous methyl isocyanate escaping from the facility.
Thousands died within hours, 15,000 in all.
About half a million people were affected . Many survivors suffered blindness, organ failure and other awful bodily malfunctions. A high number of children in the area have been born severe birth defects.
Bhopal remains the worst industrial disaster ever

7. Historical Influence Chernobyl, Ukraine
The worst nuclear-power-plant disaster in history. On April 26, 1986, one of the reactors at the Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine exploded
Nuclear meltdown released radiation into the atmosphere.
Thousands of kids have been diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

8. Historical Influences
All these events have helped to influence EVS.
Raised public awareness
Provided media coverage
Increased sense of stewardship over the Earth
Impact local and global governments and regulations

9. Years
Events
Significance
Early 1800’s
Industrial Revolution in Europe
Increased urbanisation, resource usage and pollution
Late 1800’s
Influential individuals such as Thoreau and Muir write books on conservation
First conservation groups form and nature reserves established. NGO’s start to form
1940’s
Green Revolution – intensive technological agriculture
Resource use (especially fossil fuels) and pollution increased. Human population increases dramatically
1949
Leopold writes A Sandy County Almanac
Concept of stewardship is applied to nature
1956 to 1968
Minamata Bay Disaster
Emphasizes the ability of food chains to accumulate toxins into higher trophic levels, including humans
1962
Rachel Carson publishes Silent Spring
General acceptance of dangers of chemical toxins affecting humans. The pesticide DDT is banned
1960’s to 1970’s
NGO’s gain greater following
Public awareness grows, WWF, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth all formed
1972
First Earth Summit – UN Conference on the Human Environment
Declaration of UN Conference. Action Plan for Human Environment. Environment Fund established. Formation of UN Environmental Programme (UNEP). Earth Summit planned for 10-year intervals
1975
CITES formed IUCN
Endangered species protected from international trade
1982
Nairobi Earth Summit
Ineffective
1984
Bhopal Disaster
World’s worst industrial disaster
1987
Montreal Protocol
Nations agree to reduce CFC use
1988
IPCC formed by UNEP
Advises governments of risk of climate change
1992
Rio Earth Summit and Kyoto Protocol
Agreement to reduce carbon emissions to counter enhanced greenhouse effect
1990’s
Green awareness strengthens
Environmentally friendly products, recycling and eco-tourism become popular
2002
Johannesburg Earth Summit
Plans to globally improve: water and sanitation, energy supply issues, health, agricultural abuse, and biodiversity reduction
2005
Kyoto Protocol becomes a legal requirement
174 countries signed and are expected to reduce carbon emissions to some 15% below expected 2008 emissions. Expires 2012
2006
Film An Inconvenient Truth
Documentary by Al Gore (former US vice president) on global warming
2008
EU Climate Summit, Brussels
UN Climate Change Conference, Poland
Reaffirmed commitment (cut emissions by 20%, make 20% energy savings and generate 20% of energy from renewable resources by 2020
2009
Hopenhagen, UN Climate Change Conference
Reaffirm need to reduce carbon emissions. 192 nations represented

10. Historical Influences
You will be assigned a key historical event that has helped influence EVS
Your task is to do some research to find the significance of each event
What is it?
Why was it important?
How did it help shape how we value the environment?
Any other relevant information
When finished, add your findings to the timeline posted in the hallway
Everyone is responsible for knowing their assigned event PLUS 4 others (two must be a global event) that were posted

11. Class Discussion Complete the EVS questionnaire
When finished with your questionnaire, get an ESS book on the back shelf
Think about the activity last class, what surprised you?
Pick one of the events and briefly explain how that helped to shape how we, as a society, value the environment.
Did any of the events you researched influence how you personally view the world?

12. 3 Types of Environmental Philosophies
Page 11 in textbook

13. Notes 7

14. Environmental Philosophies
Ecocentrism – Nature Centered
Puts ecology and nature as central to humanity with less emphasis on materialism
1. Deep Ecologists (extreme ecocentrists)
Put more value on nature than humanity
Nature is needed for humanity and has rights
2. Self-Reliance Soft Ecologists
Focus on community involvement to change political policies an practices
3. Biocentric – life centered
All life has an inherent value, a value for its own sake, not just for humans
Animals are not just for hunting and eating

15. Environmental Philosophies
Anthropocentrism- People Centered
Humans must sustainably manage the global system through taxes, environmental regulation and legislation
1. Environmental Managers
View the Earth as a garden that needs tending. This is also called the stewardship worldview
Economic growth and resource use can continue if adjustments are made to policies (taxes, laws…)

16. Environmental Philosophies
Technocentrism – Technology Centered
Technological developments can provide solutions to environmental issues.
Resource replacement solves resource depletion
Need to understand natural processes in order to control them
Emphasis on scientific analysis
1. Cornucopian (extreme technocentrists)
Believe the world has infinite resources to benefit humanity because technology and our inventiveness will solve all of our environmental problems

17. EVS Influence Decisions
For each of the problems below decide a if we should solve each problem using the provided worldview.
Technocentric: Should we use windmills to produce more energy?
Anthropocentric: Should GMO’s be used to grow more food?
Ecocentric: Should we create more national parks to save species and maintain biodiversity on the planet?

18. EVS of two named societies
Buddhist
Humans are not self sufficient or more important than the Earth
Judaeo-Christian
“Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground’” (Genesis 1:28)
Genesis demonstrate stewardship of the Earth or control?

19. EVS Questionnaire
Where do you stand?

20. To Do Page 14 in textbooks Get in groups of 3 or 4
Using the large poster paper, follow the directions
Don’t worry about the directions at the bottom. Just place words in either column

21. Assessment Questions:
Place the following sample individuals on the continuum of environmental philosophies
a Muslim subsistence farmer in West Africa
a wealthy Christian doctor in Western Europe
a Buddhist monk living in Thailand
an agnostic investment banker in New York City
a Catholic lumberjack in southern Chile

22. Personal EVS
Reflect upon where you stand on the continuum of environmental philosophies with regard to
Population control
Resource exploitation
Sustainable development