Summary of topic 1.1

IB Environmental Systems and Societies

1. Topic 1 Foundations of Environmental Systems and Societies 1.1 Environmental Value Systems http://edroness.blogspot.mx/2016/01/why-environmentalism-is-duty.html http://edroness.blogspot.mx/2013/10/putting-value-on-nature.html

2. Environmental Value Systems A set of paradigms which shapes the way individuals or societies perceive and evaluate environmental issues This is affected by: Cultural concerns Religious concerns Economic issues Whether a society belongs to an MEDC or an LEDC As with any system, they have INPUTS (e.g. education, media, religious doctrines) OUTPUTS (e.g. environmental mediation) PROCESSING (e.g. political decisions) FEEDBACK LOOPS (e.g. scientific advice) Rather than being based on energy and/or matter , environmental value systems are based on the flow and processing of information

3. Environmental Value Systems Since EVSs vary, different cultures, societies, and special-interest groups often come into conflict over them e.g. The U.N. moratorium on whaling is seen very differently in Japanese society compared to European nations e.g. The oil lobby in the U.S. sees attempts to switch to a greener economy differently to environmental groups

4. Environmental Value Systems There are 3 general categories: Ecocentric ( centred on the environment) Technocentic ( centred on technology) Anthropocentric ( centred on humans) ecocentrism anthropocentrism technocentrism

5. Ecocentrism Ecocentrists are likely to distrust technology They would stand against large-scale production and corporations They would view nature as having control over human society rather than the other way round They would view the world as having very finite natural capital which should be protected rather than exploited They believe that ecology is too complex for humans to fully understand and therefore be able to manage it Some believe that nature has more value than humanity (an extreme view referred to as “ deep-ecology ”)

6. Technocentrism Technocentrists trust in technological advances to solve environmental problems They trust in the resourcefulness of humans They believe that humans are able to control nature They believe that scientific thinking and scientific research is important in making public policy Extreme technocentrists are referred to as ‘ cornucopians ’. They believe that the world has infinite resources to support a growing population and that this is achievable through a free-market and reliance on technology

7. Anthropocentrism Anthropo centrists would include aspects of both ecocentrism and technocentrism and in their worldview They would view humans as managers rather than controllers of nature They believe that population control is as important as use of natural capital They believe that government has an important role to play in regulating human action in relation to the environment Silent Running , 1972

8. Religion The Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Islam and Judaism) set out a concept of ‘dominion’ and ‘stewardship’ of nature in the Book of Genesis This is an extreme version of anthropocentrism in which nature has value in terms of its usefulness to humans and the pleasure and profit it can provide However, a belief in creationism also endows the responsibility on humans to look after God’s creation It could be argued that this is a religious responsibility rather than a moral one

9. Deep-Ecology A school of philosophy (ethics) founded by Norwegian intellectual Arne Næss(1912-2009) He believed humans should do nothing unless they are fully aware of the outcomes of an action and can take responsibly for it He was profoundly influenced by Gandhi and the book ‘Silent Spring’ by Rachel Carson

10. Deep-Ecology The tenets of deep-ecology are: The well being of human and non-human life has no value in itself which is independent of the usefulness of the non-human world to humans The richness and diversity of life contributes to these values Humans have no right to reduce this richness and diversity except to satisfy vital needs For human (and non-human) life to flourish a substantial reduction in human population is required Human interference with the non-human world is excessive A substantial change in world policy is needed in terms of economics, technology and ideology Humans should appreciate the quality of life rather than aspire towards higher standards of living People with ecocentric views need to constantly work to make these changes to improve the well-being of the Earth

11. Environmental philosophy and decision-making Many of the issues covered in the course require public policy decision-making The decisions made by politicians may depend on their own philosophies and those of others that influence them We can discuss a few case-studies here: Water demand and exploitation Climate change Fossil fuel use Ecological footprint

12. Water demand and exploitation Ecocentric view Water should be conserved and recycled so that it can be used sustainably Meters, monitoring and quotas should be imposed on individuals and businesses Technocentric view Water should be freely available now and in the future Innovative methods need to be explored to ensure this (including recycling, desalination, development of crops which require less water) All sources of water should be tapped (including seawater and groundwater) If problems arise from exploitation, technologies can be developed to overcome them

13. Climate change Ecocentric view Limits should be imposed on the consumption of fossil fuels Farming methods need to be modified to reduce our dependence on meat Reforestation is necessary We need to switch to greener sources of energy. (There is some cross-over here with technocentrism ) Technocentric view Technologies can be employed such as ‘artificial trees’ to sequester carbon or fleets of unmanned ships spraying salt water into the atmosphere to increase the Earth’s albedo

14. Fossil Fuels Ecocentric view Carbon dioxide emissions need to be reduced There is a need for alternative energy sources but there is also a role for initiatives such as carbon credits and carbon trading Technocentric view We can continue to develop a high standard of living Greener technologies can be developed so that there is no effect on industrial production These technologies will include ways to sequester existing carbon from the atmosphere and the exploitation of low carbon alternatives Fossil fuels may continue to play a role

15. Ecological Footprint Ecocentric view Humans need to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels and reduce actions which cause pollution or other harm to the biosphere To achieve this a change in lifestyle (certainly in MEDCs ) is required Technocentric view There is no need to change our lifestyle We can all aspire to better standards of living Economic growth, prosperity and scientific advances will achieve this

16. Questions What is an environmental value system . How is it similar to other systems we have looked at earlier in the course Define technocentrism , ecocentrism and anthropocentrism . Discuss how environmental philosophies may affect decision-making by politicians.