MAN VS EARTH YOUTUBE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrzbRZn5Ed4
Topic 1: Foundations of
Environmental Systems
and Societies
Environmental Value Systems (EVS)
What is an EVS?
 A worldview that shapes the way people
perceive and evaluate environmental issues.
 Influenced by cultural, economic and soicio-
political factors.
 In this topic, we will look at the environmental
philosophies of individuals and communities
 You should recognize and appreciate that others
may have equally valid viewpoints.
 You will also justify your own personal viewpoint.
 Environmental Philosophies
1. Ecocentrism – Nature Centered
 Puts ecology and nature as central to humanity
 It is a nature-centered value system that views people as being under nature’s control
rather than in control of it
 Proposes that humans know very little about living things and their complex
relationships, therefore can’t possibly manage it
 It emphasizes a less materialistic approach to life with greater self-sufficiency
 They foresee a limit to the Earth’s resources
 Humans are no more important than any other species
Ecocentrism spectrum:

A) self-reliant soft ecologists

 Believe small-scale, local and individual actions can
make a difference (ex: recycling)

B) Deep Ecologists
 Value nature over humanity
 Nature has values and rights that humans should not
interfere with
 Believe human populaitons should decrease so that
humans consume less of the Earth’s resources
Environmental Philosophies
2. Anthropocentrism – People Centered
 A human-centred value system that places humans as the central species and
assesses the environment from an exclusively human perspective
 Humans are responsible for sustainable global systems through control of population
and resource use
 Common viewpoint in MEDCs
 Anthropocentrism spectrum:
A) Soft ecologists
B) Environmental managers
 See the world like a garden
 Believe that economic growth and resource exploitation can continue if adjustments are made to
policies (taxes, laws, compensations)
 Environmental Philosophies
3. Technocentrism – technology centred
 technology-based value system that believes the
brain power of humans will enable us to control the
environment
 Technology can fix all problems, even if humans
push resources to the limit
 Technocentrism spectrum:
A) Environmental managers
B) Cornucopians
 View the world as a place with infinite resources to benefit
humans
 Growth will provide wealth to improve everyone’s lives
In summary…
Ecocentric: Anthropo/Technocentric:
 The Earth is here for all species  We are the Earth’s most important
 species so we are in charge
Resources are limited
 There will always be more resources
 We should manage growth so that
to exploit.
only beneficial forms occur
 We will control and manage these
 We must work with the Earth, not
resources and be successful
against it
 We can solve any pollution problem
 We need the Earth more than it
that we cause
needs us
 Economic growth is good
 Whatever we do, we can solve it
Page 14 ‘to do’ assignment
 Open your workbooks
Ecocentric Antropocentric /
Technocentric
 Animal rights
 Belief in Technology  Intervening
 Capitalism  Nurturing
 Consumerism  Preservation
 Earth-Centered  Managerial
 Ecology  Preservation
 Economy  Seeking progress
 Human-Centered  Seeking stability
 Utilitarian
View the videos A through H. Decide where each of them lie on the
environmental philosophies continuum presented in 1.1.2.
A. Matt Ridley—The Natural Optimist
B. Going Green—Militant bicyclists and more
C. Rush Limbaugh blasts a Global Warming caller
D. Bjorn Lomborg talks about Al Gore overselling Climate Change
E. Taking the Heat - A Silver Lining - Geoengineering a Brighter Cloud
F. Life in a Russian Eco-village
G. 7 Years After An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore May Actually Be Winning
H. Satish Kumar explains the meaning of Deep Ecology
Day 2
Environmental Worldview
 Influenced by: your background, culture, education, and society in
which you live.
 Your paradigm or worldview affects how you view environmental issues
and you have already made various assumptions based on your values
and attitudes.
Premise: Sea-level rise is a major problem.
 How would someone in Oklahoma’s view of sea-level rise differ from someone
in Virginia that lives on the coast? What could affect each person’s worldview
on this issue?
 To do
 Discuss the view that the environment can have its own intrinsic value
 Resources can be valued in several ways; Economic: Having marketable goods and services
(timber, food)
 Ecological: Providing life support services (gas exchange by forests)
 Scientific: useful applications (medicines)

 ​These are examples of resources being valued ¨instrumentally¨.

 Resources can also be valued ¨intrinsically¨. This means that a resource is valued for its
cultural, esthetic, spiritual or philosophical (moral) value and are valued regardless of their
potential use to humans.
 Do you agree? Disagree?
 Have you ever had a profound experience with nature?
 Have you ever been disgusted by human activities on nature?
 Have you ever wished nature would succeed in a certain instance, even if it meant disrupting humans?
Compare contrasting EVS’s

 Trump vs Obama
 Communism and capitalism vs Aboriginal vs Christianity and Islam, and
Buddhism (p. 15 course companion)
 Compare the approach of a technocentrist and an ecocentrist to the
problem of carbon dioxide emissions.
To do
 Write a paragraph on your own personal views on environmental systems.
Reflect upon where you stand on the continuum of environmental philosophies
with regard to specific issues arising throughout the syllabus
 population control
 resource exploitation
 sustainable development
 any other ideas you feel important
U.1.1 Significant historical influences on the development of the
environmental movement have come from literature, the media, major
environmental disasters, international agreements and technological
developments
 Significant historical influences on the development of the environmental
movement have come from literature, the media, major environmental
disasters, international agreements and technological development.
 We will be discussing the following 4 environmental incidents, and you will
independently research and share several more

 Rachel Carson’s Silent  UN’s Earth Summit

Spring  Chernobyl Nuclear accident
 Bhopal Gas Tragedy
1. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring
 In 1962 American biologist Rachel Carson’s influential book
Silent Spring was published
 Carson wrote about the harmful effects of pesticides and
made a case against the chemical pollution of natural
systems
 The book led to widespread concerns about the use of
pesticides in crop production and the consequent pollution
of the natural environment

https://www.youtub
e.com/watch?v=Ipb
c-6IvMQI
Pay special
attention to what
she says at ~10min
mark
2. Bhopal Gas Tragedy
 On December 2/3, 1984 the Union Carbide pesticide plant in the Indian city of
Bhopal released 42 tonnes of toxic methyl isocyanate gas
 The release was caused by one of the tanks involved with processing the gas
overheating and bursting. Some 500 000 people were exposed to the gas
 It has been estimated that between 8000 and 16 000 people died within the first
72 hours following the exposure, and that up to 25 000 have died since from gas-
related disease. Approximately 560 000 people suffered non-fatal injuries.
 Studied and reported long term health effects are:
 Eyes: Chronic conjunctivitis, scars on cornea, corneal
opacities, early cataracts
 Respiratory tracts: Obstructive and/or restrictive
disease, pulmonary fibrosis, aggravation of TB and
chronic bronchitis
 Neurological system: Impairment of memory, finer
motor skills, numbness etc.
 Psychological problems: Post traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD)
 Children’s health: Peri- and neonatal death rates
increased. Failure to grow, intellectual impairment, etc.
 Reproductive health: can damage growing fetus. May
cause infertility in men and women. Toxins can be
found in breastmilk.
3. UN’s Earth Summit
 The publication of Our Common
Future and the work of the WCED
provided the groundwork for the UN’s Earth Summit in Rio in 1992
 The summit’s message was that nothing less than a change in our attitudes and
behaviour towards environmental issues would bring about the necessary changes
 The conference led to the adoption of Agenda 21 which is a blueprint for action to
achieve sustainable development worldwide
4. Chernobyl Nuclear Accident
 On April 26, 1986 a nuclear reactor at the Chernobyl plant in the Ukraine
exploded
 A cloud of highly radioactive dust was sent into the atmosphere and fell over an
extensive area. Large areas of the Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia were badly
contaminated.
 The disaster resulted in the evacuation and resettlement of over 336 000 people.
The fallout caused increased incidence of cancers in the most exposed areas
 The incident raised issues covering the safety of nuclear power stations
Timeline:
13. 1980: World Conservation Strategy;
Friends of the Earth begins confrontatio
1. 1948: IUCN Founded nal protests
2. 1952:
14. 1984:
Great Smog in London kills 4,00
Bhopal Disaster 3,000-4,000 die due to
0, caused by coal burning durin explosion of pesticide factory in India
g cold winter
3. 1956: Minamata 15. 1986: Chernobyl disaster
deaths from mercury pollution i 16. 1991:
n food chain One million tonnes of crude oil dumped
4. 1958: into Persian Gulf at end of Gulf War
Start of UN Law of the Sea 17. 1992 Rio Earth Summit
5. 1961: WWF Founded 18. 1997: Kyoto Protocol
6. 1962: 19. 2005:
Rachel Carson publishes //Silent Hurricane Katrina hits US Gulf Coast
Spring//
7. 1969: 20. 2006:
Al Gore's //An Inconvenient Truth//
Cuyahoga river catches fire due
to ignition of oil and chemical po 21. 2007:
llution Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch disc
8. 1970 overed
James Lovelock's Gaia Hypothes 22. 2010: Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
is
Day 3
Film – Rise of Ecology
Day 4 & 5