Environmental History and Value Systems

1. Environmental History and Value Systems 7.1.1-7.1.6 Videos – The Lorax

2. 7.1.1 – State what is meant by an environmental value system • 7.1.2 – Outline the range of environmental philosophies with reference • 7.1.3 – Discuss how these philosophies influence the decision-making process with respect to environmental issues covered in this course • 7.1.4 – Outline key historical influences on the development of the modern environmental movement • 7.1.5 - Compare and contrast environmental value systems of two named societies • 7.1.6 - Justify your personal viewpoint on environmental issues

3. Environmental History • In the US – frontier ethic dominates during 1700’s &1800’s • In 1800’s naturalists begin to voice concern • John James Audubon – painted birds and sparked interest • Henry David Thoreau – writer and naturalist who lived on Walden pond for 2 years • George Perkins Marsh (1801-1882) – wrote Man and Nature 1st discussion of humans as agents of environmental change

4. Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) – 17.4 million acres of land protected • 1872 – Yellowstone NP established  world’s first NP • John Muir (1838-1914) est. Yosemite, Sequoia NPs and Sierra Club • Aldo Leopold (1886-1948) – Naturalist – A sand county almanac • Rachel Carson (1907-1964) – Silent Spring • Garrett Hardin (1968) – Tragedy of the Commons • Paul Ehrlich (1968) – Population Bomb

5. Interactive timeline • http://blog.longnow.org/2007/08/10/environmental-history-timeline/

6. Environmental History of U.S. in the last 30 years

7. Top 10: Anthropogenic Environmental Disasters • Sometimes we get a wake up call 1.Bhopal: the Union Carbide gas leak2.Chernobyl: Russian nuclear power plant explosion3.Seveso: Italian dioxin crisis4.The 1952 London smog disaster5.Major oil spills of the 20th and 21st century6.The Love Canal chemical waste dump7.The Baia Mare cyanide spill8.The European BSE crisis9.Spanish waste water spill10.The Three Mile Island near nuclear disaster • http://www.lenntech.com/environmental-disasters.htm

8. Bhopal disaster (1984, India) • Union Carbidepesticide plant released 42 tonnes of toxic methyl isocyanate gas  500,000 exposed, 8,000 dead within a week, >16,000 dead since

9. Chernobyl Meltdown (1986 Ukraine) Reactor tests conducted Required shutdown of safety systems Cooling system failure Leading to meltdown Explosion releasing radioactive cloud Permanent evacuation in 30 km radius Eventual deaths 8,000- 400,000

10. Now? Contained not Cleaned

11. Mercury and Minamata • 1950’s Japan • Suddenly people develop acute mercury poisoning – numbness, muscle weakness, coma death • Minamata disease – 2,300 officially recognized victims • Chisso corporation dumping methyl mercury into local bay • Biomagnification of Hg through food chain into people

14. Whaling • Historically hunted for blubber, whale oil • Now hunted for meat • International Whaling commission forms in 1946 – moratorium in 1986 • Now whaling by Inuits & Norway & Iceland (legitimate?) & Japan (Scientific?)

15. Atlantic population of Gray Whale went extinct in late 17th Century. It is not listed as a part of IUCN's red list. [41]

16. Once we’re awake (aware) • Growth of environmental pressure groups – Greenpeace, Sea Sheppard • Function locally and globally • Development of Environmental Stewardship • Increased media coverage  increased awareness of issues

18. These events • Help us to establish our environmental value systems • This is a world view or set of paradigms that shapes the way an individual or group perceives and evaluates environmental issues • Influenced by cultural, religious, economic and socio-political factors

19. Environmental Values as a system • Input – education, cultural dogma, religious doctrines, media • Transfers and Transformations – Processing of information, thinking, discussion, regurgitation • Outputs – decisions, perspectives, courses of action

20. Value Systems can be Grouped into a spectrum Of Philosophies Know / Understand figure 6 Be able to outline the range

21. Ecocentrism Anthropocentrism Technocentrism Deep Ecologists Soft Ecologists Environmental Managers Cornucopians The continuum

22. Pick a world view and from that standpoint describe what you see

23. The influence of these philosophies • We will look back to this as we move forward in the course • Some examples look to our presidents • Carter  progressive environmental policy to get us off of oil • Reagan  crushes solar energy industry • Bush 1  reauthorized clean air act but Gulf war was one of the worst environmental disasters in history • Clinton  good – increased preserve area, pollution standards; bad – NAFTA, subsidizing SUV era of US automakers • Bush 2  Works to weaken environmental regulations on businesses – loosening scrubber requ. • Obama  Blocks mountain top coal mining

24. Historical Clashes of Worldviews • Native Americans (first nation americans) vs. European Pioneers • Buddhist vs. Judeo-christian Societies • Communist vs. capitalist societies

26. Native Americans • Deep respect for the natural world • Thought of themselves as part of it not lords over it • Much of their religion was tied to nature so spiritual connection as well Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realize we cannot eat money. ~ Cree Indian Proverb ~

27. European Pioneers • Frontier economics • Exploitation of seemingly unlimited resources • Becomes Manifest destiny – expansion not only good but obvious and certain

29. Justify your personal viewpoint on environmental issues • -Where do you stand on the continuum of philosophies? • Does it change with the specific issue • For example does your stance on population control put you in the same area as your stance on resource exploitation or sustainable development • We will answer this question again at the end of the course as well

30. Sites of interest • http://www.foxriverwatch.com/nrda/bush_record.html - Bush 2’s environmental record