Environmental Worldviews, Ethics, and Sustainability

1
Chapter 26

• Environmental Worldviews, Ethics, and
  Sustainability

2
Chapter Overview Questions

• What philosophies and religions can help us
  decide how to value life and distinguish between
  right and wrong environmental behavior?
• What human-centered environmental worldviews
  guide most industrial societies?
• What are some life-centered and earth-centered
  environmental worldviews?
• How can we live more sustainably?

3
Updates Online

• The latest references for topics covered in this
  section can be found at the book companion
  website. Log in to the books e-resources page at
  www.thomsonedu.com to access InfoTrac articles.
• InfoTrac The ethical dilemma of genetically
  modified food. Valeria Jefferson. Journal of
  Environmental Health, July-August 2006 v69 i1
  p33(2).
• InfoTrac Putting a Price Tag on the Planet. Lila
  Guterman. The Chronicle of Higher Education,
  April 7, 2006 v52 i31.
• InfoTrac THE GREEN MACHINE. Marc Gunther.
  Fortune, August 7, 2006 v154 i3 p42 .
• Scientific American Soccer Goes Green
• The Earth Charter Initiative
• Common Vision

4
Core Case Study Biosphere 2 - A Lesson in
Humility

• Biosphere 2, was designed to be self sustaining
  life-supporting system for eight people sealed in
  the facility in 1991. The experiment failed
  because of a breakdown in its nutrient cycling
  systems.

Figure 26-1
5
ENVIRONMENTAL WORLDVIEWS AND VALUES

• Your environmental worldview encompasses
• How you think the world works.
• What you believe your environmental role in the
  world should be.
• What you believe is right and wrong environmental
  behavior.

6
ENVIRONMENTAL WORLDVIEWS AND VALUES

• Environmental worldviews lie on a continuum.

Figure 26-2
7

More holistic
More atomistic
Biosphere- or Earth-centered
Ecosystem-centered
Biocentric (life-centered)
Anthropocentric (human-centered)
Intrinsic values play bigger role
Instrumental values play bigger role
Planetary management
Self-centered
Stewardship
Environmental wisdom
Fig. 26-2, p. 616
8
HUMAN-CENTERED AND LIFE-CENTERED ENVIRONMENTAL
WORLDVIEWS

• The major difference among environmental
  worldviews is the emphasis they put on the role
  of humans dealing with environmental problems.
• Some view that humans are the planets most
  important species and should become managers or
  stewards of the earth.

9

Environmental Worldviews
Planetary Management We are apart from the
rest of nature and can manage nature to meet
our increasing needs and wants. Because of
our ingenuity and technology we will not run out
of resources. The potential for economic
growth is essentially unlimited. Our success
depends on how well we manage the earth's life
support systems mostly for our benefit.
Stewardship We have an ethical responsibility
to be caring managers, or stewards, of the
earth. We will probably not run out of
resources, but they should not be wasted. We
should encourage environmentally beneficial
forms of economic growth discourage
environmentally harmful forms. Our success
depends on how well we manage the earth's life
support systems for our benefit and for the
rest of nature.
Environmental Wisdom We are a part of and
totally dependent on nature and nature exists
for all species. Resources are limited, should
not be wasted, and are not all for us. We
should encourage earth sustaining forms of
economic growth discourage earth degrading
forms. Our success depends on learning how
nature sustains itself and integrating such
lessons from nature into the ways we think and
act.
Fig. 26-3, p. 617
10
Environmental Worldviews An Overview

• Some analysts doubt that we can effectively
  manage the earth because we do not have enough
  knowledge to do so.
• Life-centered and earth-centered environmental
  worldviews believe that we have an ethical
  responsibility to prevent degradation of the
  earths ecosystems, biodiversity, and biosphere.

11
Environmental Worldviews

• Deep ecology calls for us to think more deeply
  about our obligations toward both human and
  nonhuman life.
• Ecofeminist environmental worldview believes that
  women should be given the same rights that men
  have in our joint quest to develop more
  environmentally sustainable and socially just
  societies.

12
Shifts in Environmental Values and Worldviews
Some Encouraging Trends

• Global and national polls reveal a shift towards
  the stewardship, environmental wisdom, and deep
  ecology worldviews.

13
How Would You Vote?

• To conduct an instant in-class survey using a
  classroom response system, access JoinIn Clicker
  Content from the PowerLecture main menu for
  Living in the Environment.
• Which one of the following comes closest to your
  environmental worldview planetary management,
  stewardship, environmental wisdom, deep ecology,
  ecofeminist?
• a. Planetary management
• b. Stewartship
• c. Environmental wisdom
• d. Deep ecology
• e. Ecofeminist
• f. Other

14
Which Worldview Is More Likely to Prove Correct?

• Using images of economic or ecological collapse
  can deter us from preventing or slowing
  environmental degradation.

15
How Would You Vote?

• To conduct an instant in-class survey using a
  classroom response system, access JoinIn Clicker
  Content from the PowerLecture main menu for
  Living in the Environment.
• Do you believe there are physical and biological
  limits to human economic growth?
• a. No. I have faith in human ingenuity and
  creativity.
• b. Depends. Some (but not all) aspects of
  economic growth are limited.
• c. Yes. Ecological economists are generally
  correct.

16
LIVING MORE SUSTAINABLY

• Environmental literate citizens and leaders are
  needed to build more environmentally sustainable
  and socially just societies.
• In addition to formal learning, we need to learn
  by experiencing nature directly.

17
LIVING MORE SUSTAINABLY

• Some affluent people are voluntarily adopting
  lifestyles in which they enjoy life more by
  consuming less.

Figure 26-7
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Biosphere and Ecosystems
Species and Cultures
Individual Responsibility
Help sustain the earths natural capital and
biodiversity
Avoid premature extinction of any species mostly
by protecting and restoring its habitat
Do not inflict unnecessary suffering or pain on
any animal
Do the least possible environmental harm when
altering nature
Use no more of the earths resources than you need
Avoid premature extinction of any human culture
Fig. 26-7, p. 623
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Solutions
Developing Environmentally Sustainable Societies
Guidelines
Strategies
Learn from copy nature
Sustain biodiversity
Eliminate poverty
Do not degrade or deplete the earth's natural
capital, and live off the natural income it
provides
Develop eco-economies
Build sustainable communities
Take no more than we need
Do not use renewable resources faster than nature
can replace them
Do not reduce biodiversity
Use sustainable agriculture
Try not to harm life, air, water, soil
Depend more on locally available renewable energy
from the sun, wind, flowing water, and
sustainable biomass
Do not change the world's climate
Emphasize pollution prevention and waste reduction
Do not overshoot the earth's carrying capacity
Do not waste matter and energy resources
Help maintain the earth's capacity for self-repair
Recycle, reuse, and compost 6080 of matter
resources
Repair past ecological damage
Maintain a human population size such that needs
are met without threatening life support systems
Leave the world in as good a shape asor better
thanwe found it
Emphasize ecological restoration
Fig. 26-6, p. 622
20
LIVING MORE SUSTAINABLY

• We can help make the world a better place by not
  falling into mental traps that lead to denial and
  inaction and by keeping our empowering feelings
  of hope ahead of any immobilizing feeling of
  despair.

21
Living More Lightly on the Earth The
Sustainable Dozen

• Agriculture
• Reduce you meat consumption.
• Buy locally grown and produced food.
• Buy more organic food and grow your own.
• Dont use pesticides.
• Transportation
• Drive an energy-efficient vehicle.
• Walk, bike, carpool, or take mass transit.
• Work at home or live near work.

22
Living More Lightly on the Earth The
Sustainable Dozen

• Home Energy Use
• Caulk leaks, add insulation, use energy efficient
  appliances.
• Try to use solar, wind, flowing water, biomass
  for home energy.
• Water
• Use water-saving showers and toilets, use drip
  irrigation, landscape yard with natural plants
  that do not require excess water.

23
Living More Lightly on the Earth The
Sustainable Dozen

• Resource Consumption
• Reduce your consumption and waste of stuff by at
  least 10 Refuse and Reuse.

Figure 26-5
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LIVING MORE SUSTAINABLY

• The Earth Charter calls for us to respect and
  care for life and biodiversity and to build more
  sustainable, just, democratic, and peaceful
  societies for present and future generations.
• We need hope, a positive vision of the future,
  and commitment to making the world a better place
  to live.