1. Environmental History and Value Systems
Topic 7

2. 7.1.4 – Outline key historical influences on the development of the modern environmental movement
Compare and contrast environmental value systems of two named societies
Justify your personal viewpoint on environmental issues

3. Environmental History
In the US – frontier ethic dominates during 1700’s and 1800’s
A frontier ethic assumes that the earth has an unlimited supply of resources. If resources run out in one area, more can be found elsewhere or alternatively human ingenuity will find substitutes. This attitude sees humans as masters who manage the planet.

4. Environmental History
In 1800’s naturalists begin to voice concern
George Perkins Marsh ( ) – wrote Man and Nature
One of the first works to document the effects of human action on the environment and it helped to launch the modern conservation movement.
Marsh argued that ancient Mediterranean civilizations collapsed through environmental degradation.
Deforestation led to eroded soils that led to decreased soil productivity.
Resulted in establishing national parks and conservation reserves in the US

5. Henry Thoreau ( )
A book titled Walden, published in This account of Thoreau's two years at Walden Pond
Foresaw the rapid exhaustion of natural resources.
He advocated setting aside land to remain forever wild for the benefit of future generations.
He urged federal ownership of outstanding mountain ranges, waterfalls and wilderness, saying, "In wilderness is the preservation of the world."
Largely ignored in his own day
Resulted in establishing national parks and conservation reserves in the US

6. Green Revolution – 1940s – 1970s
Norman Borlaug the "Father of the Green Revolution
Technology in agriculture
Development of high-yielding varieties of cereal grains, expansion of irrigation infrastructure, modernization of management techniques, distribution of hybridized seeds, inorganic fertilizers and pesticides
Increased amount of food production has led to overpopulation worldwide
Pollution, eutrophication, bioaccumulation, desrtification

7. 1949 - Leopold - A Sandy County Almanac
Informal pieces written by him over 40 yr as he traveled through the woodlands of Wisconsin, Iowa, Arizona, Sonora, Oregon, Manitoba, and other places
Writes about the rural Wisconsin landscape, watching a woodcock dance skyward in golden afternoon light, or spying a rough-legged hawk dropping like a feathered bomb on its prey.
Final section - addresses the issues involved in wildlife conservation.
Stresses on the abuse of the land and on what we must do to preserve it
Inspired people to protect the natural resources for their own sake (not just economic benefits)
Environmental stewardship - responsible use and protection of the environment through conservation and sustainable practices. 
Leopold championed environmental stewardship based on a land ethic "We abuse land because we see it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”

8. NGOS – Public Awareness Grows
WWF -  1961 / largest conservation organization
Greenpeace / direct action, lobbying, research
Friends of the Earth – 1969 / initially formed as an anti-nuclear organization

9. 1968 Garret Hardin - Tragedy of the Commons
 Situation where individuals acting independently and rationally according to each other's self-interest behave contrary to the best interests of the whole by depleting some common resource.
"Commons- resources as atmosphere, freshwater, fish stocks or any other shared resource which is not formally regulated
Tragedy of the commons
Who should own nature?

10. 1972 – Club of Rome
Group of academics, civil servants, diplomats, industrialists
Published The Limits to Growth
Examined the consequences of rapidly growing world population on finite natural resources
James Lovelock’s - Gaia
Earth is a living organism, with self-regulatory mechanisms that maintain the climatic and biological condn
Saw human actions upsetting this balance with potentially catastrophic outcomes

11. Summits, UN, IGOs
1972
First Earth Summit – UN Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, Sweden
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 by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature)
Endangered species protected from international trade

12. 1987
Our Common Future published by UN World Commission on Environment and Development
Linked environmental concerns to development
Promote sustainable dev through international collaboration
AKA Brundtland Report
Montreal Protocol
Nations agree to reduce CFC use
1988
IPCC (intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) formed by UNEP (UN environmental programme)
Advises governments of risk of climate change
1992
Rio Earth Summit and Kyoto Protocol
Agenda 21 – achieve sustainable dev
Relationships between human rights, population, social dev, women rights, env issues, change in attitudes
Agreement to reduce carbon emissions to counter enhanced greenhouse effect

13. 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 C emissions to some 15% below expected 2008 emissions. Expires 2012

14. 2006
Documentary An Inconvenient Truth
Al Gore 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
Copenhagen, UN Climate Change Conference
Reaffirm need to reduce C emissions. 192 nations represented
2015
2015 Paris Climate Conference
Achieved a legally binding and universal agreement on climate with the aim of keeping global warming below 2°C.
1st and 2nd Red alert for smog in China
Half the city’s cars will be forced off the road on any given day, while barbecue grills and other outdoor smoke sources will be banned and factory production restricted. Schools will close and residents advised to avoid outdoor activities.

15. Sometimes we get a wake up call
Describe the event, when they occurred, and how they are significant to the modern environmental movement.
Bhopal: the Union Carbide gas leak
Chernobyl: Nuclear power plant explosion
Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring”
Minamata Bay Disaster
The Love Canal chemical waste dump
Save the Whale Campaign and Greenpeace

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

17. 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

18. Now?
Contained not
Cleaned

19. 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

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

23. Extinct
Critically Endangered
Endangered
Vulnerable
Lower Risk (Conservation Dependent)
Lower risk (Near Threatened)
Lower Risk (Least Concern)
None*
Blue Whale (ANTARCTIC)[48]
Gray Whale Northwest Pacific population (cf. Northeast Pacific population)[49]
Blue Whale[50]
Fin Whale[51]
North Pacific Right Whale[52]
North Atlantic Right Whale[53]
Sei Whale[54]
Beluga[55]
Blue Whale musculus subspecies - Atlantic population[56]
Sperm Whale[57]
Antarctic Minke Whale
Arnoux's Beaked Whale
Baird's Beaked Whale
Blue Whale(North Pacific)[58]
Bowhead Whale[59]
Gray Whale Northeast Pacific population[60]
Northern Bottlenose Whale
Southern Bottlenose Whale
Short-finned Pilot Whale
Southern Right Whale[61]
Minke Whale[62]
Dwarf Sperm Whale[63]
Pygmy Right Whale
Long-finned Pilot Whale
Humpback Whale[64]
Pygmy Sperm Whale[65]
Melon-headed Whale
Gray Whale (species)[62]
Atlantic population of Gray Whale went extinct in late 17th Century. It is not listed as a part of IUCN's red list. [41]

24. 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

26. 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

27. 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

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

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

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

32. 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 ~

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

35. 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

36. Sites of interest
- Bush 2’s environmental record