Environmental Movement and Value Systems: Main Approaches and Historical Influences

Environmental Movement

A social and political movement that seeks to protect and improve the quality of the environment.

Environmental Value System

A worldview that shapes the way an individual or group of people perceive environmental issues. This will be influenced by cultural, religious, economic and socio-political context.

• Conservationist: Their emphasis was on the sustainable use of the environment and the management of its resources to allow for future development.

• Preservationist: They advocate for the preservation of land and its resources in pristine untouched condition.

EVS Main Approaches

• Ecocentric (nature centred): They say that humans need to work within natural systems to conserve the ecological processes on which all life depends. Inside the ecocentric view there are two sides.

• Deep ecologists: It is an approach that considers the human being as part of the land in which he lives and that is why he must take care of it.

• Soft ecologist: They believe that humans can extract resources from the nature but controlling and balancing ourselves. They believe that if we take a resource of the nature for our benefit, we have to return it.

• Anthropocentric (people centred): They believe that humans need to manage the global system in a sustainable way. Through the use of government regulation as paying taxes.

• Technocentric (technology centred): Their view is that technology will provide solution to environmental problem even if humans effects are pushing natural systems.

• Cornucopians: Believe that humans can afford any situation.

Environmental managers: Consider the earth as a garden

• Historical Influences

  • WWF: world wide fund for nature

  • Silent Spring: Rachel Carson (1962)

    • No birds, DDT (pesticide)

    • Bald Eagles and peregrine falcons in the US

      • *DDT is used to kill the mosquitos that then cause yellow fever, prevents*

  • Minamata Bay disaster in japan (1956-1968)

    • Chisso corporation

    • Mercury and methylmercury in water

    • Fish contaminated → people ate from these fish were contaminated.

  • Chernobyl disaster (1986)

    • Reactor in a power plant exploded

    • Radioactive particles sent into the atmosphere

    • Areas contaminated: Ukraine, Belarus and Russia.

    • Evacuation - still exposed and under exclusion