Download Deep ecology - School

• Environmental Issues — 15 hours
•
Environmental crisis — knowledge of the nature and
development of the global environmental crisis, and
climate change in particular; awareness of the
environment debate, including the view that recent
global warming is caused by increased solar activity
and not by carbon dioxide emissions which arise from
pollution.
• The global commons — the ‘tragedy of the commons’
shows how communities over-exploit shared
environmental resources; the depletion of common
resources will occur as long as people are self-serving,
and unilateral acts of restraint such as reducing CO2
emissions are insufficient to tackle the problem.
• Sustainability — awareness of competing views on
how best to tackle the environment problem.
The environmental crisis
Some heat
is lost to
space
Incoming
heat
energy
from the
sun.
Some
heat is
reflected
up from
the
earth’s
surface.
Some heat is
absorbed by the
ground
Some heat is
trapped in our
atmosphere
by
greenhouse
gases.
• C
• General Studies climate change sheets
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/837628
6.stm
Other Environmental Issues
• Draw a spider diagram of other
environmental issues
• Presentation on
•
‘Tragedy of the commons’ - threat to 'global commons' (tension between private good and
collective good, between national interest and global well-being0); global commons despoiled
(water, forests, energy resources, the atmosphere, animals, etc); 'free rider' problem (how to
persuade private bodies/states to address public/global problems?).
•
• Reformist/modernist ecology – balance between modernization (economic growth;
industrialization, etc) and ecology ('modernist
ecology');shallow’/humanist/anthropocentricecologism;sustainable development (future
generations entitled to at least the same living
standards as present generation; 'weak' sustainability (technology and human capital
compensates for natural capital); reliance of markets ('green capitalism', etc) and human
ingenuity (science, technology and innovation).
• Radical ecology – environmental degradation stems from deeper, structural problems; problem
of 'industrialism' (large-scale production, the accumulation of capital, relentless growth;
modernization is the problem); capitalism underpins industrialism ('green capitalism' a
contradiction in terms, etc); need to reject consumerist and materialist values (source of
'growthism' and block to serious environmental politics; 'strong' sustainability (social ecology,
deep ecology).
Tragedy of the Commons
• This was a title of an article by Garrett Hardin in 1968, however, now
the phrase is more commonly used to name the effect which it
describes. It explains what can happen when a number of people or
players share a common resource. This could be the fish in the sea,
common grazing land or the atmosphere. Each player is presumed
to act rationally and in his own interest.
• Let’s take the example of the common grazing land. If there are ten
different farmers on this land then there is an incentive to add one
more cow to your herd as you gain all of the benefit of this extra cow
and you only have to suffer 1/10 of the cost resulting from the
increased degradation of the land. Thus although it is in each
individual’s self interest to increase the size of your herd, in the long
run the land is exhausted.
• This concept can be transferred to the other examples. With CO2
emission, it is in each countries own interest to emit more as growth
will be increased, as shown by Japan. However, in the future growth
will be damaged as drought and disease spread to higher latitudes
and all the other consequences of global warming take effect.
• Fish stocks, most notably the North Sea in recent years, have
declined. Without government intervention, there is an incentive for
individual fishermen to catch as much as possible. Now we are
seeing the consequences in the declining stocks. In this case, the
tragedy could easily have been stopped as factors such as fish net
size and amount caught and brought back can be monitored
effectively, and thus regulated via taxes and laws. However, there
are more difficulties with the punishment and monitoring of
emissions due to the atmosphere being a global resource – unlike
the common land and indeed the fish stocks which will be found in
• Make a spider diagram of current
examples of the Tragedy of the Commons
• http://co2now.org/
• Current day explanation with Case Study
data of Tragedy of The Commons
•
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countri
es_by_carbon_dioxide_emissions
Deep Ecology
•
Deep ecology is a contemporary ecological philosophy that claims to
recognize the inherent worth of other beings aside from their utility. The
philosophy emphasizes the interdependent nature of human and nonhuman life as well as the importance of the ecosystem and natural
processes. It provides a foundation for the environmental, ecology and
green movements and has fostered a new system of environmental ethics.
•
Deep ecology's core principle is the belief that, like humanity, the living
environment as a whole has the same right to live and flourish. Deep
ecology describes itself as "deep" because it persists in asking deeper
questions concerning "why" and "how" and thus is concerned with the
fundamental philosophical questions about the impacts of human life as one
part of the ecosphere, rather than with a narrow view of ecology as a branch
of biological science, and aims to avoid merely anthropocentric
environmentalism, which is concerned with conservation of the environment
only for exploitation by and for humans purposes, which excludes the
fundamental philosophy of deep ecology. Deep ecology seeks a more
holistic view of the world we live in and seeks to apply to life the
understanding that separate parts of the ecosystem (including humans)
function as a whole.
• The eight points are as follows:
1. The well-being and flourishing of human and non-human
life on Earth have value in themselves (synonyms:
intrinsic value, inherent worth). These values are
independent of the usefulness of the non-human world
for human purposes.
2. Richness and Diversity of life forms contribute to the
realization of these values and are also values in
themselves.
3. Humans have no right to reduce this richness and
diversity except to satisfy vital needs.
4. The flourishing of human life and cultures is compatible
with a substantially smaller human population. The
flourishing of non-human life requires a smaller human
population.
5. Present human interference with the non-human
world is excessive, and the situation is rapidly
worsening.
6. Policies must therefore be changed. These policies
affect basic economic,technological, and ideological
structures. The resulting state of affairs will be
deeply different from the present.
7. The ideological change will be mainly that of
appreciating life quality (dwelling in situations of
inherent value) rather than adhering to an
increasingly higher standard of living. There will be a
profound awareness of the difference between
bigness and greatness.
8. Those who subscribe to the foregoing points have an
obligation directly or indirectly to try to implement
the necessary changes.
(Naess. A, 1989: 29 & Naess in Sessions. G, 1995: 68)
• How would deep ecology work in practice
what policies could be enacted?
• What are the barriers to deep ecology?
Shallow/Modernist Ecology
• Often referred to as reformist or modernist ecology. It is
essentially an anthropocentric philosophy as it is concerned with
conservation of the environment only for exploitation by and for
humans purposes. It allows for a balance to be struck between
modernization/industrialisation and ecology (hence modernist
ecology).
• Modernist ecology does take sustainability into account but it is often
termed ‘Weak sustainability’. This is the kind of sustainability pushed
by the Bruntland report, and the Rio Earth Summit, which either
argues that Sustainability should be secondary to economic
concerns, or that sustainability can be achieved with a growth
economy, without recognising that that growth is intricately linked to
environmental destruction.
• Weak sustainability assumes that different forms of capital (Natural,
man made, social, financial etc) are substitutable with one another,
therefore sustainability is achieved even if all natural capital is
replaced with man made capital.
• Examples
Chronology of environmental
issues on the international agenda
• P354 Globa
International co-operation on
climate Change
• Page 361-364
• Read through together and highlight
• Chronology of Climate Change legislation
Kyoto
• Strengths
Weaknesses
Copenhagen
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8278973.stm
• What was the net result?
• Why did it fail?
• Why is finding agreement on climate change so
difficult?
• Articles
Solutions to Climate Change
• 'Solutions' to climate change – reformist solutions
(modest GHG emission targets, allowing for economic
growth; 'green' technology to create a carbon-neutral
economy; market solutions ('green' consumerism; 'green'
taxes; emissions trading, etc); ‘adaptation’ strategies
rather than ‘mitigation’ strategies, etc); radical solutions
(tougher commitment to ‘mitigation’ (substantial and
legally-binding cuts in GHG emissions); restructuring of
economy (greatly increased government intervention);
tackling consumerism and materialism (steady-state
economy, etc).
• A3 Sheet Solution + evaluation
Reformist (Shallow)
Radical (Deep)
GHG targets
• UK’s status
• http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/wh
at_we_do/lc_uk/lc_uk.aspx
• EU
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6944
212.stm
• Usa
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8378890.stm
Emissions Trading (Cap and Trade/ a form of Carbon
pricing)
• Greenhouse gas emissions – a new commodity Parties
with commitments under the Kyoto Protocol (Annex B
Parties) have accepted targets for limiting or
reducing emissions. These targets are expressed as
levels of allowed emissions, or “assigned amounts,”
over the 2008-2012 commitment period. The allowed
emissions are divided into “assigned amount units”
(AAUs). Emissions trading, as set out in Article 17 of
the Kyoto Protocol, allows countries that have
emission units to spare - emissions permitted them
but not "used" - to sell this excess capacity to
countries that are over their targets.
Thus, a new commodity was created in the form of
emission reductions or removals. Since carbon dioxide
is the principal greenhouse gas, people speak simply of
trading in carbon. Carbon is now tracked and traded
like any other commodity. This is known as the
"carbon market."
Technology to the rescue
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/792161
9.stm
Green Taxes
• http://www.telegraph.co.uk/7937911/Busin
ess-facing-a-wave-of-green-taxes.html
• http://www.libdems.org.uk/news_detail.asp
x?title=Green_tax_switch_essential_to_ta
ckling_Climate_Change_%E2%80%93_H
orwood_&pPK=872e476b-d7aa-4dc0b0d6-2a4be21b5fd1
Adaptation
• http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/clima
te/adapting/
Radical Policies
• Steady State Economy
• Restructuring of the economy
• Legally binding and more severe cuts in
GHG
•
•
Climate change
• Cause of climate change – debate about the existence of global warming, but much reduced
since about 2004-05 (growing scientific consensus); 'debate about the causes of climate change
(anthropocentric or non-anthropocentric?); the ‘greenhouse effect' (existence in the atmosphere of
GHGs (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) that absorb and emit infrared radiation from
the ground, trapping-in heat from the sun), etc.
•
• Progress of international cooperation on climate change – 1988 establishment of IPCC; 1992
Rio'Earth Summit' (endorses 'sustainable development' and establishes UN Framework
Convention 12 on Climate Change (UNFCCC); 1997 Kyoto Protocol and its implications
(strengths and weaknesses of Kyoto; legally binding targets for develop countries; developed 'cap
and trade'approach; necessary basis for further action, etc vs unambitious targets; developing
states no included (China and India); USA remained outside; loopholes in emissions trading
process, etc; 2009 Copenhagen conference and its implications (strengths and weaknesses of
Copenhagen;developing countries and USA part of the process, etc vs absence of legally-binding
national targets and global targets, weak commitments, etc); obstacles to effective international
cooperation (state interest vs collective good; differences between developed world and
developing world; changing balance of global power (rise of China); economic 'costs' of tacking
climate change, global financial crisis, etc).
•
• 'Solutions' to climate change – reformist solutions (modest GHG emission targets, allowing for
economic growth; 'green' technology to create a carbon-neutral economy; market solutions
('green' consumerism; 'green' taxes; emissions trading, etc); ‘adaptation’ strategies rather than
‘mitigation’ strategies, etc); radical solutions (tougher commitment to ‘mitigation’ (substantial
and legally-binding cuts in GHG emissions); restructuring of economy (greatly increased
government intervention); tackling consumerism and materialism (steady-state economy, etc).