Clare Roth.
Page 275 - 282
Arguments about Global Warming
Nonhuman reason for global warming –
1. Natural Phenomena
a. Volcanic activity can produce greenhouse gases
b. Methane can be released by animals
c. Sunspot activity
2. Volcanic ash and dust block out solar radiation
3. Earth’s tilt and variation in orbit around the Sun leads to seasonal and regional
changes in temperature.
4. reduced albedo due to position and extent of ice cheets
5. changes in albedo due to variations due to cloud cover
6. ocean currents can lead to warming and cooling
7. natural fluctuations in atmospheric circulation
8. Bush fires can release carbon into the atmosphere.
Complexity of the Problem:
Climate change is very complex because
1. it is a issue on a huge scale: atmosphere, ocean, and land mass
2. interactions between these three factors are many and varied
3. it includes natural as well as anthropogenic forces
4. not all feedback mechanisms are understood
5. many of the processes are a long-term and the impact of changes may not yet
have occurred.
- Global warming could be entirely natural – or it could be anthropogenic – or it
could be a combination of the two.
Uncertainty of climate models:
Climate models can be questioned. It is not even certain that global warming exists, and
whether or not its just natures variations. Those to accept that global warms occurs are
questioned.
Global Dimming:
After 9/11 the temperature rose by an average of 1.1 Celsius.
- Global dimming: the natural phenomenon that air pollution has a cooling effect. It
is possible that global dimming is keeping the average temperature from
increasing.
Personal Viewpoint and Global Warming:
- Your opinion of climate changes depends on your personal views.
o You can argue that global warming a good thing:
 More rain fall in some parts of the earth means, better agriculture
 More habitats will be available for animals because of new niches
 Push evolution to new and exciting directions
 Humans could become more aware of their impact and change
their lifestyles.
 Economic benefits from better productivity because there is more
carbon
 Trade could expand because more routes would open because
polar ice caps would melt
 Most tourist areas could open up and more resources
o Views are influenced by paradigms
 Paradigms are models or templates based on evidence or
experience.
 They come from cultural and ethical standpoints
Contrasting perceptions of Global warming –
Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth
Al Gore won the noble peace prize For efforts to build up and disseminate greater
knowledge about man-made climate change and to lay the foundations for the
measures that are needed to counteract such change.
Bjorn Lomborg, the Sceptical Environmentalist
The sceptical Environmental: measuring the real state of the world argues that
the environmental problems such as overpopulations, global warming, and
biodiversity loss has no statistical analysis and says that they are general because
of poverty. He agrees that global temperature increase can be related to human
activity, but there are a number of uncertainties.
Martin Durkin, The great global warming swindle
It is a documentary that argues against the consensus scientific view that global
warming is likely to be due to and increase in anthropogenic emissions of
greenhouse gases. He does not think global warming is a scam.
Stern Reports
Reports by Nicolas Stern analyzing financial implications of climate change. It
would be cheaper to address the problem than to deal with the consequences.
Some of his main points are floods, diseases, storms, and water shortage will become
more frequent. The poorest countries will suffer the most. Temperature rise will
transform the physical geography of the planet and the way humans live.
Chapter 7
Page 283-297
7.1 Environmental value systems and philosophies
Definitions
Environmental value systems (EVS) is a particular worldwide spread or set of paradigms
that shapes the way of individuals, or group of people, perceive and evaluate
environmental issues.
Ones EVS is shaped by cultural background, economic and socio-political context.
EVS inputs are:
1. education
2. cultural influences
3. religious texts and doctrines
4. the media
EVS outputs are:
1. perspectives
2. decisions on how to act regarding environmental issues
3. Course of action
EVS is divided into technocentrists and ecocentrists with anthropocentrisms in the
middle.
Technocentrists believe that technology with keep pace with and provide solutions to
environmental problems. They approach is sometimes termed a cornucopian view: a
belief in the unending resourcefulness of humans and their ability to control their
environment, leading to an optimistic view about the state of the world.
Ecocentrists are natural-centre and distrust modern large-scale technology; they prefer to
work with natural environmental systems t solve problems, and to d this before problems
get out of control. They see themselves as a subject to nature rather than the control of it.
The see a world with limited resources growth needs to be controlled to that only
beneficial forms occur.
Anthropocentrists include both technocentric and ecocentric viewpoints. This is human
centered worldview that spans the range of the environmental value system.
Biocentric is a view taken by a deep ecology movement holds that all species have an
intrinsic value and that humans are no more important than the other species. \
Holism is the idea that a system cannot be understood just by looking at its components;
it is necessary to look at their interrelationships and the functioning as a while. This
philosophy is at the center of ecocentrism.
Decision-making and Environmentalism
Environmental challenges posed by the extensive use of fossil fuels
- the cornucopian belief in the resourcefulness of humans and their ability to
control their environment would lead to an technocentric solution, where science
is used to find a useful alternative.
- A cornucopian would say that economic systems have a vested interest in being
efficient so the exisiting problems will self-correct given enough time, and that
development will increase standards of living thus increasing demands for healthy
environment.
Approaches of resources managers to increasing demand of water resources
- A technocentric would suggest that future needs can be met by technology,
innovations, and the ability to use untapped reserves. They would support the
transformation of saltwater to freshwater, ice burgh capture and transfer,
wastewater purification, synthetic productions, and cloud seeding.
- A ecocentric would highlight the overuse and missure of water. They support the
idea of water conservation, recycling, and the use of water at the sustainable level.
Methods for reducing acid rain
-ecocentric point of view believes to reduce the use of coal and use less energy
made from fossil fuels. They would reduce the heat in their home & dress accordingly.
They would avoid the use of cars and encourage “reduce, reuse, and recycle.”
-technocentric would argue for the use of alternative technologies and make use it
leads to economic growth.
Attitudes towards ecological deficit
- Ecological deficit relates to the available capacity of a country (the total amount
of biologically productive space in a country.) if the ecological footprint of a
country exceeds the biologically productive area, then the country has a
ecological deficit.
- Ecocentric people see the deficit as evidence that we are not living sustainably,
with economic growth as a cause of the problem.
- Technocentric people stress the importance of technology for addressing the
deficit, economic growth is seen as a solution to the problem.
Developments to the modern environmental movement
Major Landmarks:
1. 1962 Silence Spring was published by Rachel Carson. It is one of the most
influential books for environmental movement. It addressed the widespread
problems of pollution and pesticides.
2. Greenpeace found in the early 1970’s they developed save the whales
campaign and it made the news. Now it is a big movement and now headlines
around the world and set the blueprint for future environmental campaigns.
3. Chernobyl plant in Ukraine exploded. A plume of highly radio active dust was
sent to the atmosphere and feell over an extensive area. The disaster resulted
in the evacuation and resettlement of 336000 people. This lead to cancer and
other health issues.
Environmental Value Systems
A society is an arbitrary group of individuals who share some common
characteristics such as geographical locations, cultural background, historical timeframe,
religious perspective, and value system.
Case Study
Judaeo-Christian and Buddhist societies:
People of different religions have different view on the Environment. In Judaeo-Christian
religions is one of the stewardship, where humans have a role of responsibility towards
the Earth. The Genesis story suggests that God gave the planet to humans as a gift. Other
biblical stories indicate that humanity should make the most of this gift as stewards. In
contrast with the Buddhist approach to the environment, this sees the human being as an
intrinsic part of nature, rather than steward. Buddhism is sometimes seens as an
ecological philosophy (because of its worldwide rather than anything that appears in its
writings, which are not explicitly environmental.) They have respect for all life.
Native Americans and European Pioneers
North Americans saw their environment as communal, and had a subsistence
economy based on barter. Their low-impact technologies meant that they lived in
harmony with the environment- something supported by their animistic religion where all
things have a soul –animals, plants, rocks, ect.
Communist and Capitalist Societies
Communists have been criticized for their poor environmental record. For
example, the buna chemical works in East Germany dumped then times more mercury
into a river. East German sulfur dioxide concentrations were the highest in the world.
Some people believe that the economic principles of communism inevitably lead to
environmental disaster. The communistic ideals of equal distribution of resources with no
profit motive meant that energy, materials, and natural resources, could be mistreated. In
capitalism model is seen by some as being environmentally friendly: the free market
imposes checks-and-balances to ensure sound use of resources in order to maximize
profits.
Personal value systems
Your personal value system determines how to respond to environmental issues.
People act out of hopefulness or fearfulness, if they are enthused or frustrated, motivated
or unmotivated, negative or positive. Two major things influence ones personal values
social influences and personal characteristics. It enables someone to appraise a situation
and emotions. The knowledge someone knows about environmental issues, the greater
depth ones knows the better understanding they have on the issues.