Environmental Worldviews, Ethics, and Sustainability

1
Environmental Worldviews, Ethics, and
Sustainability
G. Tyler Millers Living in the Environment 14th
Edition Chapter 28
2
Key Concepts

• Human-centered worldview

• Life-centered worldviews

• Earth-centered worldviews

• Ethical guidelines to work with the Earth

• Living more sustainably

3
Environmental Worldviews in Industrial Societies

• Environmental worldviews

• Individual-centered

• Earth-centered

• Human-centered

• Life-centered

• Ecosystem-centered

4
Environmental Worldviews
Fig. 28-2 p. 632
5
Ethical Principles

• Universalism
• Utilitarianism
• Consequentialism
• Relativism
• Rationalism
• Nihilism

6
Values

• Instrumental (utilitarian) value

• Intrinsic (inherent) value

• Anthropocentric worldview

• Biocentric worldview

7
Planetary Management Worldview

• Humans are the most important species

• Manage Earth for our benefit

• Industrial-consumer societies

• Nature has instrumental value

8
Variations on Planetary Management

• No-problem school

• Free-market school

• Responsible planetary management school

• Spaceship-Earth school

• Stewardship school

9
Life-Centered Environmental Worldviews

• Humans should not cause the premature extinction
  of species

• Protect species endangered by human activities

• Protect species because of their intrinsic value

10
Earth-Centered Environmental Worldviews

• Ecocentric worldview

• Emphasis on preserving functioning ecosystems

• Humans are part of ecological processes

11
Environmental Wisdom Worldview

• Humans are part of nature

• We are not in charge of the biosphere

• Live sustainably by mimicking nature

• Human success depends on learning how Earth
  systems work and applying what we learn

• Deep ecology

12
Solutions Living More Sustainably

• Develop respect for all life

• Understand nature and apply the lessons

• Understand our impacts on the biosphere

• Develop critical thinking skills

• Evaluate our worldviews and lifestyles

• Strive to make the world a better place

13
Environmental Education

• Where do things I consume come from?

• What do I know about the place where I live?

• How am I connected to the Earth and other living
  things?

• What are my purpose and responsibility as a human
  being?

14
Major Components of the Environmental Revolution

• Biodiversity protection revolution

• Efficiency revolution

• Solar-hydrogen revolution

• Pollution protection revolution

• Sufficiency revolution

• Demographic revolution

• Economic and political revolution