The Concept of Global Environment and Environmental Ideologies

A)  Worldview Concepts of Global Environment:

General overview of Environment:

1.       Phenomena around humankind to the ?surroundings? and/or ?circumstances?

2.       Physical phenomena including biotic and abiotic matters surrounding any living organism

3.       Ideas and beliefs of human relationships with the universe especially their environment

4.       Social phenomena around humankind including politics and economics (Social sciences)

5.       Metaphysical phenomena around humankind cannot be observed by human senses (Theology)

The systemic approach of Environment (Physical Geography)

1.       An entire system of sphere (Earth) consisting four sub-components of Biosphere, Atmosphere, Hydrosphere and Lithosphere

2.       Establishing itself as a self-dependent system

3.       A basic component that build the entire system of sphere (as a valley) that interact and influence to each other

4.       The state of equilibrium, equal input and output among sub-components and sub-sub-components

The ecological approach of Environment (Ecology)

1.       All external influences of temperature and humidity affecting development health and activity of organism

2.       Whole condition and condition surrounding an organism that influence its life, development and survival

3.       All factors or entities consisting, living beings (biotic) and non-living beings (abiotic) which interact with an organism in achieving equilibrium

4.       All physical, chemical and biological phenomena (culture that surround living organism)

Concrete Concept of Environment:

1.       Human Environment - the phenomena surrounding humankind including physical and social factors that influence their life

2.       Human Habitat – global ecosystem where humankind live together with other living creatures

Three Modern Scientific Worldviews of Environment:

1.       Reductionism – Approach to understand complex nature by reducing them to interaction of parts or simpler in a complex system. A certain perspective on causality can be explain more completely (epiphenomena)

2.       Mechanism – all natural phenomena can be explained by laws of nature link with early and modern version of materialism. Universal mechanism is the system composed of entirely matter in motion under complete and regular laws of nature

3.       Darwinism – by Charles Darwin all organism on Earth descended from common ancestor or ancestral gene pool. Current species (stage of process  of evolution, diversity product of long series of speciation and extinction events)

B)   Classes of Environmental Ideologies:

What is Ideology? – It include visionary theorizing, systematic body of concept especially related to human life or culture. It also involves manner or content of thinking characteristics of an individual, group or culture.

Environmentalism:

1.       Broad philosophy and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of state of the environment

2.       It started during the Industrial Revolution in Europe, where modern environmental pollution – Discharges of air pollution by the chemical industries

Environmentalism movement:

1.       Previously known as ?conservation? until 1950, popular movements include of -

Back-to-Nature movement by Ruskin, Morris and Carpenter – against pollution that harm the environment

Chipko movement in India (1970) by Gandhi – peaceful resistance to deforestation by hugging trees (tree-huggers) – also commonly known for the ideology of Ecology is Permanent Economy

Back-to-the-Land movement (environmental ethics) about anti-Vietnamese war sentiments and other political issues

 Gaia Hypothesis by Lovelock – Life on Earth can be understood as a single organism

2.       Often able to influence political process  by lobbying, activisms and education for recognition of humanity as a participant in ecosystem

3.       Centered on ecology, health and human rights

Environmental Organization (Green Politics):

1.       Seek to protest, analyze or monitor the environment against misuse or degradation or lobby for goals

2.       Either charity, trust or non-governmental

3.       Place high importance on environmental goals and achieving it through broad based grassroots (democracy participatory)

4.       Example of 4 Green Principles (by German Greens) – 4 Pillars of Green Party include of Ecological wisdom, Social justice, Grassroot democracy and Non-violence.

Environmental-friendly Lifestyle:

1.       Individual lifestyles and communal culture

2.       Way an individual and community behave running their daily life

3.       Can be either religious orientated, cosmopolitanism, technological views and political attitudes

Environmental Policies:

1.       Normally emphasize on problems arising from human impacts on the environment that connected to the human society (negative impact on human values)

2.       All form of actions deliberately taken to manage human activities either to reduce mitigate (prevent) any harmful effects on both nature and natural resources (to ensure man-made changes do not harm the environment)

3.       Common example – ?Clean and Green Environment?

Ecological Principles:

1.       Well-being of both human and non-human

2.       Humans have no right to reduce richness and diversity (but to satisfy vital needs)

3.       Human life and cultures are compatible when a substantial decrease of human population

Ecological Morals:

1.       Appreciate all form of life

2.       Protect and restore local ecosystem

3.       Consuming less

4.       Satisfying vital needs and not desire

5.       Attempt living in nature and promote community

6.       Appreciate ethnics and cultural differences

7.       Improve standard living for world?s poor

8.       Eliminate injustice to human and species

9.       Act non-violent to human and species