Weeks 9 & 10 : The Green
Movement and environmental problems.
Summary handout.
Links:
1. How concerns (and key concepts) have developed:
1.1 Humans and nature (agriculture).
1.2 Industrialisation to the 20th century:
dark satanic mills; sewage and health; air pollution, smog (interactions). Clean Air
Acts.
1.3 Growing awareness: “Silent Spring” (Rachel Carson
1962): chemical residues, the food chain; “Limits to Growth” (Club
of Rome 1972): large-scale interconnections [population, resource
depletion, production of food and goods, land, pollution], feedback loops, exponential growth, zero-growth economy, sustainability.
1.4 The ozone layer. CFCs banned.
1.5 Recent concerns: nuclear power, genetic
modification, global warming, sixth extinction.
2. More key concepts:
2.1 ecology - living things interacting
with each other and with their environment - food chains - biodiversity and redundancy, and lack of hierarchy make for stability
2.2 earth as
ecosystem - spaceship earth
2.3 Gaia
hypothesis (James Lovelock 1995) – nature of life, the planet as self-regulating
2.4 the
problem with economics -
monetary values: how to put a price on quality of life? air, sea, rivers: free?
externalities/residuals - the
market's limitations
3. Illustrative problem:
The greenhouse effect - carbon dioxide
and global warming.
4. History of the
evolution of the movement;
4.1 from
local to global,
4.2 from
‘stewardship’ to a utilitarian to an ecological view,
4.3 the
international/global dimension
5. The composition
of the environment movement and controversies concerning its strategy and
goals.
5.1 pressure
groups e.g. Friends of the Earth, WWF, Wildlife Trusts,
5.2 political
parties, Green Parties: The ‘four pillars’ of Green politics: (a) ecological
wisdom, (b) social justice, (c) participatory grassroots democracy, (d)
non-violence.
5.3 is the
green movement a ‘social movement’?
5.4 how
significant is the movement – the problem of ‘sceptics’ and opponents
(industry)
6. Alternative strategies:
A:
within the existing system:
6.1 the market,
new technology – but: growth, inequalities, only immediate, safe, problems
dealt with, and can ànew problems
6.2 new
technology but: new dangers (especially if in market economy?)
6.3
self-regulation of business and industry – Corporate Social responsibility
(‘good business is good for business’) – but: danger of ‘green-wash’ (PR) –
‘sustainability’
6.4 the
individual - "reduce, recycle, re-use" – but: vs. consumerism, mass
production
B: putting pressure through the green
movement and pressure groups:
6.5 policing
the market - pressure groups etc ("light green" approach) – but:
problems from A are still there, structures and attitudes not changed
6.6 regulating
the market - planning the economy (government) – but: unaccountable
bureaucracy, public not involved
6.7
international bodies: UN, WHO, IPCC etc - sustainable development – but:
current inequalities and power structures maintained
C: ‘radical’ alternatives:
6.8 new
economic structures e.g. Green New Deal – but: ‘socialism’!
6.9 alternative
technology, new social structures ("dark/deep green" approach),
social ecology, eco-socialism, eco-feminism etc – but: how to implement? -
utopian?
6.10 learning
from ‘first peoples’
7. Concluding questions:
Can we ‘learn from nature’ or is this
just a romantic view?
Examples:
- diversity of nature à tolerance
- interdependence à equality
- longevity à respect for tradition
- nature as female à feminist… (from Dobson Green Politics).
Greens need to be able to say why we
should not damage the environment… do we use rational, or intuitive/emotional
arguments e.g. should we cut down the last tree…?
Can there be a ‘green ethics’ or an
environmental philosophy? Should it
be based on the intrinsic value of
nature, or utilitarian (i.e. nature
has extrinsic value)?
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Conclusion
of the course: discussion of learning outcomes concerning social movements:
Relevant historical background
Social
and political context
Constituent
parts
Philosophy or set of values
Strategy
and tactics
Assessment
of the movement.
Further reading?