Significant ideas: Historical events, among other influences, affect the development of environmental value systems (EVSs) and environmental movements. There is a wide spectrum of EVSs, each with its own premises and implications. Knowledge and understanding: Guidance: Significant historical influences on the A society is an arbitrary group of development of the environmental individuals who share some common movement have come from literature, the characteristics, such as geographical media, major environmental disasters, location, cultural background, historical international agreements and timeframe, religious perspective, value technological developments. system and so on. An EVS is a worldview or paradigm that A variety of significant historical shapes the way an individual, or group of influences could be covered, but with a people, perceives and evaluates minimum of three in-depth examples. environmental issues, influenced by Possible examples could include: James cultural, religious, economic and development of the Gaia Lovelock’s sociopolitical contexts. hypothesis; Minamata disaster; Rachel An EVS might be considered as a Silent Spring (1962); Carson’s book system in the sense that it may be An Davis Guggenheim’s documentary influenced by education, experience, Inconvenient Truth (2006); Chernobyl culture and media (inputs), and involves disaster of 1986; Fukushima Daiihi a set of interrelated premises, values and nuclear disaster of 2011; whaling; Bhopal arguments that can generate consistent disaster of 1984; Gulf of Mexico oil spill decisions and evaluations (outputs). of 2010; Chipko movement; Rio Earth There is a spectrum of EVSs, from Summit 2012 (Rio+20); Earth Day; Green ecocentric through anthropocentric to Revolution; Copenhagen Accord; recent technocentric value systems. or local events of student interest. An ecocentric viewpoint integrates social, In the range of historical influences spiritual and environmental dimensions selected, it is beneficial to have both into a holistic ideal. It puts ecology and local and global examples. nature as central to humanity and EVSs are individual; there is no “wrong” emphasizes a less materialistic approach EVS.
Significant ideas: Historical events, among other influences, affect the development of environmental value systems (EVSs) and environmental movements. There is a wide spectrum of EVSs, each with its own premises and implications. Knowledge and understanding: Significant historical influences on the development of the environmental movement have come from literature, the media, major environmental disasters, international agreements and technological developments. An EVS is a worldview or paradigm that shapes the way an individual, or group of people, perceives and evaluates environmental issues, influenced by cultural, religious, economic and sociopolitical contexts. An EVS might be considered as a system in the sense that it may be influenced by education, experience, culture and media (inputs), and involves a set of interrelated premises, values and arguments that can generate consistent decisions and evaluations (outputs). There is a spectrum of EVSs, from ecocentric through anthropocentric to technocentric value systems. An ecocentric viewpoint integrates social, spiritual and environmental dimensions into a holistic ideal. It puts ecology and nature as central to humanity and emphasizes a less materialistic approach Guidance: A society is an arbitrary group of individuals who share some common characteristics, such as geographical location, cultural background, historical timeframe, religious perspective, value system and so on. A variety of significant historical influences could be covered, but with a minimum of three in-depth examples. Possible examples could include: James Lovelock’s development of the Gaia hypothesis; Minamata disaster; Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring (1962); Davis Guggenheim’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth (2006); Chernobyl disaster of 1986; Fukushima Daiihi nuclear disaster of 2011; whaling; Bhopal disaster of 1984; Gulf of Mexico oil spill of 2010; Chipko movement; Rio Earth Summit 2012 (Rio+20); Earth Day; Green Revolution; Copenhagen Accord; recent or local events of student interest. In the range of historical influences selected, it is beneficial to have both local and global examples. EVSs are individual; there is no “wrong” EVS.
IB_Environmental_Systems_and_Societies_2016.docx