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| Question | Answer |
| Ecologism: Thomas Midgley (1889-1944) | - Leaded gasoline (‘Ethyl’) → Midgley had the biggest influence a single organism had on the environment - Freon - Midgley’s death as a metaphor (the technology he invented to liberate himself, killed him) |
| Ecologism: Serious Environment Problems | - Loss of natural resources - Ceilings on needed resources - Harmful things we generate - Population growth and per capita impact |
| Ecologism: Loss of Natural Resources | Natural habitats are disappearing Wild food sources are depleting Biological diversity (not only animals going extinct [or near extinct], but also wild vegetation and plant life [i.e. different types of rice, flowers, plants, etc.]) |
| Ecologism: Ceilings on Needed Resources | - Energy sources: oil, natural gas, coal (natural sources of oil are depleting, so we are trying riskier methods to attain oil as well) - Freshwater sources are dwindling |
| Ecologism: Harmful Things We Generate | - Toxic chemicals - Alien species (plants, illnesses, insects, etc.) - Atmospheric gases (things that are knocking out the environment) |
| Ecologism: Climate Change | - Climate change skeptics appeal to the inexactness of climate science - Climate projections are uncertain, so temperature increases could be smaller … or much larger - The uncertainty provides a strong reason for action: a tax on carbon dioxide emissions could prevent the current 10% chance of the end of life on earth by 2095 |
| Ecologism: Human Population | - Population should stabilize at 9 to 12 billion - More people require more resources - Per capita environmental impact: → Developed world = Developing world X 32 |
| Ecologism: Ecology as Ideology | - Beyond left and right - Greens versus mainstream - Greens reject anthropocentrism, the idea that human interests are of overriding moral importance and we can use nature for our own ends |
| Ecologism: An Ecological Ethic | - We are part of an interconnected natural system - Respect for all life - Humans have enormous power to do good or to harm to the planet, so we have a great responsibility’ - Stewardship for future generations: protect, preserve, and sustain nature |
| Ecologism: The Gaia Hypothesis | - The idea of British scientist James Lovelock (1969) - The earth and its creatures constitute a single, self-regulating system that is one organism: a single, huge, living being (Gaia) - Encourages us to think about the interconnectedness and interdependence of all parts of the earth’s ecology |
| Ecologism: Deep Ecology | - Introduced by Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess in 1972 - All forms of life have intrinsic value: no living thing’s value depends on their usefulness to humans - Humans are no more important than any other species - Distinguished from shallow ecology, the view that aims to promote environmental goals as a means to serving human needs |
| Ecologism: Time, Sacrifice, and Posterity | - Time horizons: how far ahead we think when making decisions - We sacrifice now, others benefit later - The impossibility of reciprocity: we can benefit or harm future generations, but they cannot affect us |
| Ecologism: Deep Ecology vs. Shallow Ecology | - Deep ecology calls for a radical change in consciousness - Shallow ecology (or environmentalism) calls for institutional change in states and markets - Do we need to change our minds (deep) or change the world (shallow)? |
| Ecologism: Collective Action Problems | - Private and public goods: clean air is a public good that cannot be divided and distributed - Environmental collective action requires cooperation: everyone has an incentive to free ride - Tragedy of the commons: we need to enforce collective solutions to avoid destroying common resources - Political engagement: enforce solutions to collective action problems (e.g. regulation) is tough → everyone must get on board |
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