The Deeply Seated and Not Easily Swayed Spectrum

An environmental ideology, or an ideology in general, is a fully-formed, deeply seated belief that is not easily swayed by external events (26). This is according to the author Julia B. Corbett, in her book Communicating Nature, and along with this definition is a spectrum for which the different ideologies exist (29).

Anthropocentric is defined by Corbett as the “human-centered” ideology where “humans are superior to and dominate the rest of creation, and the natural world is ranked hierarchically with humans at the top”, hence the triangle icon (27).

Ecocentric is defined as a “nonhierarchical mix of interdependent relationships” where no single species rules, hence the circle icon (Corbett, 27).

The range for this scale is from an human focused ideologies to environmentally focused ideologies. For this entry, I will discuss the first three branches of this scale as they contain the more anthropocentric ideals of the five listed.

Unrestrained Instrumentalism

This is the most anthropocentric ideology and people with this ideology believe that humans are the most important and dominant entity in the natural world (Corbett, 30). They also believe that decisions regarding resource use should be made only according to immediate human desires and wants, and that their use should not be limited since resources exist only for humans and their needs (Corbett, 30).

Conservationism

This is the second most anthropocentric ideology, however it takes a large step away from the degrading views of the natural world seen in the first ideology. Conservationism is defined as the use of natural resources in a way that doesn’t deplete or permanently damage them (Corbett, 32). It focuses on the sustainable use of these resources so that they can be used for humans in the present and in the future. This is the reason it is considered an anthropocentric ideology. The main focus of this belief is still centered around humans and their needs, despite the environmentally friendly concept of the “wise use” of natural resources.

Preservationism

This ideology is very similar to conservationism, with the same belief in conserving resources for present and future human needs. The differentiating factor between the two ideologies is that preservationism also contains the belief in preserving resources for reasons beyond instrumental, like its value (35). While this makes the ideology seem more environment focused with the change in perspective from resource use to resource value, it is still anthropocentric because humans determine what is and is not valuable. This decision making aspect makes the ideology human centered as the values are based on either subjective or objective human reasoning (Corbett, 36).

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Now while a belief system informs and guides a behavior, it doesn’t mean it will entirely consist with it. In my first post, I described how in the 18th century many people in the Christian religion believed that it was their duty to “denature nature” (23). However, during the Civil Rights Movement, many Environmental Justice Movements were lead my ministers of the church, one specifically being Martin Luther King Jr. (Cole and Foster, 23). This is one example of how these belief systems can change over a large period of time. A more recent change that has occurred is the Republican view on solar power. In 2013, a plan passed in Georgia to expand the use of solar power, with a 3–2 vote from its all republican commission of state regulators. Lindsay Abrams, from the Salon Media Group, stated that this was due to the fact that more Republicans are “recognizing the clear economic benefits of embracing solar energy”(Abrams, 2013).

This leads to the topic of Environmental Justice and what it means to embrace environmental issues. From their book, From the Ground Up, Luke W Cole, and Sheila R Foster define environmental justice as a decision-making process that includes the combination of democratic decision making, community empowerment, and the incorporation of social structure (16). It is meant to provide meaningful participation opportunities for those most burdened by environmental decisions, including issues like “existing community health problems, cumulative impacts of preexisting environmental hazards, and even the effect of segregative housing patterns”.

However, with environmental justice, there often tends to be Economic Injustice. This can be seen in the fact that historically, poorer communities of color have been “marginalized with the environmental movement” (Cole and Foster, 16). This alienation of the issues is also seen with recycling of plastic. In a Ted Talk with Van Jones, he explains that plastic bottles go through a much more different process of recycling than most people think. Instead of being broken down and reused for something else, as most people assume happens when they throw things away in the “blue bin”, it often gets transferred across the ocean to countries like China, and is incinerated, releasing incredible amounts of toxic chemicals. Those chemicals then kill people in the areas directly, and then eventually carries over to the US and ultimately kills people here as well.

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That is where all of these concepts of ideologies and justice comes together. While there are different views and aspects regarding the use of natural resources and the role we play within the environment, there are real and serious consequences that are being ignored from these Anthropocentric beliefs. In my next post, I will be discussing the last two, more ecocentric-valued ideologies on the scale and they will become the two most important ones to consider as we look at our future. If more isn’t done to focus on the well being, and ethical perspectives of our actions, the value we place in our own needs will become more difficult to manage as the resources we rely on become what kills us.

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