Book No. –  3 (Political Science – Western Political Thought)

Book Name Western Political Thought (OP Gauba)

What’s Inside the Chapter? (After Subscription)

1. What is Environmentalism?

2. Concept of Sustainable Development

3. Broad Streams of Environmentalism

3.1. Eco-Centrism

3.2. Anthropo-Centrism

3.3. Eco-Feminism

3.4. Eco-Socialism

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Basic Tenets of Environmentalist Tradition

Chapter – 30

Picture of Harshit Sharma
Harshit Sharma

Alumnus (BHU)

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Table of Contents

What is Environmentalism?

  • Environmentalism is a social movement aimed at preserving the natural environment, preventing atmospheric pollution, and replenishing depleting natural resources to protect future generations.

  • The philosophy behind this movement is also called environmentalism.

  • Environmentalism’s goals largely overlap with those of Ecologism.

  • Environmentalism is promoted by social activists, while ecologism arises from scientific awareness.

  • Ecologism views ecology—the balance of relationships between plants, animals, people, and environment—as a self-sustaining system that must not be damaged to satisfy human greed.

  • It calls for a shift in the relationship between man and nature from ‘master and servant’ to one of partnership.

  • Quote by Francis Bacon (1620): “We cannot command Nature except by obeying her.”

  • Environmentalism originated in the late twentieth century, responding to problems caused by technological growth.

  • E.F. Schumacher (1973) noted that while nature is self-balancing and self-cleansing, technology is not.

  • Modern technological progress has created a global society where people everywhere are interconnected by air, climate, food, and water.

  • This global interdependence exerts extraordinary strain on natural resources.

  • Mindless industrialization and lavish lifestyles among prosperous populations worsen environmental stress.

  • Advocates warn this trend risks global disaster, emphasizing the need for global justice.

  • In early civilization, population was small, life was simple and close to nature with limited needs.

  • Natural resources were replenished through natural cycles and consumption did not damage the environment.

  • Over time, population growth, increased consumption, and superior technology led to large-scale exploitation of resources.

  • Increased use of artificial goods distanced people from nature, contributing to environmental contamination.

  • Environmental deterioration manifests as global warmingacidification of soil and water, and decline in air, soil, and water quality.

  • Reckless mining, land use changes, and over-exploitation have caused desertification and rapid biodiversity depletion.

  • Biodiversity is crucial for maintaining the ecosystem.

  • The worsening condition required new efforts to restore balance between humans and nature.

  • Politically, this response took the form of environmentalism.

  • Early hints of environmentalism are found in E.F. Schumacher’s essay Small is Beautiful (1973), which critiques modern industrial society.

  • Schumacher observed that the modern industrial system consumes the very basis on which it is built.

  • He warned that the earth’s non-renewable resources are not like capital that can be created or increased; consumption of these depletes the capital and leads to destruction.

  • Advanced industrial societies with higher production and consumption cause more environmental degradation than developing societies.

  • Ted Trainer (1985) noted the huge disparity in energy consumption: Americans use 617 times more energy per year than Ethiopians.

  • Americans, constituting only 6% of world population, consume about 50% of manufactured goods and 33% of global energy, leaving little for poor countries.

  • This high consumption harms both Americans’ health and impoverishes others.

  • Quote by Laurence J. Peter (1983): “Man is complex; he makes deserts bloom and lakes die.”

  • Environmentalists advocate for reducing private vehicle use, promoting public transport and bicycles.

  • They encourage switching to consumption of green vegetables and pulses over fish and mutton.

  • Promotion of wind energy and solar energy over coal, electricity, and nuclear energy is encouraged.

  • Environmentalists emphasize tree plantation worldwide.

  • The movement has inspired Americans and others to adopt running, cycling, natural food, and rural living.

  • Environmentalism insists on maintaining friendly relations with nature and preserving greenery, hence called the ‘Green movement’ or ‘Green politics’.

  • Quote by Robert Green Ingersoll (1988): “In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments; there are consequences.”

  • Quote by S. William Becker (1989): “Pollution doesn’t respect state boundaries; problems cannot be solved state-by-state.”

  • Environmentalists argue that blind exploitation of natural resources alienates humans from nature both physically and spiritually.

  • To restore harmony, humans must learn humility towards the environment and other species.

  • Relentless resource extraction for manufacturing causes environmental degradationpollutiongreenhouse effectglobal warming, and ozone depletion threatening mankind’s existence.

  • Environmentalists advocate dismantling large-scale industrial systems and replacing them with small-scale, self-governing local communities.

  • The existing monstrous production scale should be reduced to a human scale.

  • Small, moderately consuming communities represent the environmentalist ideal — “Small is beautiful” (Schumacher).

  • To curb consumption, environmentalists also demand population reduction worldwide.

  • Although developing countries have large populations causing social and economic issues, their consumption levels are low, and proper planning can utilize their labor potential.

  • Western countries, with high consumption and comfortable living, need population and consumption controls.

  • Environmentalists insist on the moral regeneration of humanity for just and equitable resource distribution.

  • Individuals globally must realize their responsibility to maintain a clean and congenial atmosphere for present and future generations.

  • U.N. slogan: “We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers; we have borrowed it from our children.

  • Indian (Kannada) saying: “The real owners of the land are not yet born.

  • Environmentalist slogan emphasizing responsibility: “Think globally, act locally.

  • This means people in small communities act locally but with awareness of their global environmental impact.

  • British and German environmentalists slogan: “Neither left nor right, but forwards.” urges forgetting ideological differences and working together for humanity’s future.

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