Definition
Environmental value system
An environmental value system (EVS) is a framework that shapes how individuals or groups perceive and respond to environmental issues.
- An Environmental Value System (EVS) is a model that explains how people’s perspectives and actions regarding the environment are shaped by various influences.
- It represents a system of inputs, processes, and outputs that describe how individuals or groups perceive, evaluate, and respond to environmental issues.
Structure of an EVS
Inputs
- Sources of information, beliefs, and experiences that shape environmental understanding.
- Common inputs include:
- Education and science
- Media coverage
- Cultural influences
- Economic priorities
- Political ideology (e.g., capitalism, communism)
- Religious beliefs
- Worldviews or ethics
Processes
- Inputs are interpreted through personal and cultural filters such as values, assumptions, and moral beliefs.
- These filters determine how individuals process environmental information.
- Think of your EVS as a “mental filter.”
- The same piece of news passes through different filters and produces different conclusions, just as light through coloured glass looks different depending on the tint.
Outputs
- Tangible and behavioural outcomes derived from processed inputs, including:
- Judgements (what is right or wrong)
- Positions (opinions or stances on issues)
- Choices (personal or collective decisions)
- Actions (policy-making, activism, consumption habits)
- Input: A student reads about deforestation and climate impacts.
- Process: They evaluate it through an ecocentric value system.
- Output: They advocate for reforestation projects and reduce paper use.
EVS as a System
- Just like ecosystems, EVSs have inputs, outputs, and feedback loops.
- Instead of energy and nutrient flows, EVSs circulate ideas, information, and values through societies.
- EVSs exist within social systems, which include:
- Class-based or democratic societies
- Religion-based or industrial communities
- Capitalist or communist economies
- If asked to draw a systems diagram of an EVS, include:
- Inputs (education, media, culture)
- Processing (values, beliefs, assumptions)
- Outputs (actions, policies, choices)
Classifying Environmental Perspectives
Definition
Environmental perspectives
Environmental perspectives are frameworks that guide how individuals and societies interact with the natural world.
- Environmental perspectives, or worldviews, can be categorized into three broad types: Technocentric, Anthropocentric, and Ecocentric.
- These categories help explain how individuals and societies view the environment and their relationship to it.
- However, it's important to note that these categories are not always rigid, as people may hold complex and evolving positions that change over time and in different contexts.
- These perspectives are not static.
- They evolve with new information, societal changes, and personal growth.
1. Ecocentric Worldview (Nature-Centred)
Definition
Ecocentrism
Ecocentrism is a philosophy that prioritizes the intrinsic value of nature and advocates for minimal human impact on the environment.
- Values the intrinsic worth of nature, independent of its usefulness to humans.
- Sees humans as part of the biosphere, not masters of it.
- Encourages self-restraint, small-scale community living, and education for sustainability.
- Supports biocentric ethics and “biorights”, the right of species and ecosystems to exist.
Protecting endangered species, promoting wilderness conservation, and supporting eco-centric policies that prioritize the health of ecosystems over economic or human development.
Deep Ecologists
- Believe nature’s value surpasses that of humanity.
- Promote radical change, reducing population growth, consumption, and industrialization.
Self-Reliance Soft Ecologists
- Emphasize small-scale, community-based living.
- Reject materialism and large-scale technology.
