This thesis analyzes the global ecological crisis. It divides the global ecological crisis in to two major components: Climate change and biodiversity loss. Using a theoretical methodology based on comparing and applying a variety of lenses from within environmental sociology, the thesis asks and answers two questions: What are the causes of the global ecological crisis, and how can we solve it? Drawing on the perspectives of ecological modernization theory, ecological Marxism and deep ecology, the causes of and solutions to the global ecological crisis are identified. The primary causes of the crisis are found to be inefficient industrial technology, capitalism and an instrumentalist and anthropocentric view of the natural world. The primary solutions, therefore, must include a widespread shift towards clean and green technology, a transformative social revolution, and a new ecocentric respect for the intrinsic value of non-human life. The study offers many recommendations for policy makers.

This thesis analyzes the global ecological crisis. It divides the global ecological crisis in to two major components: Climate change and biodiversity loss. Using a theoretical methodology based on comparing and applying a variety of lenses from within environmental sociology, the thesis asks and answers two questions: What are the causes of the global ecological crisis, and how can we solve it? Drawing on the perspectives of ecological modernization theory, ecological Marxism and deep ecology, the causes of and solutions to the global ecological crisis are identified. The primary causes of the crisis are found to be inefficient industrial technology, capitalism and an instrumentalist and anthropocentric view of the natural world. The primary solutions, therefore, must include a widespread shift towards clean and green technology, a transformative social revolution, and a new ecocentric respect for the intrinsic value of non-human life. The study offers many recommendations for policy makers.

Submitted by Marlene Santos (marlene.bc.ufg@gmail.com) on 2016-09-28T20:54:56Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Heloanny de Freitas Brandão - 2016.pdf: 1421355 bytes, checksum: 6d52330f08e153a27e738cbe79489f65 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2016-09-30T12:18:33Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Heloanny de Freitas Brandão - 2016.pdf: 1421355 bytes, checksum: 6d52330f08e153a27e738cbe79489f65 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-30T12:18:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Heloanny de Freitas Brandão - 2016.pdf: 1421355 bytes, checksum: 6d52330f08e153a27e738cbe79489f65 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-29 / The environment matters and its preservation have been large discussed nowadays fostering a variety of academic researches. In this term paper, a linguistic analysis of the contents of the of the Brazilian Environmental Law is proposed, regarding the art. 225 of Brazilian Constitution and its complementary legislation. From this corpus and its emerging demands it is targeted as a general scope to research the harmony between Brazilian Environmental Law and the values of the Deep Ecology included in the theoretical framework of the Ecological Discourse Analysis – EDA. This area suggests new paradigms to be pursued in which mankind establishes a closer and respectful relation with all living beings, including the comprehension of what makes part of the ecosystem. This new area possesses and suggests a holistic and integrated view of the world. In this direction, it is appealed the Econliguistic strand entitled Ecological Discourse Analysis (EDA) as the theoretical basis, which scope is the speech construction study from an ecological perspective considering a range of environment aspects, such as physical, mental and social ones, and not only the social environment reckoned in other strands. Furthermore, this aspect of analysis proposes linguistic studies based on an ideological and eco-ethic lifestyle, also having the Deep Ecology as one of its inspiration sources, thus making part of the EDA. Taking into account the analysis, it was possible comprehend that laws and principles, which assemble the corpus, reveal an embryonal tendency that follows the Deep Ecology values. Nevertheless, the manner in which laws and principles are written demonstrate a strong subordination of laws environment and environment principles to the capitalist and anthropocentric ideologies with priority over environmental ethics, which can harm the assurance of a balanced environment. / As questões sobre o meio ambiente e sua preservação têm sido amplamente discutidas atualmente, motivando diversas pesquisas. Neste estudo se propõe uma análise linguística dos princípios do Direito Ambiental brasileiro, do artigo 225 da Constituição da República Fderativa do Brasil e de suas leis complementares. A partir desse corpus e dos questionamentos que dele emergem temos o objetivo geral de averiguar as consonâncias e dissonâncias entre Direito Ambiental brasileiro e os valores da Ecologia Profunda, incluída no arcabouço teórico da Analise do Discurso ecológica. Essa área sugere novos paradigmas a serem seguidos, em que o homem estabeleça uma relação mais próxima e respeitosa com todos os seres do ecossistema, inclusive por meio da compreensão de que faz parte do ecossistema, ou seja, ela possui e sugere uma visão holística e integralizadora de mundo. Nesse sentido, recorremos à vertente da Ecolinguística intitulada Análise do Discurso Ecológica como base teórica, cuja finalidade é o estudo da formação de discursos por uma perspectiva ecológica, incluindo em seus estudos aspectos do meio ambiente físico, mental e social, diferente de outras vertentes que se restringem apenas ao meio ambiente social. Essa vertente de estudos propõe, ainda, estudos linguísticos baseados em uma ideologia de vida e em uma ética ecológica, além de ter a Ecologia Profunda como uma de suas fontes de inspiração e, portanto, fazer parte da ADE. Pela análise, foi possível compreender que as leis e os princípios que compõem o corpus apresentam uma tendência embrionária que seguem os valores da Ecologia Profunda. No entanto, a forma como as leis e os princípios são escritos demonstram que há uma forte subordinação das leis e dos princípios ambientais à ideologia capitalista e antropocêntrica, sem que sejam priorizada uma ética ambiental, o que compromete a garantia de um meio ambiente ecologicamente equilibrado

This study assumes, rather than debates, that there is an increasingly global environmental crisis – global warming, loss of ozone layer, biodiversity loss, deforestation and desertification, natural resource depletion, toxic pollution - brought about by western nations’ abuse of the natural environment during nineteenth century industrialization, continuing through the twentieth century, and, many would argue, into the new millennium as well. Greens have been warning of the dangers of human-induced climate change since the 1960s. And yet, their analysis of the reasons for the wide and global range of ecological problems currently being experienced, of which climate change is only one, is not widely known. And even less so, are their solutions to the ecological crisis. This thesis, “Towards the development of a "green" worldview, and criteria to assess the "green-ness" of a text: Namibia Vision 2030 as example”, poses two research questions, and undertakes three tasks. The first question asks: “What does ‘seeing green’ as worldview mean?” “Green” emerges as not only pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours, but a fundamental challenge to western-cultural views on Self, and on the Self/Other relationship, including our human-nature relationship. It represents a total worldview, with its own legitimating narratives, epistemology, ontology, ethics, and viewpoints on real-world political issues as well. The green worldview differs sharply in its ultimate premises from mainstream sustainable development. On the green view, only the radical changes in Self, the Self/Other relationship, and society’s structures, which a green worldview demands, will be sufficient to avert the impending ecological crisis. A green worldview, while containing considerable diversity, is still sufficiently coherent and consistent that it can be reduced to a set of criteria and indicators for “seeing green”. This was the study’s second task. The study’s third task co-incides with its second research question: “How green is Namibia Vision 2030s worldview?” Namibia Vision 2030 is Namibia’s premier policy text designed to guide Namibia through a generation of sustainable development. Using the green criteria and indicators developed during the study, it is argued that particularly as far as this text’s ultimate premises on the human/nature relationship are concerned, its worldview is best described as pale green fading into grey. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Psychology / unrestricted

This work examines a relational ontology with the focus on our relationships with the more-than-human world. The aim is to investigate a subject that is more suitable to face the challenges of our times. Inspired by the posthumanistic project as presented by Rosi Braidotti I propose a non-anthropocentric reading of Martin Buber’s I and Thou. In the first section of the essay I present an overview of Buber’s understanding of the subject and I also answer the question whether we can consider the I-Thou relationship to include the non-human world. In part two I investigate the characteristics of such a relationship, covering as well the act of dialogue. This opens up for a new understanding of the subject as constituted by relationships including non-human others. As an example of how to protect living I-Thou relationships with non-human others through the I-It logic of law I present the case study of the river Wanganui in New Zealand and its newly acquired status as a subject by law. Finally I conclude by discussing a possible ethic where relational capacities are key.

This thesis encompasses a survey of contemporary environmental literature (1970s to the present) as it relates to the tenets of Taoist literature, specifically the Chuang Tzu and the Tao te Ching. The thesis also presents and evaluates pertinent criticisms concerning the practice of relating modern environmental problems to ancient Chinese philosophy. The thesis contains a preface that describes the historic roots of Taoism as well as an explanation of the Chinese terminology in the paper. The environmental literature is divided into three major groups and discussed in the three chapters of the paper. The three groups include mainstream environmentalists, deep ecology, and ecofeminism.

M.A. University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Humanities, 2012. / Humanity’s relationship with nature has, in recent years, undoubtedly been one of contention and turmoil, an issue whose drama is gaining popularity in popular culture and, especially, film. In this dissertation I examine how these challenging human-nature relationships play out in Terrence Malick’s The New World, Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man and Encounters at the End of the World, Sean Penn’s Into the Wild, and the Jon Krakauer book, of the same title, upon which Penn’s film is based. As one’s views on nature (like all else) are mediated through language, using ecocritical principles slanted towards filmic, as opposed to written, texts, I provide a close examination of the ways in which these artists portray the relationship between language and nature, and the impact this has on our cultural and individual identities. I will also show how these primary texts make use of centuries-old Romantic aesthetics in order to humanise nature for moral ends. The primary texts agree that a large part of the problem in the poor relationship between humanity and nature is due to inadequate metaphors with which humanity views the earth. Thus, each artist promotes a certain kind of anthropomorphic understanding of nature which he believes is pivotal in encouraging better interconnections between humanity and nature. As a result, I provide a critique of the kinds of metaphors used by each respective artist, where some metaphors of nature may support or contradict a certain artist’s aims in his portrayal of human-nature relationships.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T17:27:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Isaque Trevisam Braga.pdf: 551367 bytes, checksum: 40ce42fdff46c96a722e727db82985d2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-12-11 / At the present juncture of reality, where the unbridled path of the evolution and technological progress is echoed in the eagerness of human expectations regarding the search for unlimited access to the resources of nature and for a utopia of a scientific knowledge that arranges for the continual maintenance of its purposes, directing humanity to the danger of its own extinction, this research aims to promote, within its limitations, the diffusion of critical reflection on the technical and scientific development, the proper regulation of the means of production and the attempt for a practice of sustainable consumption, buoyed by the foundations of a deep ecology. Appropriating, respectively, of the inquiries and postures defended by Hans Jonas, Michel Serres and Fritjof Capra, methodologically it is proposed to approach the authors to systematize common keywords which turns to the divulgation of conceptual positions to be problematized and possible postures to be adopted under the observed circumstances. Therefore, it is concluded that, from an ecological perception of reality, it s imperative that mankind be elected as responsible for their own future and instructs itself by a acquaintanceship symbiosis with the environment, in connection with all strands of the web of life / No momento em que o percurso desenfreado da evolução e do progresso tecnológico encontra eco nas expectativas humanas em relação à busca pelo acesso ilimitado aos recursos da natureza e pela utopia de um saber científico que agencie a manutenção contínua de seus propósitos, direcionando a humanidade ao perigo de sua própria extinção, a presente pesquisa objetiva promover, dentro de suas limitações, a difusão de uma reflexão crítica em torno do desenvolvimento técnico-científico, da devida regulação dos seus meios de produção e da tentativa de uma prática de consumo sustentável, balizada pelos fundamentos de uma ecologia profunda. Apropriando-se das indagações e posturas defendidas por Hans Jonas, Michel Serres e Fritjof Capra, metodologicamente propõe-se a aproximação dos autores a fim de sistematizar conceitos em comum voltados para a divulgação de posições conceituais a serem problematizadas e possíveis posturas a serem adotadas ante as circunstâncias observadas. Considera-se que, a partir de uma percepção ecológica da realidade, faz-se imperativo que a humanidade se eleja como responsável pelo seu próprio futuro e se instrua num convívio simbiótico com o meio ambiente, em conexão com todos os fios da teia da vida

The subject-matter of the following essay is to investigate the relationship between what is commonly called Deep Ecology or Biocentric Philosophy, as articulated by the co-founder of the Deep Ecology Movement, Arne Naess, and later proponents of the biocentric school of environmentalist thought. I contrast Naess’ concept of Self-realization as founded in his Ecosophy T to the ideas of american conservationist and co-founder of the radical green movement Earth First! Dave Foreman, and to the controversial finnish environmentalist and ecofascist Pentti Linkola’s ideological agenda of population-reduction respectively. According to some critics of the movement, especially the social ecologist Murray Bookchin and French liberal philosopher Luc Ferry, the Deep Ecology ideology is essentially misanthropic and totalitarian in structure. A central idea among deep ecologists is that ecosystems and natural entities have intrinsic value in themselves, even outside a human social context. This idea is thought of among deep ecologists to create a philosophically sound basis for counteracting the environmental global crisis. Both Bookchin and Ferry argue that this idea reduces the role of human reason and ethics in a fundamental way, especially in relation to questions concerning population-growth control. My aim is to show that the original intention of Arne Naess in his philosophy (Ekosofi T) does not resemble either Ferrys focus of critique, neither the controversial statements made by Dave Foreman and Earth First! nor Linkolas population-control agenda.

Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 90 pages. / Thesis (M.A.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: This thesis examines the connections between Arne Naess's Deep Ecology and Martin Heidegger's Phenomenology. The latter provides a philosophical basis for the former. Martin Heidegger's critique of traditional metaphysics and his call for an "event" ontology that is deeper than the traditional substance ontology opens a philosophical space in which a different conception of what it is to be emerges. Heidegger's view of humans also provides a basis for the wider and deeper conception of self Arne Naess seeks: one that gets rid of the presupposition that human beings are isolated subjects embedded in a framework of objects distinct from them. Both Heidegger and Naess illustrate how the substance-ontological dogma affects human culture, encouraging humans to live as if they were divorced from their environmental surroundings. / ABSTRACT: When humans live according to an atomistic conception of themselves as independent from their context, alienation results, not only from each other, and not only of humans from the surrounding environment, but from themselves as well. This thesis focuses on Heidegger's employment of the conception of poiesis or self-bringing-forth as clarifying the "root" of such ecosystemic processes as growth, maturation, reproduction, and death. Thus, Heidegger's call to phenomenology -- "to the things themselves" -- is a call away from the objectifying dichotomies through which substance ontology articulates the world into isolated components. / ABSTRACT: It is the purpose of this thesis to demonstrate not only the connections between the later Heidegger and Naess, but also to argue in favor of their claims that traditional philosophical perspectives regarding humans, the environment, and ethics need to be re-appropriated in a new way in order to avoid further ecological degradation and provide for the health and well being of the future generations that will inevitably inherit the effects of our present actions. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.