The Green Movement is assumed to introduce a new way to organize society, politics, economics, and technology in such a way that environmental damage will be minimized. This new approach has been called the "New Environmental Paradigm", denoting its holistic character, as much as its antithesis to the dominant "Western Paradigm". My investigation of North American environmental movement led me to conclude that the Green Movement is neither an ideologically nor a socially homogeneous movement. Instead, it consists of two distinct movements. The first one is "politics oriented", influenced by the New Left ideology. The second social movement, previously unnoticed by sociological literature, is "experience oriented", highly activist, influenced by Naturalist philosophies, and the one which really introduces a new societal paradigm.

Abstract The goal with this study was to investigate the possibility for bird watching tourism in the northernmost national park in Sweden, Vadvetjåkka and to enhance the knowledge of bird species that occur in the area.  To find out which and how many species of birds that nest in Vadvetjåkka a field study in form of bird inventories and spontaneous bird watching was done in the period 1-12 / 7 2014. Line tax was chosen as a method of bird inventory. Together 43 species of birds and 248 individuals of birds were observed. The three most common bird species along the line transects were: brambling (Fringilla montifringilla), willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) and meadow pipit (Anthus pratensis). During the spontaneous bird observations 20 bird species and 65 individuals were found and the three most common species there was: redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus), chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) and hawk owl (Surnia ulula). International studies on bird tourism indicate that bird watching is a very popular nature activity. In Sweden there is no research on bird tourism, but there is a variety of nature companies that engaged in birdwatching tourism in combination with other nature activities. There are attractive and rare species found in Vadvetjåkka national park, so the potential is there to attract birdwatchers. To promote nature tourism in Vadvetjåkka national park the Swedish government has decided to make it easier for nature companies to engage in commercial activities in Vadvetjåkka. If eco-tourism companies and nature conservation authorities work together to minimize the potential negative influence of tourism on birds and nature bird tourism can contribute to a positive development in the area.

The environmental challenges the Arctic region faces in the climate change context have prompted an abundant literature on what is to be done to protect the Arctic environment. The thesis addresses the question of what is international law’s role in promoting Arctic environmental protection, but taking a different perspective than previous research on the issue. It develops a new critical approach to analyze how international law adopted to protect the environment is in fact part of the problem. The theoretical framework bridges Martti Koskenniemi’s critical approach and the interactional account of international law developed by Jutta Brunnée and Stephen Toope. These two approaches provide conceptual and methodological tools to understand the mutual influence of international actors and structures on legal discourse. This framework is applied to four main Arctic environmental challenges in the context of climate change: increased oil and gas activities, increased shipping, adverse effects on indigenous peoples’ environment and culture and biodiversity depletion. For each case study, the thesis provide a three-stage analysis to understand the development of international law to address these issues, the influence of political considerations on such law and the normative potential of each of the different rules, standards, principles and rights to create a sense of legal obligation. This analysis sheds light on when international has enabled practices of legality, where international actors support the rule, right or standard at issue, fell bound by it and follow it in practice. The analysis also reveals the influence of the bias in favour of neoliberal development in legal discourse. This bias has favoured the development, interpretation and application of international law to promote the assertion of sovereignty over natural resources, industry deregulation, the promotion of trade, little consideration for indigenous peoples’ human rights and the consideration of biological resources in economic terms.

Regional cooperation around inland seas plays an important role in environmental protection as it can involve all countries from the catchment area. Two regional organizations, HELCOM in the Baltic Sea and BSC in the Black Sea regions serve as intermediary for joint efforts and have the same tasks in protection of their respective seas. While HELCOM operates in a region recognized as a role model of regional cooperation, the BSC suffers from poorer intergovernmental relations. The task set was to analyze and compare the two commissions with each other so that similar and dissimilar features could be found and suggestions for possible alterations could be made. In order to conduct the analysis a framework was used to compare historical and cultural background, legal and normative rules, structural forms and relations with stakeholders. The research shows that there is little fundamental difference in the structure and mechanisms of functioning between the two organizations, but much more between the context. The findings in this paper can help to understand the conditions of both commissions’ functioning and which steps are needed in order to improve the effectiveness of the BSC work.

A land ethic within the built enviroment was examined from the perspective of the surveying community in New Zealand. The research followed a structure of context, interpretation and application; used legal analysis; and, sampled the ideologies of iwi liason officers, consultant surveyors, and local authorities. Context involved asking why a land ethic was being debated, by focusing on the current level of environmental thought, and on the actions of the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) and the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors (NZIS). Some findings are: that terms such as sustainable management and nature are ambiguous cultural constructs; and, that the adoptation of an environmental policy by the NZIS continues to be a tortuous process. Interpretation involved asking what constituted a New Zealand ethic, by putting such an ethic into perspective in relation to ecophilosophy, and by searching for a contemporary sense of kaitiakitanga. Some findings are: that restraint and humility are requirements in any moral theory of nature; that kaitiakitanga is not dependent on title to land; and, that iwi liason officers are divided as to how kaitiakitanga applied to the built environment. Application involved suggesting how a land ethic could be invoked in the built environment, through the provision of green space in the form of local purpose reserves. Some findings are: that surveyors regard reserves as being significantly less vital to a community�s well-being than engineered services; and, that local authorities are not generally aware that reserve policies might have to be linked to municipal open space strategies. The broad conclusions are: that regardless of the environment that now exists, surveyors will be required to make moral choices about the environment that is sought; that a land ethic will not necessarily provide rational prescriptions directing action towards land; and, that there is inherent tension between land tenure, land use and a land ethic. Suggested avenues for further research include a comparative analysis of other landed professions; the empowerment of women within any land ethic; and, the use of content analysis as an alternative methodology.

The object of this thesis is to provide, through a thorough analysis of human perception and interaction with aesthetics and landscape quality, a comprehensive basis on which to develop a credible methodology for the large scale assessment of perceived landscape quality. The analysis of human perception and interaction with aesthetics and landscape quality is gained by inquiring in depth into a range of theoretical constructs from key disciplines, cultural aspects, and empirical studies covering : 1. the contribution of philosophers to aesthetics 2. the psychology of perception and colour 3. the contribution of Gestalt psychology to aesthetics 4. the psychoanalytical construct of human responses to aesthetics 5. the influence of culture on landscape preferences, tracing the changing perceptions of mountains, the portrayal of landscapes in art, and the design of parks and gardens 6. a review of over 200 surveys of landscape quality in the late 20th century, including typologies and theories of landscape quality Based on the analysis of these and the knowledge gained, an empirical study is formulated and conducted, comprising a study of landscape quality of South Australia, an area of nearly 1 million km - 1. This involves, firstly, the acquisition of data covering the delineation of landscape character regions for the State, photography of these landscapes, derivation of a set of representative slides, and rating of these by groups of participants. Secondly, these preference ratings are comprehensively analysed on the basis of the attributes of the scenes covering land form, land cover, land use, water bodies, naturalism, diversity and colour. Thirdly, the results are applied as follows: 1. a map of landscape quality of South Australia is derived 2. the results are used to predict the effect that changes in land use ( e.g. clearance of trees ) will have on landscape quality 3. the theoretical constructs of landscape quality are evaluated on the basis of the preference ratings 4. a protocol is detailed to guide the undertaking of large - scale landscape quality assessment. The thesis thus fulfils the objective of conducting a thorough analysis of human perception and interaction with, aesthetics and landscape quality, to provide a basis for developing a credible methodology for the large - scale assessment of perceived landscape quality. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--School of Social Sciences, 2000.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2007. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 171-179). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Washington State University, May 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 126-132).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--York University, 2005. Graduate Programme in Political Science. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 439-460). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=2&did=1095436151&SrchMode=1&sid=8&Fmt=2&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1195655003&clientId=5220

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Toronto, 2005.