Promotion of the Environmental Values - Essay Example

?Introduction Environmental issues have had a major impact on the current world trend, and are big issues many governments are facing today and consequently trying to take control of. The basic human life is supported by the environment and human activities cannot take place without the surroundings, thus bringing us to the issue of environmental preservation and the effects of degradation of the environment to human life and continuity. Many states have passed by-laws on environmental preservation in which they forge ideas on environmental priorities and values. The idea of world civic policy is basically the workings of the state with the public and around the government to achieve their environmental objectives. This involves the human activists who make policies and form groups through which policies are passed by changing the public values and ideas, empowering the local communities as well as imparting pressure on corporations. The method is mainly effective as the activist groups use it to ensure that environmental policies are passed. World civic politics- effects on environmental issues World civic politics can to a great extent change the nature of discourse on environmental issues. The civic politics can only be effective in a society and this forms the environment where the people live. This first focuses on the understanding of the social and cultural values that the people hold and bring so that it bears on the environment. It also involves the environmental issues faced and how the society mobilizes these values to forge environmentalism, form and sustain programs as well as create movements of environmental action in their communities (Gabriela, 2010). Besides this, it involves an understanding of the variations in cultural and political contexts which involves the differences in the environmental goals and objectives of peoples in different parts of the world. Environmental issues relating to various countries have been challenged by many states especially the issue of global warming, overpopulation and the effects it has on the environment, overgrazing, urbanization among others. World civic politics has come up to challenge and face this issue and this has so far worked, alongside facing many challenges. The main focus here is on the environmental justice. This follows the idea that everyone has a right to fair treatment in terms of the formation and the enforcement of the laws relating to the environment, regardless of their color, race or origin. This means that the various societies needs to have a better environ to live and is important in regard to formulation of the policies. Most impoverished and minority areas live in the populated regions of the world and these policies seek to ensure that there is environmental justice to all people. Most activists groups involved with the changing of the course of the environmental effects use the direct action (Shannon, 2010). This involves the change of public values through policy making that are passed through advertising media like the televisions and magazines. This is commonly the first step after policy making since it is believed that changing the public ideas about a certain policy is mainly the original step of getting it passed. Environmental values are diverse and various governments deal with the issue of environment differently (UNEP, 2007). Population increase has had a major impact on the environment leading to massive environmental degradation. This is impacted by the effects which involve, urbanization, depletion of the natural resources and overgrazing especially in the developing countries of the world. The effects of this are a drawback in the economic development of these third world countries and a consecutive drop in the balance of payments and trade. Introduction of policies to control degradation in these countries brings a question of their adoption which may result to conflict and tension. For instance, in china, the values of laid-off workers contrasted those of the government’s environmental campaigns which were concerned with the international image. However, the laid-off workers were concerned with their immediate livelihoods (UNDP, 2005). The diverse nature of values ensures that the policy makers, communities and citizens conflict with the values that are different from their own. Environmental activists involved with issues relating to the environment have had a great progress in various societies in which they are involved. For instance, in the case of china which is nearing the triad countries, the development has involved a long process. China has come a long way to environmental progress and eventual development which is demonstrated in two cases. The first case is the combination of the original campaigns that transformed china to the current state it is in response to the new challenges posed by environmental degradation. These cases are state-oriented environmental campaigns where the state plays a major role in it through political influence. The second case involves the tension and the conflicts that have accompanied china’s market changes. This refers to the tension relating to the environment and development, business and the government as well as citizens and the state and shows the impacts of industrial reformations (Balvanera, 2004). The enhancement of the drainage and sanitation by digging drainage system in the Sanjiang Nature Reserve has had positive results on the livelihoods of the people and reduced environmental pollution in the surroundings. However, this led to the conflict between the local government and the central government. This is a well illustrated case of the function of the state in policy making in relation to environmental preservation and the response of the citizens in terms of the resistance. The government through civic education has conducted forums and communal teachings on the importance of population control. This combined with the family planning techniques has seen the country’s population go down and maintained at a certain manageable level. Introduction of a quota at which children’s births should range has maintained the population in China at a very low level (World Bank, 2003). The change has enabled the country to improve in it infrastructural activities as well as other sectors of the economy. That means capital is allocated towards improvements in agriculture and innovation and technology. Economic development has been achieved and the country can now cater for its citizens. The population control has had a major impact on the environment in the area leading to increases in production and low environmental degradation. The introduction of new and improved methods of farming like furrowing, trenches to drain water and control of erosion has reduced the environment wastage and increased produce through large harvests (Bertucci, 2009). Conclusion The promotion of the environmental values suggests that in order to promote these values, other sets of values also have to be enhanced. An example is that, in order to promote the protection of the environment, other items like the promotion and protection of the communities, their lifestyles and traditions have to be effected. The talk on the social and the political change in most cases must entail the creation of a vision of the environment. This might be achieved through world civic politics which show transformational networks that are associated with social, cultural and economic life. Therefore, forms of governance that are civil in nature as opposed to state should be adopted since they differ in the way they think and also act in reference to environmental issues. Works cited Balvanera, P. and Ravi Prabhu. 2004. Ecosystem Services: The Basis for Global Survival and Development. Background paper commissioned for the Task Force on Environmental Sustainability. UN Millennium Project, New York. Bertucci, Guido. 2009. Program of Integrated and Sustainable Development: Area of Environmental Protection of Pratigi. Presented at the World Civic Forum 2009 Training Workshop on Citizen Action for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), 7 May 2009, Seoul, Republic of Korea. DFID (U.K. Department for International Development), European Commission, UNDP, and World Bank. 2002. Linking Poverty Reduction and Environmental Management: Policy Challenges and Opportunities. Working Paper 24824. Washington, D.C.: World Bank. Gabriela, Kutting. 2010. Global environmental politics: concepts, theories and case studies. California: Taylor & Francis. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. 2004. Ecosystems and Human Well-being: A Framework for Assessment. Washington, DC.: Island Press, 2003. Shannon, Lear. 2010. Environmental Politics: Scale and Power. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Shepherd, Gill. 2004. The Ecosystem Approach: Five Steps to Implementation. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, U.K.: World Conservation Union. UNDESA. 2008a. Participatory Governance and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Publication based on the Expert Group Meeting on Engaged Governance: Citizen Participation in the Implementation of the Development Goals including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), 1 – 2 November 2006. New York: United Nations. UNDP. 2005. Environment and Human Well-Being: A Practical Strategy. United Kingdom: Earthscan. UNEP. 2007. Global Environment Outlook: Environment for Development. Malta: UNEP. World Bank. 2003. Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World: Transforming Institutions, Growth and Quality of Life. Washington, DC: World Bank. Read More