Governance for Environmental Sustainability - Coursework Example

Governance for Environmental Sustainability Climate change and loss of biodiversity is an issue of global concern and require communal approach for an effective solution. Environmental sustainability require effective governance to institute policies and enforce actions focused on priorities, time horizons and ideologies of various stakeholders responsible for the causes, consequences and resolutions of critical environmental challenges (Blewitt, 2008). In the world history, nations and individuals have expressed their concerns for environmental and have called upon the stakeholders to come up with strategies aimed at promoting sustainable environment. Governance for environmental sustainability focuses on policy intervention to promote and maintain diversity and productivity of the biological systems (Hunter, 2000). This document examines the contributions made by the philosopher Van Plumwood towards environmental sustainability. Her work has made significant change in the perception of nature and has improved policies on environmental governance. Environment forms the basis for existence of human and other organisms since human and other living organisms derive their livelihood from the environment (Geiser, 2001). Environmental sustainability guarantees continuous support of life at present and in the time to come. Environmental sustainability focuses on ecology, politics, culture and economics sphere of influence that forms basis for sustainable environment (Plumwood, 2002). Environmental conservation has been an issue of concern as increase in human activities and population has continued to exert more pressure on the ecosystem resulting to climate change, environmental degradation and resource drainage (Hunter, 2000). The way human relate to nature and other living things has impacted the strategies and will for environmental management. Sustainable environment can be achieved through environmental management by ensuring sustainable yield of the renewable resources, equivalent generation of substitute of renewable resources for non-renewable resources and the generation of waste resources does not exceed the absorption capacity of the environment (Blewitt, 2008). Sustainability of the renewable resources implies that the rate of consuming resources does not exceed the rate of recreating those resources. Increasing human population and development activities has impacted the environment negatively (Gedlicks, 2001). Human have continued to depend on nature for their existence with little or no concern for environmental sustainability. The use policy intervention to promote environmental sustainability has remained the central focus among the stakeholders across the globe. The governance for environmental sustainability has received significant contributions from individuals such as Van Plumwood by influencing the way human perception of the environment. Van explained the reasons Western community expressed hostility and exploitation towards people of different races or colour, gender, etc by discussing various dualisms such as culture nature, man/woman and mind/body (Beierle & Cayford, 2002). She argued that dualism were the cause of feeling of superiority among human beings resulting to exploitation of less privileged and the nature. She expressed the need for people to avoid dualistic thinking that was responsible for destruction of the ecology. Her analysis was focused on various groups responsible for conservation of the ecosystem such as economists, environmental activists, scientists, bio-engineers and ecologists among others (Geiser, 2001). Val argued that in order to achieve sustainable environment human across the globe should develop environment culture. She identified two aspects that have to be satisfied in order to achieve an environmental culture. These factors include repositioning of the human in environmental expressions and the expression of non-human in ethical conditions. The implication of her idea was that human beings should be able to identify with the environment and should regard the matters as though they were human with conscious of wrong and right (Blewitt, 2008). She argues that science has denied objects the aspect of intentionality by creating dualistic thinking (Rose, 2013). Through science environment has been transformed into matter giving human capacity to comprehend every aspect of nature and ability to control, imitate and substitute those matter at human will. Thus science has created disconnection between human and nature resulting to environmental destruction (Beierle & Cayford, 2002). The employment of scientists by organizations has transformed the role of science for facilitating the understanding of nature into manipulating the nature. In her book Feminism and the Mastery of nature Val Plumwood argued that human beings have technological knowhow necessary to achieve the transformations required to live sustainably on and with the globe (Plumwood, 2002). She emphasized that the only thing that is necessary is for human beings to adopt a culture of environmental sustainability in which all people values and appreciate the non-human sphere and reliance on it for human existence (Scott, 2009). Considering that human beings depend on the environment for their living failure to use the natural resources sustainably is caused by ignorance and selfishness. People interrupt biological systems out of ignorance even though they have capacity to support normal biological functions. Policy makers are responsible for setting up policies to govern the use of environment (Rose, 2013). The work of Val Plumwood has influenced the policy makers and has realized the importance of using limiting human activities on the environment to promote sustainability (Plumwood, 2002). The policy makers are imposing penalties on those guilty of using the natural resources irresponsibly and have created consciousness on the use of natural resources in order to preserve the environment (United Nations Environment Programme, 2009). She claims that the main barriers to realize sustainable environment stems from “mind/body dualism inherent in Platonic idealism” (Geiser, 2001). Human beings have tendency to build attitude based on dominant element that culminates into disparity in valuing of the components such as male over female and human over environment. For example, the disparity valuing of human over environment results to human-centred traditions. In a human-centred society people think about their immediate needs and have no concern for the environment (Plumwood, 2002). They fail to recognize the damage they may cause to the environment in as they pursue their satisfaction. Due to human selfishness people continue to misuse natural resources at the expense of the environment (Scott, 2009). She claims that human-centred traditions results from poor and insufficient reasoning that portrays a spoilt world naturally, aesthetically, logically and ecologically (Plumwood, 2002). The policy makers are altering the human thinking to ensure that human value the environment more than anything else and appreciate that without the environment human beings have no means of survival (Blewitt, 2008). The reasoning has increase concerns about the environment and people are more willing to engage in environmental conservation measures for their survival. Val stipulates that people should question their characters and base their reasoning on the goals of their activities if they have to succeed in support for sustainable environment (Blewitt, 2008). Through individual reasoning people will be able to view the nature as an instrument in mutual activities and share the feelings with others. Her work has contributed immensely towards change of attitude and people are developing mutual responsibility in caring for the environment (Beierle & Cayford, 2002). Individuals should not only focus on the benefit they derive from nature but they are taking into consideration the potential risk they pose on others and non-humans depending on nature for their survival. According to Val, the “dualistic human-centeredness” has contributed to environmental destruction in various ways (Gedlicks, 2001). For example, it assumes unlike human environment has no conscience thus cannot be subjected to ethical considerations. The notion has resulted to separation of environment from human to the extent that moral issues cannot be applied to judge the relationship between human and environment (Plumwood, 2002). In addition, the human-centred dualism has refuted the human dependency on environment and instead has branded environment as a technological challenge that has to be surmounted by all means. Also, nature has been labelled by its deficiency of perfection, customs and cultivation. Finally, the human-centred dualism has resulted to degrading the value of the environment in case of conflicts of interest between human and nature (UNU Office of Communications, N. d). The reverse of the human-centred dualism is an essential component for environmental sustainability. The modern society should adopt environmental culture in which every individual has to inculcate strategies and approaches to overcome everyday issues that contributes to environmental degradation (Plumwood, 2002). Learners, environmental activists and scientists are better placed to address the issues challenging environmental sustainability. The role of governance for sustainable environment focuses on policy instruments aimed at influencing the activities of various stakeholders responsible for environment. It aims at developing priorities, philosophies and time limits for achieving sustainability (Gedlicks, 2001). The governance focus on identifying potentials and creating interconnections among the various polygonal guidelines allied to environment, development plans and trade activities among other issues that affect human activities and their relationship with the environment. Global Marine Governance (GMG) is an example of policy makers’ effort to promote environmental sustainability by protecting biodiversity and increasing human understanding and relationship with environment through research activities (Plumwood, 2002). The 2009 convention on climate change at Copenhagen aimed at influencing human perception on environment (University of Copenhagen, 2009). It aimed at reducing carbon emissions and promoting carbon trade to mitigate impact of greenhouse gases such as climate change. In conclusion, environmental sustainability can be achieved by improving the relationship between human and nature. The work of Val and other stakeholders have changed the perception of human about the environment and have promoted mutual relationship between human and the environment. In order to achieve environmental sustainability stakeholders should promote policies that support environmental culture. The scientific knowledge should promote the understanding of nature instead of manipulating nature for selfish gain. People across the globe are becoming more conscious about the environment than ever before and are taking initiatives to conserve the environment and even identify with objects. References Beierle, T. C. & Cayford, J. (Eds) (2002). Democracy in Practice: Publci Participation in Environmental Decisions. Washington, DC; Resources for the Future Press. Blewitt, J. (2008). Understanding Sustainable Development. London: Earthscan. Gedlicks, A. (2001). Resource Rebels: Native Challenges to Mining and Oil Corporations. Cambridge, MA: South End Press. Geiser, K. (2001). Materials Matter: Toward a Sustainable Materials Policy. Cambridge: MIT Press. Hunter, L. M. (2000). The Environmental Implications of Population Dynamics. CA: The Rand Corporation Plumwood, V. (2002). Environmental Culture. The Ecological Crisis of Reason’Routledge, Rose, D. B. (2013). Val Plumwood’s Philosophical Animism: Attentive Interactions in the sentient World. Environmental Humanities, Vol. 3: 93-109.Austrilia: University of New South Wales. Scott, C. M. (2009). Green Economics. London: Earthscan. University of Copenhagen (March 2009) "Key Messages from the Congress" News item on Copenhagen Climate Congress in March 2009. United Nations Environment Programme, (2009). "United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. UNU Office of Communications, (N.d). Environmental Sustainability and Governance. Retrieved on September 17th 2014 from Http://unu.edu/research/environmental- sustainability-and-governance.html Read More