Shallow & Deep Ecologism

In News

• With prolonged heat waves, it becomes pertinent to learn about environmental philosophy that reinvent the relationship between nature and humans — shallow and deep ecologism.

Background

• Heat waves are known to have been a reality for hundreds of years. 
• But the long-term effects of climate change have exacerbated them, making the waves more extreme, frequent and prolonged.

Ecologism

• Origin: 
  • The concepts emerged in the 1970s, when Norwegian philosopher Arne Næss sought to look beyond the popular pollution and conservation movements of his milieu to address environmental degradation. 
  • In his study of ecological concerns, Næss is more preoccupied with the role of the individual in nature. 
  • Owing to increased anthropocentrism, humans have cut themselves off from nature, viewing nature and themselves as competing entities and establishing a master-slave dynamic.
  • With Humans at heart of crisis, Næss outlines the difference between the two styles of ecologism. 
• Shallow ecologism or environmentalism: 
  • He terms the powerful and fashionable fight against pollution and resource depletion as shallow ecologism or environmentalism. 
  • Exponents of this philosophy believe in continuing our present lifestyle, but with specific tweaks aimed at minimising the damage to the environment. 
  • Also referred to as weak ecologism, it may include the use of vehicles that cause less pollution or air conditioners that do not release chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). 
  • This branch of ecologism primarily serves to maintain the lifestyle of those dwelling in developed countries.
• Deep Ecologism: 
  • Deep ecologism believes that humans should radically change their relationship with nature. 
  • Its proponents reject shallow ecologism for prioritising humans above other forms of life, and subsequently preserving the environmentally destructive way of life in modern societies. 
  • To recognise the complex richness of different lifeforms, deep ecologism calls for a re-evaluation of the ‘survival of the fittest’ doctrine. 
  • Deep ecologism maintains that by sustaining this lifestyle, shallow ecologism further widens the inequalities between countries. 
  • For example- 
    • Despite constituting only five percent of the world’s population, the U.S. accounts for 17% of the world’s energy consumption and is the second largest consumer of electricity after China. 
    • Similarly, while low and middle-income countries have recorded lower cumulative and per capita carbon dioxide emissions over the past two centuries, it is the wealthier countries which are most responsible for a majority of carbon emissions.

Objectives of Deep Ecologism 

• Deep ecologism aspires to sustain nature by making large-scale changes to our lifestyle. 
• Limiting the commercial farming of meat to preserve forest areas and reduce the artificial fattening of animals,
• The reshaping of transport systems which involve the use of internal combustion engines.
• Besides advocating these lifestyle changes, deep ecologism shifts the attention from pollution and conservation narratives to robust policy formulation and implementation. 

The Political Dimensions of Ecologism

• Both strands of ecologism draw from different frameworks, including socialism, anarchism, feminism, conservatism and sometimes even fascism. 
  • Deep ecologism in particular borrows from socialism. 
• An ethically responsible ecologism is one which operates in the interest of all economic classes.
• Thus, policy-making must be aided by the reorientation of technical skills and inventions in new directions that are ecologically responsible. 
• Criticism of Narrow Focus:
  • A narrow focus on pollution and conservation movements is counterproductive. When projects are only implemented to solve pollution, it generates evils of a different kind. 
  • The environment may also become more vulnerable when decisions are strongly influenced by majority rule, without taking local interests into consideration. 
  • Ecologists reject work that is supervised by authorities with limited ecological perspectives.

Way Ahead

• Decentralising the decision-making: Deep ecologism thus prioritises a ‘live and let live’ attitude over an ‘either you or me’ approach. A solution to this can be found in decentralising the decision-making process and strengthening local autonomy. 
• Need for Holistic Perspective: Humans should be against adopting a ‘vague, global’ approach to the environmental crisis. A holistic perspective to the crisis is one which acknowledges regional differences and the disparities between under and over-developed nations.
• Role of Policy-makers: The responsibility of solving the climate crisis falls on policy-makers as much as it does on scientists and ecologists.

Source: TH