The Age of Spectacular Disasters.

The Age of Spectacular Disasters.

As the Globalisation Increased there were a number of Huge Disasters that started to Alert the public attention to Environmental Concerns.


Task.  Please make notes on each video.  Why were these disasters so influential?

Torrey Canyon.

Agent Orange.

Bhopal.

Stage 1. First steps. Silent Spring, Minamtta Disease and Moon Rise.

Stage 1.   First steps.

Silent Spring, Minamtta Disease and Earth Rise.

Watch these videos in your group and post a comment.

Why were these three events so important in kick starting Environmentalism?






 Earth Rise.


.

 Silent Spring

Mercury Poisoning- The Minamata Story

Four Steps to environmental awareness.

The Four Stages of Environmental  Awareness.



Voice Recorder >>

There are Four stages to Modern Environmental Awareness from Fringe Concerns where being "Environmental" was often regarded with suspicion to main stream politics and towards and expected norm in a Modern Liberal Society.  You will see there is an increasing role and influence Civil Society in this Political and Environmental Movement.

1.  First steps.
Carson Silent Spring, Minamata Bay and Moon Rise.

2. The Age of Super Disasters.
Agent Orange, Torrey Canyon, Exon Valdez and Bhopal.

3.  Limits to Growth and Globalisation of Environmental Impacts.

4. Mainstream Politics and the Role of Civil Society.

Advanced.

Can we have environmentalism without democracy and  and "Rule of Law".




Audio and voice recording >>

The Growth of Environmental Awareness.

Getting started.   Environmental awareness from Fringe concern to Mainstream Politics and a new economic  model.

Examine the growth of environmental awareness as a consequence of these global interactions.

Audio recording >>

Achim Steiner believes that global economic growth needs environmental sustainability. Simply put, environmental sustainability - encompassing better use of resources, less fossil fuel use, lower ecological footprints, green technologies - is a pre-condition for long-term economic development.

Watch Steiner's Video and make notes in the comment section.

• Do you agree with what he saying.
• He is proposing and new economic model. Do you think this is possible rather than just desirable?
• Thinking specifically about Hong Kong and China, what forces support this new model?
• And what forces in China an Hong Kong work against this model.

Advanced. The Fukuyama thesis.

This thesis suggests that democracy and the growth of civil society is a new and final form of world governance that will help protect the environment.

We will see these concepts towards the end of this lesson where we look at the growth of Green Politics.


"What we may be witnessing is not just the end of the Cold War, or the passing of a particular period of post-war history, but the end of history as such: that is, the end point of mankind's ideological evolution and the universalization of Western liberal democracyas the final form of human government."