‘Norman
Myers points out in “Atlas of Future Worlds”, that protection of Gaia needs to
be embedded in international law and all human behavior subjected to such a
law. All other environmental and human problems pale by comparison. Accepting
the axiom of the inviolability of Gaia would also help prioritize and suggest
acceptable solutions to environmental problems, many of which are being
sidetracked because of lack of agreement about what constitutes environmental
moral culpability.' The following unit then requires a constructivist pedagogy
in guiding students through environmental problem solving with the Gaia
hypothesis.
(I)
Defining the Problem
a.
Population is the root cause of pollution and since population increases
exponentially so pollution is increasing exponentially and so necessarily
uncontrollably.
b.
Pollution of air, water and soil means loss of available resources for the
expanding population.
c.
Population drives consumption that depletes resources and prevents a balanced
or sustainable economy with the environment. It drives the need for synthetics
and the need for garbage disposal that further pollutes and cuts back on
available land and resources.
d.
Population increase drives the need to use mass farming techniques such as
mono-genetic crops and pesticides that only increases productivity of crop
production on the short term. It increases the risk of loss of protection from
pests in the future and toxicity to life in general. In the process further
environmental damage threatens the existing level of human population.
e.
Population increase means reduction of forests to provide fuel and more cultivated
land, more houses and recreational space etc. Loss of forests threatens global
homeostatic control of global temperature.
If
the temperature goes up there is flooding and increased rate of
desertification, if the temperature goes down, there is a movement towards a
glacial age. In either case, there is more land lost to farming.
f.
Increase in population means increased dependence upon oil and other imported
goods that decreases national security and so increases military expenditure
that reduces resources available for feeding the population etc.
g.
Increase in population ultimately threatens all environmental treaties because
the struggle for survival will justify governments to abandon them, that then
in turn may lead to qualitative leaps in environmental destruction, and as such
possibly lead to death of Gaia or devastating loss of human life to levels
below existing population.
(2)Hypothetical
Solutions
a)
Give tax and social benefits as incentives to 2 children families and penalties
for exceeding this number.
b)
Require all synthetics to be either biodegradable or able to be recycled on a
sustainable basis.
c)
Agribusiness must justify all management and farming policies based upon long
term sustainable policies, organic solutions to pest and preservation of
genetic diversity in the environment.
d)
Enforcement of ‘greenbelts’ around all forest and woodlands. Cutting of trees
must not threaten a complex ecosystem in which they live.
e)
Reduce dependence upon foreign imports to reduce military expenditure. Reduce
foreign debt by limiting profits that can be made on loans.
f)
Support an international economic order that requires foreign trade to be based
upon the best use of natural resources consistent with local climate or
distinctive biome needs.
g)
Give priority to all plans that address issues solving systemic problems.
(3)
Determine what criteria would be used to deem plans/solutions as good/bad or
better/worse. (controlling variables).
The task is now
to anticipate consequences of the hypothetical solutions that have been
imagined. In this case we are interested in:
1)
outcomes for the government, state or wider community material or nonmaterial.
2)
outcomes for those immediately involved.
3)
outcomes for extended family and others directly affected.
4)
anticipated outcomes based upon research into comparable situations, for
example
5)
anticipate costs to different sectors of the economy and ways to deal with
this.
(4)
Procedure/Materials/Presentation of Data.
Choose the best
hypothetical plan and fully write out how it would be implemented with list of
resources and costs incurred. Plan data tables, graphs and so forth to
determine how outcomes can be measured and presented.
(5)
Conclusion
Recommend
implementing the plan that appears to offer the best outcomes. Point out
limitations and expected arrears for refinement.