For several decades writers have posited a fundamental conflict between environmental protection and economic development. These arguments-linked to ideas of either an impending catastrophe (the environmentalist perspective) or human ingenuity and its capacity to deal with environmental threats through economic progress (the pro- development perspective)-have given rise to new political movements. This has prompted established political organisations to emphasise aspects of the environmentalist discourse (like preserving nature for future generations) and utilitarian arguments (like the recreational and aesthetic value of nature). Notions of sustainable development have been a pivotal feature of this response since they are founded on apparently conflicting values. This paper therefore uses recent survey research to explore the relationship between values (be they 'ecocentric' or pro-development or utilitarian) and political predispositions relating to the environment. The central findings relate to the strong link between political predispositions and ecocentric or pro- development values, the weak link with utilitarian values, and the implications of sustainable development strategies.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
ANOP Research Services (1991) The Environment and the ESD Process: An Attitude Research Analysis Vol. 1, Sydney: ANOP.
2.
ANOP Research Services (1993) Community Attitudes to Environmental Issues Prepared for the Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories.
3.
Beckerman, W. (1995) Small Is Stupid: Blowing the Whistle on the GreensLondon: Duckworth.
4.
Business Council for Australia (1990) Achieving Sustainable Development . A Discussion Paper by the Business Council of Australia July.
5.
Commonwealth of Australia (1990) Ecologically Sustainable Development. A Commonwealth Discussion PaperCanberra: AGPS .
6.
Commonwealth of Australia (1994) Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council. Guide to Environmental Legislation in Australia and New Zealand (fourth edition) Report No. 29, Canberra: Department of the Environment, Sports and Territories.
7.
Commonwealth of Australia (1996) The National Strategy for the Conservation of Australia's Biological DiversityCanberra: AGPS
8.
Cotgrove, S. (1982) Catastrophe or CornucopiaChichester : John Wiley and Sons.
9.
Crick, B. (1993) In Defence of PoliticsLondon : Penguin Books (Fourth edition).
10.
Crook, S. and J. Pakulski (1995) 'Shades of Green: Public Opinion on Environmental Issues in Australia' Australian Journal of Political Science30(1): 39-55.
11.
Dryzek, J. (1997) The Politics of the EarthOxford : Oxford University Press.
12.
Eckersley, R. (1992) Environmentalism and Political Theory: Toward an Ecocentric ApproachLondon: UCL Press.
13.
Goldstein, W (ed.) (1979) Australia's 100 Years of National ParksSydney: National Parks and Wildlife Service.
14.
Goodin, R.E. (1992) Green Political TheoryCambridge : Polity Press.
15.
Hardin, G. (1968) 'The Tragedy of the Commons'Science162: 1243-8.
16.
Hare, B. and F. Grey (1992) 'Growth vs. Development. What's the Difference ?' Habitat February: 4-5.
17.
Inglehart, R. (1977) The Silent Revolution: Changing Values and Political Styles Among Western PublicsPrinceton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.
18.
Inglehart, R. (1990) Culture Shift in Advanced Industrial SocietyPrinceton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.
19.
Kelley, J., C.S. Bean, M.D.R. Evans and K. Zagorski (1995) International Social Science Survey. Codebook and Machine Readable Data File (Preliminary)Canberra: Institute of Advanced Studies, Australian National University.
20.
Lafferty, W. (1996) 'The Politics of Sustainable Development: Global Norms for National Implementation'Environmental Politics5(2): 53-75.
21.
McAllister, I. (1994) 'Dimensions of Environmentalism: Public Opinion, Political Activism and Party Support in Australia' Environmental Politics3(1): 22-42.
22.
McIntosh, L. (1989) 'Is Restoration Possible?' The Mining Review June: 33-6.
23.
Meadows, D.H., D.L. Meadows, J. Randers and W.W. Behrens III (1972) The Limits to GrowthNew York: New American Library.
24.
Milbrath, L. (1984) Environmentalists. Vanguard for a New SocietyAlbany: State University of New York Press.
25.
Naess, A. (1973) 'The Shallow and the Deep, Long-rangeEcology Movements' Inquiry16: 95-100.
26.
Papadakis, E. (1993) Politics and the Environment. The Australian ExperienceSydney: Allen and Unwin.
27.
Papadakis, E. (1996) Environmental Politics and Institutional ChangeMelbourne: Cambridge University Press.
28.
Papadakis, E. (1997) 'The Environment' in B. Galligan, I. McAllister and J. Ravenhill (eds) Developments in Australian PoliticsMelbourne: Macmillan:196-212.
29.
Productivity Commission (1999) Implementation of Ecologically Sustainable Development by Commonwealth Departments and Agencies Draft Report, Canberra.
30.
Rohrschneider, R. (1988) 'Citizens' Attitudes Towards Environmental Issues: Selfish or Selfless?' Comparative Political Studies21(3): 347-67.
31.
Rokeach, M. (1968) Beliefs, Attitudes and ValuesSan Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
32.
Simon, J. L. and H. Kahn (eds) (1984) The Resourceful Earth: A Response to Global 2000New York: Basil Blackwell .
33.
Suzuki, D. (1990) Inventing the FutureSydney : Allen & Unwin.
34.
Thompson, P. (1986) Myles Dunphy. Selected WritingsSydney: Ballagirin.
35.
Touraine, A. et al. (1983) Anti-Nuclear ProtestNew York: Cambridge University Press.
36.
Tranter, B. (1996) 'The Social Bases of Environmentalism in Australia ' Australian and New Zealand Journal of Sociology32(2): 61-85.
37.
Weiss, L. (1998) The Myth of the Powerless StateCambridge: Polity Press.
38.
Weizsäcker, E. U. von (1994) Earth PoliticsLondon: Zed Books.
39.
Whitelock, D. (1985) Conquest to Conservation: History of Human Impact on the South Australian EnvironmentCowandilla: Wakefield Press.
40.
Wills-Johnson, B. (1990) 'Changing Community Attitudes: The Alcoa Experience ' The Mining Review July: 37-42.
41.
World Commission on Environment and Development ( 1990) Our Common FutureMelbourne: Oxford University Press.
42.
Yankelovich, D., (1991) Coming to Public JudgementSyracuse: Syracuse University Press.
