IB ESS SL 1.1.8 Environmental Perspectives Classification Questions

It ascribes to:
a. a human responsibility to maintain the environment;
b. concept of stewardship;
c. sustainable exploitation of the environment;
d. management/supervision of human activity;
e. imposing sustainable practices through legislation;
f. use of incentives/disincentives to regulate exploitation (compensations/taxes/fines etc.);
g. public debate to reach consensual resolutions/pragmatic approaches;;
h. population control is of equal importance to management of resource use;

Note: Allow credit for any feature that distinguishes anthropocentrism from one or more alternative value systems.
Do not credit responses implying more cornucopian values e.g. Human supremacy / dominance over environment / only concerned with human benefit.

The following guide for using the markbands suggests certain features that may be offered in responses. The five headings coincide with the criteria in each of the markbands (although ESS terminology has been conflated with "understanding concepts"). This guide simply provides some possible inclusions and should not be seen as requisite or comprehensive. It outlines the kind of elements to look for when deciding on the appropriate markband and the specific mark within that band.

Answers may demonstrate:
- understanding concepts \& terminology of anthropocentrism;
ecocentrism;
technocentrism;
soft ecologists;
environmental managers;
carrying capacity;
ecological footprint;
population policies;
pro-natal/anti-natal;
incentives;
disincentives;
sustainable development;
personal and communal improvement;
community involvement;
legal regulations;
etc.
- breadth in addressing and linking different value systems and different approaches to population regulation including a range of development policies.
- examples of anthropocentric national/international policies, other named value systems;
national populations and population policies etc.
- balanced analysis evaluating extent to which anthropocentric policies are most conducive to sustainable development of human populations compared with other approaches.
- a conclusion that is consistent with, and supported by analysis and examples given e.g. Anthropocentric approaches to maintaining a sustainable population are more realistic than the ideology of ecocentric approaches and the recklessness of extreme technocentric approaches.

NB Although our syllabus takes the view of anthropocentrism indicated in MS for 4a, there is a popular perception that is more toward a cornucopian value system, where humans are rightfully dominant over the environment and nature has a purely instrumental value as it serves humankind. While this represents a misunderstanding of the term defined in our syllabus, please apply the spirit of ECF and be prepared to credit arguments based on this perception.

Please see markbands on page 18