Values & Environmental Perspectives (HL IB Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS))

Understanding Values

What are values?

• Values are qualities or principles that people believe have worth and importance in life

  • They guide our behaviours, attitudes and decisions

  • Examples include honesty, integrity, fairness and compassion

Influence of values

• Values affect people’s priorities, judgements, perspectives and choices

  • They are deeply personal, but a variety of cultural and social factors also play a role.

  • For example, in some cultures, respect for elders is highly valued, shaping how individuals interact within society

  • In line with the principles of sustainability and conservation, movements like Greta Thunberg's Fridays for the Future call for immediate action on climate change

Values in community

• Within our communities, we share and shape our values

  • They are reflected in how we communicate and interact with others, both within our own community and with external communities

  • For example, a community that values environmental sustainability may organise clean-up events or support green policies

Values in organisations

• Organisations also have values, which can be seen in their communication and actions

  • These values are often expressed through advertisements, social media, policies and organisational decisions

    • For example, a company that values diversity and inclusion may have policies supporting equal opportunities and representation in their workforce

  • Companies like Patagonia demonstrate values of environmental stewardship through initiatives like donating a portion of profits to environmental causes

Tensions from different values

• Different values often lead to tensions between individuals or between organisations

  • Conflicts can happen when important values clash, like when some people want to freely express themselves but others want to be respectful of different cultures

  • In multicultural societies, navigating these tensions requires understanding and respecting diverse values

Value Surveys

Understanding perspectives on environmental issues

• Values surveys investigate the perspectives of social groups towards various environmental issues

• They help us understand how environmental concerns are viewed and prioritised by individuals or communities

  • For example, a survey could explore attitudes towards renewable energy adoption, waste reduction, or conservation efforts

  • Another survey could ask about attitudes towards using public transportation to reduce carbon emissions

Effective design of value surveys

• A well-designed environmental value survey is able to:

  • Take different viewpoints into account

  • Look at the whole range of opinions within a group about environmental matters

• The results of an effective survey should be able to:

  • Give insights into attitudes, beliefs and values that influence how people view and respond to local and global environmental challenges

Implementation of surveys

• Surveys, questionnaires, or interviews can be used to gather data on environmental attitudes

  • Using online survey tools can be very useful for:

    • Collecting data from a wider audience

    • Collecting a greater volume of data

    • Collecting data in a shorter amount of time

    • Efficient analysis of data

• Closed-ended questions are good for quantitative analysis (i.e. they provide structured data that can be easily quantified and analysed statistically)

• Closed-ended questions are those that provide respondents with a fixed set of options to choose from

• Examples include multiple-choice questions, rating scales and Likert scale items

  • For example, in a survey about environmental attitudes, closed-ended questions could include:

    • Which of the following renewable energy sources do you believe is most effective in reducing carbon emissions? (a) Solar (b) Wind (c) Hydroelectric (d) Geothermal

    • Indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement: "Using public transportation is an effective way to reduce air pollution". Strongly agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree, Strongly disagree

    • On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being very likely, how likely are you to recycle paper products?

• Responses to these questions can be easily quantified (given a value or score)

  • This allows statistical analysis to be used on the data

  • This helps identify trends, correlations and patterns in attitudes towards specific environmental issues

    • For example, there is an environmental education campaign designed to increase recycling rates

    • It is important to measure the effectiveness of this campaign

    • A survey can be used to collect quantitative data on attitudes towards recycling

    • This can then be correlated with data on actual actual recycling rates

• Surveys or interviews can also include open-ended questions to help capture more detailed responses

  • These types of response are more difficult to analyse

  • However, they can still be valuable for gaining deeper insights into individual viewpoints

Behaviour-time graphs

• If value surveys are repeated over time, the results can be used to produce behaviour-time graphs

• Behaviour-time graphs show changes in behaviours or lifestyles over time

  • They help to visualise trends, patterns and shifts in behaviour related to environmental actions

• Behaviour-time graphs can track changes in daily habits over a set period of time, such as:

  • Energy consumption

  • Waste generation

  • Transportation choices

• For example, a graph could illustrate a decrease in household electricity usage over several months

  • This could be due to energy-saving measures like installing LED lights or adjusting thermostat settings

• These graphs can also illustrate changes in environmental behaviours, such as:

  • Recycling rates

  • Composting practices

  • Water conservation efforts

• Behaviour-time graphs can be valuable tools for:

  • Monitoring progress towards sustainability goals

  • Evaluating the effectiveness of environmental initiatives

• They can help to:

  • Visualise the impact of interventions

  • Identify areas for further improvement