Ecological concern and sustainability in the selected works of al gore

i THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines ECOLOGICAL CONCERN AND SUSTAINABILITY IN THE SELECTED WORKS OF AL GORE A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School Batangas State University Batangas City, Philippines In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in English by PHUNG THI THU HA (River) November, 2014 ii BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam ABSTRACT Title : Ecological concern and sustainability in the selected works of Al Gore Author : Phung Thi Thu Ha Course :Doctor of Philosophy major in English language and literature Year : 2014 Adviser : : Dr Maria Luisa A Valdez Summary The main focus of this study was to determine the ecological concern and sustainability in the selected works of Al Gore This study made use the qualitative philosophical method of research in analyzing the tenets of environmental issues and concerns in the representative literary works chosen The findings of the study revealed the following main points: Global warming and climate crisis have caused a major impact on the environment as ecological variables all over the world, putting the habitats of the species on Earth under serious threat Earth with its bounty and inherent beauty has been the place for all things on Earth to shelter and develop, including humans iii THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines To cater to the needs of life, people with irresponsible actions and their lack of awareness have overexploited the resources of the world, making the 'Earth' no longer 'in Balance' as it used to be The world needs to determine jointly implement environmental measures such as reducing the growth rate of world population, reducing the consumption of fossil energy, instead, using sparingly and effectively clean energy such as solar energy, wind energy; and to balance the economic development of industrial parks, agriculture, and tourism services with social benefits and environmental sustainability By combining devices such as simile, alliteration, metaphor, metonymy and rhetorical questions, Al Gore gave readers the deep awareness of environmental issues that concern the entire world Environmental Issues author Al Gore refers to in the two selected works are very valuable for education on environmental awareness for Vietnamese youth in particular and Vietnamese people in general iv THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS On the completion of this dissertation, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Maria Luisa A Valdez, who has supported me though out my dissertation with her great patience and precious guidance whilst encouraging me with all her warm and kind heart Without her great help and assistance my attribution to the level of my PhD Degree would have not been accomplished My special thanks go to Dr Matilda H Dimaano, Dr Corazon Cabrera and The Panels for their highly intellectual abilities to give me excellent advice and previous guidance during my preparation of this work I would like to take this chance to give expressions to my gratitude to all the teachers at the Graduate School of Batangas State University of the Philippines for their valuable lectures and precious guidance that spur me to come to the choice of carrying out this research I also wish to acknowledge the Philippines Government which sends each time with the most skilful and qualified lecturers to Thai Nguyen University The cooperation between Vietnam and the Philippines should be a lesson for other countries in the region to make their education better and gain integration I am indebted to ITC, Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry of Thai Nguyen University for accepting me as a PhD Student v THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines and for their enthusiasm and supports during the time of my studying and writing this thesis I greatly appreciate the sympathy and assistance and spiritual supports from my dear colleagues and students for me during my PhD study My sincerest gratitude would go to all my dear PhD classmates for their friendliness, kindness, and big support and encouragement I am also very grateful for the wholehearted support, encouragement and love that my parents, my husband and children, along with my sisters Ms Tuyet, Ms Huong, and Ms Hong extended during my completion of the dissertation Once again I would like to say thank-you to all for everything vi THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv TABLE OF CONTENTS .vi CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM Introduction .1 Statement of the Problem .11 Scope, Delimitation and Limitation of the Study 12 Significance of the Study 15 II REVIEW OF LITERATURE: SYNTHESIS AND HYPOTHESIS 19 Conceptual Literature 19 Research Literature 31 Synthesis of the Literature Reviewed 39 Theoretical Framework 41 Conceptual Framework 44 Definition of Terms 45 III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .51 Research Method 51 Research Procedures 52 vii THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines Treatment of Materials 54 IV ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA .57 V SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION .229 Summary 229 Findings .230 Conclusions .251 BIBLIOGRAPHY CURRICULUM VITAE THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines CHAPTER THE PROBLEM Introduction The world has witnessed the increasing effects of the global climate change for more than two centuries with so many disastrous calamities in the past recent decades This subject matter has become an interesting topic for many writers who are concerned with the environmental issues It has been proved that there are a variety of factors that lead to this unpleasant fact including oceanic processes (such as oceanic circulation), biotic processes, variations in solar radiation received by Earth, plate tectonics and volcanic eruptions, and human-induced alterations of the natural world; these latter effects are currently causing global warming Among many causes leading to climate change and global warming, ‘green house effects’ and emissions of toxic gases such as carbon Dioxide (CO2) and methane are considered as the major ones (http://planetsave.com/2009/06/07/global-warming-effects-and-causes-atop-10-list/) Global warming is one of the biggest issues that we, human beings, are facing right now In fact, the effects of the global warming on animals and on agriculture are alarming, and the effects on the human population are even more frightening The facts about global warming are often debated in politics and the media The causes are believed mainly THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines from us, the human race, and the effects on us will be much more severe in the future A warming planet thus leads to a great change in climate called climate crisis which can affect all the living things on earth Global warming brings about environmental issues that lead to serious ecological consequences for not only the generations at present but also the generations in the future Such effects include a dramatic increase of sea temperatures, high sea level, rapid decrease of sea ice, more melting glaciers, an emerging global crisis in water availability and water pollution; extinction, loss of biodiversity and long-term damage to ecosystems; pollution of the atmosphere; waste production and disposal; impacts of chemicals use and toxic substance disposal; damaged aquatic ecosystems; and deforestation and land degradation The climate change and biodiversity has long been correlated Although throughout Earth’s history the climate has always varied with ecosystems and species coming and going, rapid climate change has a great influence on ecosystems and species ability to adapt and this increases biodiversity loss The United Nations’ Global Biodiversity Outlook (2010) confirms that ‘Climate change is already having an impact on biodiversity, and is projected to become a progressively more significant THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines threat in the coming decades.’ Loss of Arctic sea ice is really threatening since it is damaging biodiversity ‘across an entire biome and beyond’ The Outlook points out ‘The related pressure of ocean acidification, resulting from higher concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, is also already being observed.’ Apart from the fact that temperatures are becoming warmer, ‘more frequent extreme weather events and changing patterns of rainfall and drought can be expected to have significant impacts on biodiversity.’ The climate crisis is believed to create more extreme and unpredictable weather patterns in the future such as: more hurricanes, super-storms and drought; longer terms of dry heat or heavy rain Scientists have figured out that Northern Europe could be seriously affected with colder weather if climate change continues, as the Arctic begins to melt and send fresher waters further south It would effectively cut off the Gulf Stream that brings warmth from the Gulf of Mexico, keeping countries such as Britain warmer than expected The global warming effects on the Indian subcontinent vary from the submergence of low-lying islands and coastal lands to the melting of glaciers in the Indian Himalayas, threatening the volumetric flow rate of many of the most important rivers of India and South Asia, causing water scarcity for a long period In India, such effects are projected to impact millions of lives As a 248 THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines firstly used the philosophical approach to evaluate the work in terms of the values it contains A moralist approach is a general philosophical approach in which a reader assesses the way that an author establishes principled codes for right and wrong There are fourteen environmental Gores who used philosophical approach in analyzing the work They were having a deliberation if Gore used philosophical or factual approach In many instances, environmental issues involve questions of appropriate involvedness and improbability that brainy people might unlawfully find ground for differing opinions on both philosophical and factual matters People have avoided taking moral responsibilities They tend to choose to whatever they want especially with the involvement of money even it is harmful for the environment Vice President Al Gore looks for reform our "dysfunctional civilization" through the embracing of a "new central organizing principle" namely "the rescue of the environment." He believes that the global environmental crisis is an outward manifestation of a spiritual crisis Gore emphasize that God gave us dominion over the earth He points out that people have the misconception on how to treat the environment Moreover, the researchers also used sociological approach to analyze the text 249 THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines Sociological approach is a way of readers to analyze works with regard to cultural, economic and political context It discovers the relationships between the artist and society It also concerns how to make a high standard interpretation about the current events and organize this particular issue to make a well patterned perspective Furthermore, the process of Al Gore in order to understand the concern is to address varied questions how this phenomenon’s come from On the other hand, to gather information it should be made through careful observation This approach has been given the chance to give credit in terms of political power that is the main purpose is to respond the needs of environment The teachings on ecological stewardship may be drawn from the analysis which shall benefit the Vietnamese students Although human societies have confronted major problems through history, the challenges of the present era are unique in one crucial respect – they now embrace the entire earth as a whole system Never before has humanity been on the verge of devastating the earth’s biosphere and crippling its ecological foundations for countless generations to come Never before has the entire human family been required to work together to build a sustainable and meaningful future Never before have so many people been called to make such sweeping changes in so little time 250 THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines Man faces a true planetary emergency The environment crisis is not a political issue; it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity It is man’s greatest opportunity to lift global consciousness to a higher level In the selected works, Gore advised that minor shifts in policy moderate improvement in law and regulations, rhetoric offered in lieu of genuine change – these are all forms of appeasement, designed to satisfy the public’s desire to believe that sacrifice, struggle, and a wrenching transformation of society will not be necessary From the selected works of Al Gore, the Vietnamese students can glean the idea that humans need a common motivation to organize and act together for mother Earth Such a motivation must be found to bring the divided people, societies and nations together to face the environmental problems All the dangers are caused by human intervention, and it is only through changed attitudes and behaviors they can be overcome By fostering a deep sense of connection to others and to the earth in all its dimensions, educating the Vietnamese students encourages a sense of responsibility to self and to others The Vietnamese students must listen to these teachings on ecological stewardship embodied in the writings of Al Gore Note that the selected works may be taken as something of a summation of the essential philosophy of Gore The transformation the Vietnamese students seek 251 THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines shall begin with themselves Nothing shapes their life and the environment more than the commitment he chose to make These students can change the way they think if they first step by reviewing the teachings drawn from the selected works and from their values through the tenets of literature supplied by the first re-examined environment alist and his commitment to ecological stewardship Conclusions Based on the findings, the following conclusions are drawn: The process of global warming and climate crisis has caused a major impact on the environment as ecological variables all over the world, putting the habitats of the species on Earth under serious threat Earth with its bounty and inherent beauty has been the place for all things on Earth to shelter and develop, including humans To cater to the needs of life, people with irresponsible actions and their lack of awareness have overexploited the resources of the world, making the 'Earth' no longer 'in Balance' as it used to be, causing catastrophic climate, decrease of the diversity of flora and fauna, deforestation, water pollution, air pollution, disease become ever more serious To escape Earth from this 'Inconvenient Truth', the world needs to determine jointly implement environmental measures such as reducing the growth rate of world population, reducing the consumption of fossil energy, 252 THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines instead, using sparingly and effectively clean energy such as solar energy, wind energy; and to balance the economic development of industrial parks, agriculture, and tourism services with social benefits and environmental sustainability By combining devices such as simile, alliteration, metaphor, metonymy and rhetorical questions, Al Gore gave readers the deep awareness of environmental issues that concern the entire world Environmental Issues author Al Gore refers to in the two selected works are very valuable for education on environmental awareness for Vietnamese youth in particular and Vietnamese people in general Recommendations Based on these conclusions, the following recommendations are drawn: TNU can build a program for students throughout TNU to discuss issues of ecological environment, organize movie nights, have a seminar or talk (funding by the University or student contribution level) or take students to the industrial area, or mines, eco-tourism area so they could see and feel the great harm of pollution environment of declining ecosystem for human and social life The members of the University may require students to have practical activities to protect the environment such as saving electricity, water, 253 THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines sanitation; making good neighborhoods, hostels, lecture halls, collecting garbage, organizing contests on the environment The results of these activities may account for a certain percentage of the rated annual training result for students, to encourage environmental activities among students A study evaluating the environmental awareness of Taiyuan University students can be a topic of interest should be investigated in the future A research on the relationship between Literature, Education and Contemporary Ecological Environment in Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BIBLIOGRAPHY A BOOKS Adams, W M and Jeanrenaud, S J (2008) Transition to Sustainability: Towards a Humane and Diverse World Gland, Switzerland Al Gore, Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit, New foreword, 2006, Rodale, Inc., (2006) ISBN 978-1-59486-637-1 Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It New York: Rodale Books 2006.ISBN 1-59486-567-1 Benson, John, 2000 Environmental Ethics: An Introduction with Readings, Psychology Press and dissolution of hierarchy."Oakland: AK Press ISBN 1-904859-26-7 Botki Berry, Thomas, (1988) The Dream of the Earth Sierra Club Books, San Francisco, ISBN 1578051355 Berry, Thomas, (2009) The Sacred Universe Essays edited by Mary Evelyn Tucker Columbia University Press, New York, ISBN 0231149522 Hayden, Thomas, (1996).The Lost Gospel of the Earth Sierra Club Books, San Francisco THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines Jung, C G., (2002) The Earth Has A Soul, The Nature Writings of C.G Jung, North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, ISBN 1556433794 Blewitt, J (2008) Understanding Sustainable Development London: Earthscan ISBN 978-1-84407-454-9 Bookchin, M (2005) The Ecology of Freedom: the emergence Brower, M & Leon, W (1999) The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices: Practical Advice from the Union of Concerned Scientists New York: Three Rivers Press.ISBN 0-60980281-X Costanza, R & Patten, B.C (1995) "Defining and predicting sustainability." Ecological Economics 15 (3): 193–196 Charles Bugg, (1991) “Stewardship” in Holman Bible Dictionary, Holman: Tennessee,1303-1304 Daly, H (2007) Ecological economics: the concept of scale and its relation to allocation, distribution, and uneconomic growth pp 82–103 In H Daly Ecological Economics and Sustainable Development: Selected Essays of Herman Daly Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam Daly, H & J Cobb (1989) For the Common Good: Redirecting the Economy Toward Community, the Environment and a Sustainable Future Boston: Beacon Press ISBN 0-8070-4703-1 Devall, W and G Sessions (1985) Deep Ecology: Living As If Nature Mattered Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith, p 70 ISBN 978-0-87905-247-8 Drengson, Inoue, 1995 "The Deep Ecology Movement," North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, California Goodall, C (2007) How to Live a Low-carbon Life London: Earthscan ISBN 978-1-84407-426-6 Hak, T et al (2007) Sustainability Indicators, SCOPE 67 London: Island Press ISBN 1-59726-131-9 Holling, C S (2004) Understanding the complexity of economic, ecological, and social systems Ecosystems (5): doi:10.1007/s10021-001-0101-5 Huesemann, M.H., and J.A Huesemann (2011) Technofix: Why Technology Won’t Save Us or the Environment New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island, Canada, ISBN 0865717044 Jonathan Merritt, Green Like God: Divine Plan for Our Planet ISBN 978-0446-55725-2 THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines Leakey, R & Lewin, R (1995) The Sixth Extinction: Patterns of Life and the Future of Humankind New York: Bantam Dell Publishing Group ISBN 0-385-46809-1 Maathai, Wangari, (2010) Replenishing the Earth: Spiritual Values for Healing Ourselves and the World Doubleday Religion, New York, ISBN 030759114X Næss, A 1989 Ecology, Community and Lifestyle: Outline of an Ecosophy, Translated by D Rothenberg Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Plotkin, Bill, (2007) Nature and the Human Soul: Cultivating Wholeness and Community in a Fragmented World New World Library, Novato, ISBN 1577315510 Sarkar, 2012 "Environmental philosophy: from theory to practice," WileyBlackwell, Chichester, West Sussex Sponsel, Leslie E (2012) Spiritual Ecology: A Quiet Revolution Praeger ISBN 978-0-313-36409-9 Soederbaum, P (2008) Understanding Sustainability Economics London: Earthscan ISBN 978-1-84407-627-7 THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines Von Weizsacker, E.U (1998) Doubling Wealth, Halving Resource Use Earthscan, ISBN 1853834068 Weston, 1999 An Invitation to Environmental Philosophy, Oxford University Press, New York, New York Wilson, E.O (2002) The Future of Life New York: Knopf ISBN 0-67945078-5 B OTHER MATERIALS Global Marshall Plan Initiative (Hrsg.): Hoffnung Europa Strategie des Miteinanders, Hamburg 2006 Allen, W.J Working together for environmental management: the role of information Sharing and collaborative learning 2001 Edwards, Paul Geoffrey; Miller, Clark A (2001) Changing the atmosphere: expert knowledge and environmental governance Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press ISBN 0-262-63219-5 Hannah L Dietrich The Role of Emotion in Environmental Decision Making , 2013 J M Poulton Study of the Relationship between Pro-Environmental Product Use and Environmental Concern 2010 THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines Kim, Namkyu The impacts of Environmental Supply Chain Management (ESCM) on the environmental activities of Small and Medium - sized Enterprises (SMEs): empirical study of the Korean electronics industry, University of Leeds, 2007 Lebo, Nelson Fry Toward ecological literacy: A permaculture approach to junior secondary science, University of Waikato, 2012 Oxford Advanced Learner’, Dictionary of Current English, (1995) Peter Howley Sustainability versus Liveability: An Investigation into the Implication of High-density Living University College Dublin, 2007 Tim Cadman and Margee Hume Developing Sustainable Governance Systems for Regional Sustainability Programmes and ‘Green’ Business Practices: The Case Of ‘Green’ Timber, 2012 Urban Persson Management of Sustainability in Construction Works Lund University, 2009 Woods, Kerri Human rights and environmental sustainability in the context of Globalisation, University of Glasgow, 2007 THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines C ELECTRONIC REFERENCES http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/EASTASIAPA CIFICEXT/EXTEAPREGTOPENVIRONMENT/0,contentMDK:20266 331~pagePK:34004173~piPK:3400370 6/21/2013 http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/EASTASIAPA CIFICEXT/EXTEAPREGTOPENVIRONMENT/0,,contentMDK:20266 331~pagePK 6/21/2013 http://www.wilderdom.com/environment/6/10/14 http://www.globalissues.org/issue/168/environmental-issues https://www.novapublishers.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=7458 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecosystem_management http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_stewardship 6/25/2013 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_stewardship_(England) 6/25/2013 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_Stewardship http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Gore 6/25/2013 http://homeguides.sfgate.com/people-should-respect-environmentscommunities-79397.html accessed 01/21/14 https://sites.google.com/site/wahmotherearthfestival/home/mother-earthessay accessed 01/18/14 https://sites.google.com/site/wahmotherearthfestival/home/mother-earthessay accessed 01/18/14 THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines http://www.thwink.org/sustain/glossary/EnvironmentalSustainability.htm http://www.archden.org/index.cfm/ID/220/Catholic-Social-Teaching/ accessed 01/18/14 http://www.unesco.org/education/tlsf/mods/theme_a/img/02_earthcharter.p df accessed 01/18/14 THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines CURRICULUM VITAE PERSONAL DATA Name: Nickname: Address: Date of birth: Place of birth: Nationality: Religion: Civil Status: Father's name: Mother's name: Siblings: PHUNG THI THU HA River Group 12 Phu Xa Ward Thai Nguyen City December 8, 1975 Yen Bai City Vietnamese None Maried Phung Khac Thao Dang Thi Hien Phung Thi Tuyet, Phung Khac Chien, Phung Khac Thang EDUCATION Graduate Studies: Tertiary High School: Secondary: Primary: Ha Noi University, Vietnam Master of Arts in English Thai Nguyen University of Technology, Thai Nguyen City Bachelor of Arts in Teaching English Ly Thuong Kiet High School, Yen Bai City Hong Thai Secondary School, Yen Bai City Hong Ha School, Yen Bai City WORK EXPERIENCE November, 2006 2006 to present Foreign Languages Faculty Member, Thai Nguyen University of Education Member of International Training Faculty Thai Nguyen University of Technology ... prevalent in the treatment of the selected works This study employed the qualitative method of research in analyzing ecological concern and sustainability in the representative literary works. .. demands, social equity demands and economic demands; the literary devices used by Gore in unveiling the theme of ecological concern and sustainability; and the literary approaches prevalent in the treatment... sustainability in the selected works of Al Gore This study made use the qualitative philosophical method of research in analyzing the tenets of environmental issues and concerns in the representative