Tài liệu 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 of Doctor of Philosophy Major in English by PHÙNG THI THU HA 2015 Số hóa bởi Trung tâm Học liệu – ĐHTN http://www.lrc.tnu.edu.vn i ii THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines APPROVAL SHEET This dissertation entitled “ECOLOGICAL CONCERN AND SUSTAINABILITY IN THE SELECTED WORKS OF AL GORE” prepared and submitted by PHÙNG THỊ THU HÀ in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy major in English has been examined and is recommended for Oral Examination. MARIA LUISA A. VALDEZ, Ph.D. Adviser PANEL OF EXAMINERS Approved by the Committee on Oral Examination with a grade of _______. DR. MATILDA H. DIMAANO Chairman DR. AMADA G. BANAAG Member DR. FELIX M. PANOPIO Member DR. MYRNA G. SULIT External Representative Accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy major in English. Comprehensive Examination: PASSED ________________ Date MATILDA H. DIMAANO, Ph.D. Dean, Graduate Studies College of Arts and Sciences ABSTRACT Số hóa bởi Trung tâm Học liệu – ĐHTN http://www.lrc.tnu.edu.vn ii iii THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam Title: BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines ECOLOGICAL CONCERN AND SUSTAINABILITY IN THE SELECTED WORKS OF AL GORE Author: Phùng Thị Thu Hà Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Major: English Year: 2015 Adviser: Maria Luisa A. Valdez, Ph.D. Summary This study analyzed the ecological concern and sustainability as embodied in the selected literary pieces of Al Gore pointing out the events and situations which show the teachings on ecological stewardship which may be drawn from the analysis that may benefit the Vietnamese students. Likewise, this paper tries to present the reflections of the author on the environment that may be gleaned from the selections; the ecological concern reflected in the works in terms of respecting Earth and life and all its diversity, safeguarding Earth‟s regenerative capacities, caring for community life, and appreciating Earth‟s beauty and bounty; sustainability manifested in the selections with regard to environmental demands, social equity demands and economic demands; the literary devices used by Gore in unveiling the theme of Số hóa bởi Trung tâm Học liệu – ĐHTN http://www.lrc.tnu.edu.vn iii iv THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines ecological concern and sustainability; and the literary approaches 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 chosen. Likewise, this analysis made use of the sociological and philosophical approaches as the bases for analysis. In particular, he these approaches were supported by Ehrlich‟s and Raven‟s Society-Nature Coevolution Theory. Likewise, the paper involved content analysis, which is a systematic technique in analyzing message content and message handling. The data analysis in this research centered on pattern seeking and the extraction of meaning from Al Gore‟s selected literary narrative or image data. The essential features in the treatment of materials were considered by the researcher in the conduct of this study. The general rules cited by Stott (2014) as regards the seven standards a piece of literature should abide to in order to be considered literary guided in the selection of works under study. The representative literary works of Al Gore entitled: Earth in the Balance and The Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It? were analyzed. These books constituted the primary and twining sources of the study. The said selections were chosen because of their correlation with the cited theme and subthemes. Số hóa bởi Trung tâm Học liệu – ĐHTN http://www.lrc.tnu.edu.vn iv v THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines Findings of the study revealed that Global waring is the greatest environmental threat of the present time that is reflected in Al Gore‟s literary works, Earth in the Balance and The Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It. Global warming as a threat to health, communities, economy, and national security was presented therein as a result of men‟s activities without consideration to the effects to the environment. Environmental concern may be gleaned from Gore‟s literary texts as manifested in his advocacy to protect the earth's vitality, diversity, and beauty. To give deeper meanings on the concept of environmentalism and a logical framework to his works through language as well as to motivate the readers‟ imagination to visualize the characters, scenes and situations more clearly, Gore employed various literary devices in the selected literary pieces. Environmental sustainability is also manifested by Gore‟s selected works as manifested in his advocacy to reconcile environmental, social equity and economic demands of the society. The representative literary works of Gore may be considered as a sociophilosophical document showing the environmental issues of the times. Finally, the Vietnamese students can glean teachings on ecological concern and sustainability from the representative literary works of Gore and imbibe his spirit and carry forward his legacy by practicing daily the pro-environment Số hóa bởi Trung tâm Học liệu – ĐHTN http://www.lrc.tnu.edu.vn v vi THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines principle. The new Vietnamese students are certainly at hand, with literature and thoughts intertwined through the identified literary advocate of the environment. Số hóa bởi Trung tâm Học liệu – ĐHTN http://www.lrc.tnu.edu.vn vi vii THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines ACKNOWLEDGMENT The researcher desires to express her thankful appreciation to those who helped and inspired her towards the completion of this paper. First and foremost, she wishes to thank the Thai Nguyen University and the Batangas State University for giving her the opportunity to finish this undertaking under their International Academic Cooperation Program. Dr. Dang Kim Vui, the President of the Thai Nguyen University, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Tuan Anh, Assoc Prof. Dr. Dang Xuan Binh, Prof. Dr. Nguyen The Hung, the former Directors of the TNU International Training and Development Center, Dr. Hoang Thi Bich Thao, the current Director of TNU ITDC, and Dr. Phan Quang The, the Dean of the Faculty of International Training, Thai Nguyen University of Technology, for their motivation and wisdom that helped hasten the completion of this study. Dr. Maria Luisa A. Valdez, the Dean of Colleges and Head of the Graduate School of the Batangas State University ARASOF Nasugbu Campus, the researcher‟s dissertation adviser, for her constant encouragement, commitment, and patience which motivated the researcher to finish this study. Dr. Matilda H. Dimaano, the Chairman of the Panel of Examiners, for her Số hóa bởi Trung tâm Học liệu – ĐHTN http://www.lrc.tnu.edu.vn vii viii THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines thorough dissection and candid remarks that drew up the essential and relevant dimensions in this research. Dr. Amada G. Banaag, Dr. Felix M. Panopio, and Dr. Myrna G. Sulit, the Members of the Panel of Examiners, for their valuable suggestions and constructive criticism which motivated her to analyze conscientiously all the inputs during the conduct of this study. Dr. Remedios P. Magnaye, the Recording Secretary and Ms. Le Quynh Anh, the ITDC Administrative Staff, for their words of encouragement and kind gestures. The authors whose works were included in this study, for their wisdom in every page of this dissertation. The researcher‟s friends, all of whom generously gave their time, advice, and prayers. They made her realize the value of truth and friendship. The researcher is also very grateful for the wholehearted support and love that her parents, her husband, Le Hong Thai and children, Le Dinh Long and Le Ha Vy, have extended during the writing process. Phùng Thị Thu Hà DEDICATION Số hóa bởi Trung tâm Học liệu – ĐHTN http://www.lrc.tnu.edu.vn viii ix THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines To my ever dearest husband, Le Hong Thai and loving children, Le Dinh Long and Le Ha Vy, Phùng Thị Thu Hà TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Số hóa bởi Trung tâm Học liệu – ĐHTN http://www.lrc.tnu.edu.vn ix x THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines TITLE PAGE …………………………………………………..… i APPROVAL SHEET ……………………………………………. ii ABSTRACT ……………………………………………………… iii ACKNOWLEDGMENT …………………………………………. vii DEDICATION …………………………………………………… ix TABLE OF CONTENTS ……………………………………….. x LIST OF FIGURES ……………………………………………... xii CHAPTER I. THE PROBLEM Introduction ………………………………………….….. 1 Statement of the Problem ………………………….…. 10 Scope, Delimitation and Limitation of the Study …... 12 Significance of the Study ……………………………… 15 II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Conceptual Literature ………………………………….. 18 Research Literature ………………………….…………. 59 Synthesis ………………………………………………. 70 Theoretical Framework ………………………………. 74 Conceptual Framework ……………..……………….. 79 Số hóa bởi Trung tâm Học liệu – ĐHTN http://www.lrc.tnu.edu.vn x xi THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines Definition of Terms ……………………………………. 83 III. RESEARCH METHOD AND PROCEDURE Research Methodology ………………………………. 88 Treatment of Materials ……………………………….. 89 IV. ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION……………….. 95 V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Summary of Findings………………………………….. 312 Conclusions…………………………………………….. 324 Recommendations…………………………………….. 325 BIBLIOGRAPHY ………………………………………………………. 328 APPENDICES ............................................................................ 339 Summaries of the Selections ………………………………. 340 CURRICULUM VITAE ………………………………………………… 343 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Title Page Conceptual Paradigm of the Study Số hóa bởi Trung tâm Học liệu – ĐHTN 82 http://www.lrc.tnu.edu.vn xi xii THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam Số hóa bởi Trung tâm Học liệu – ĐHTN BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines http://www.lrc.tnu.edu.vn xii 1 THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM Introduction The world today faces considerable unparalleled environmental crises. Declining of the Earth‟s environment gradually threatens the natural resource base and processes whereupon all life on earth depends. Without resilient and multifaceted action by all humanity, the environment may not be able to sustain human life. Future generations may suffer scarcity and adversity unless current patterns of production, consumption and waste management intensely change. Moreover, the determination of balancing progress with the Earth‟s support systems is being understood and acknowledged. Thus, it is but timely for humanity to act upon this responsibility. Cognizant of the fact that most environmental problems are transboundary, regional or global in scope, it is but fitting for all countries and their stakeholders to work together extensively and gradually to solve these problems. Aside from natural events, human activities are now recognized as a contributory factor to climate change. During the recent years, scientists and 2 THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines researchers have been able to gather evidences of changes in temperature, rainfall and other weather variables. Currently, global warming has turned out as an undisputed fact with regards to livelihood. The planet is warming up and people are definitely part of the problem. However, this is not the only environmental problem that people should be concerned about. Worldwide, people face a huge number of new and challenging environmental problems daily. Some of them are insignificant and only affect a handful of ecosystems, but others are seriously changing the landscape of what people already know. Planet Earth is poised at the verge of a serious environmental crisis. Present environmental problems make people susceptible to disasters and tragedies. They are in a state of planetary emergency, with environmental problems stacking up high around them. Unless they address the various issues prudently and seriously they are surely doomed for disaster. There are fifteen major current environmental problems, which include: pollution, overpopulation, natural resource depletion, waste disposal, climate change, loss of biodiversity, deforestation, ocean acidification, ozone layer depletion, acid rain water pollution, urban sprawl, public health issues, and genetic 3 THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines engineering and global warming. These current environmental problems require urgent attention. Sadly, the act of hauling people out of poverty and into the technologically advanced world often comes at the expense of the local environment. This is true to many countries but is explicitly serious in Southeast Asian nations, as their economies especially the tourism sector depend so fundamentally on untouched natural resources. Most of the environmental issues in Southeast Asia are like air pollution, endangered species conservation, deforestation, destruction of coral reefs, water security, and increased urbanization beset this region. These are inseparably linked, and working to upgrade one will often have added benefits or positive impact to the others. Global climate change, which is commonly known as global warming and associated sea level rise, is one of the most serious challenges facing the human beings in the 21st century. Natural disasters and extreme climatic phenomena are increasing in number, affecting the lives of humans all across the world. Sharing the same situations is the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Vietnam is likely to be one of the several countries most adversely affected by 4 THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines climate change. During the last 50 years, its annual average surface temperature has increased by approximately 0.5 - 0.7oC, while the sea level along its coastline has risen by approximately 20 cm. The El-Nino and La-Nina phenomena have caused increasingly adverse impacts to Vietnam. Climate change has resulted in more severe and/or frequent occurrences of natural disasters, specifically, cyclonic storms, floods and droughts becoming more extreme in Vietnam. As a peninsula country located in the tropical monsoon belt of Southeast Asia, it is one of the nations with a high potential of being most negatively impacted by climate change. The country is already experiencing changes in fundamental climatic elements as well as extreme weather phenomena such as storms, heavy rains, and droughts (Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment, 2009). Likewise, it also faces many environmental problems related to land degradation, forest degradation, loss of biodiversity, water pollution, air pollution, and solid waste management, according to the State of Environment of Vietnam‟s Website (2014). A significant increase in the average world temperature, according to Kurukulasuriya and Robinson (2006), will lead to serious impact on the environment. Climate change experts and researchers predict that this global 5 THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines warming will cause increased desertification rainfall in many areas and increased desertification in others as well as the loss of ice cover in the Polar Regions. It was also predicted that the average sea level will rise by up to eighty-eight centimeters by the end of the twenty first century, posing a serious threat to small island states and low-lying delta systems. They likewise, averred that global warming will also have impact on floras and faunas. Seasonal patterns will change leading to longer and hotter summers. Some species will not be able to adapt well to this change of environment and may slowly become extinct. The most serious consequence is likely to be the impact on agriculture and thus food safety, especially due to increased water shortages. Moreover, while there have been some discussions over the degree to which human-induced emissions have contributed to climate change, there is now general consensus that concerted action needs to be taken to minimize and mitigate the problems which global warming is starting to cause. With reference to this, the objective of the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) aims to discuss the negative impact of climate change. The Convention‟s stated objective it “to stabilized greenhouse gas concentration at a level that allows ecosystems to 6 THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines adapt naturally to the climate change so that food production is not threatened, while enabling the economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.” To attain this end, the parties to the Convention are guided by principles that reflect the awareness of global environmental responsibility, which were discussed in detail in the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development and Agenda 21. These principles include inter-generational equity, the precautionary approach, the right to sustainable development, and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities (Kurukulasuriya, and Robinson, 2006). Although environmental dreadful conditions and struggle for scarce resources are potential sources for conflict, history has recurrently shown that they are more often facilitators for cooperation. Problems of shared resources regularly produced shared solutions. Humanity, in general, can share their full and rightful support to peace and world stability. This inconvenient truth has put the Planet Earth in its unbalanced state and it has been reflected in many books, journals, magazines, newspapers, documentaries and other kinds of literature. 7 THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines Taking note of the degree of similarity between literature and human societies, readers are convinced that literature is not just a social construct which is rooted in mere ideas, imaginations or imaginary situations. Rather, it is a social institution and a form of tradition, which has existed for a long time and is accepted as an essential component of a given society to perform certain functions. Readers can view literature as a social reality, which portrays the state of things as they are, rather than as they are imagined to be. Premised on sociological approach to literary criticism, literature can be utilized in working out national reconstruction being a tool that can motivate people to co-operate with one another through information sharing and dissemination (Ogundokun, 2014). Arts, which literature is an essential part of, and the society which produces it have tenacious association, which cannot be automatically disconnected. The elements of fiction are found in non-fiction. Hence, no literary work can be considered complete just because of its mere aesthetic value and entertainment purposes. Literature generally is not closed, independent or self-subsistent, he added. Indeed, there is a distinct relationship between literature and the milieu or environment where and when it was written with the aim of carrying out some germane functions like 8 THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY Socialist Republic of Vietnam BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines dissemination of information. It remains an instrument for positive social changes. In a nutshell, it is a panacea for human peaceful co-existence and sustainable developments. As stated earlier, the Planet Earth is currently experiencing a climate crisis and this harsh and hostile reality has drawn the profound attention of many writers who concern themselves with ecological issues. One of those writers is Albert Arnold Al Gore or Al Gore, the former Vice President of the United States from 1993-2001. He is also one of the 2000 Democratic Party presidential nominees and the co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. He has also been involved with the environmental activist movement for a number of decades. In 1992, the Earth in the Balance, Gore‟s first book was published. This became the first book written by a Senator to make it to the The New York Times bestseller list since John F. Kennedy‟s Profiles in Courage. The said book was written during a turning point in his life when he decided not to push through running into the White House and spend time for his son who was then recovering from a near-fatal car accident and sharing his profound thoughts and concerns about environmental issues with his readers in this