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Exploring Environmental Ideas

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Home/EcoTypes Components/Eighteen Axes (2022)

Eighteen Axes (2022)

EcoTypes has had as many as eighteen axes, each summarizing a key difference in how we approach issues of environment. These eighteen axes, deployed in the EcoTypes survey during 2022, are below, including related EcoTypes theme and a key question for each.

At present, EcoTypes includes four key axes for each of its three themes, determined via factor analysis as the main axes contributing to each theme—twelve axes total. This smaller number results in a similar statistical outcome while offering greater focus for educational purposes. But the eighteen axes below offer a context from which the twelve EcoTypes axes were derived.

AxisThemeQuestion
AestheticsPlaceIs beauty primarily to be found in untouched, wild nature, or in landscapes crafted by humans?
AnimalsPlaceShould we allow all animals to live autonomous lives, or is it okay to domesticate pets and livestock for our purposes?
ChangeActionCan we achieve desired environmental change incrementally, or is more radical change needed?
CitiesPlaceIs it a good idea to move toward more biophilic cities, or should civic priorities continue to put people first?
DiversityActionIs environmentalism sufficiently diverse given efforts to date, or should broader participation of poor and marginalized groups receive higher priority?
DomainKnowledgeShould we approach environmental issues by focusing more on ideas and beliefs, or on material practices and behaviors?
EconomiesActionDo economies ideally achieve environmental protection via free markets, or are planned economies and regulation best?
EcosystemsPlaceAre Earth and its ecosystems inherently stable, with change arising from human disturbance, or are they more dynamic over time?
EthicsPlaceShould we care about the nonhuman world for its own sake, or for how it serves human interests?
FutureActionIs our ecological future most likely one of possibility for positive change, or is crisis inevitable?
NaturePlaceIs nature typified by its own inherent order and harmony separate from humans, or is it now fully hybrid, interwoven with humanity?
ScienceKnowledgeShould we trust the ecological findings of alternative claims to truth, or those of orthodox science?
Social ScaleActionCan individual-scale practices make an ecological difference, or should we focus on key institutions?
SocietyActionShould environmental action build on social consensus, or is it better to assume that social difference and conflict are inevitable?
Spatial ScaleActionIs environmental action best taken at local scales, or do we need to find ways to act globally?
SpiritualityKnowledgeIs it best to approach environmental issues from a sacred perspective or a secular perspective?
TechnologyKnowledgeShould we be afraid of technology in context of environmental issues, or should we welcome technological solutions?
TimeKnowledgeShould we look back to more harmonious times in past to find environmental solutions, or is it best to move into the future?

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