Articulations of environmental goals take many forms, from the metaphysical to the utilitarian. New environmentalism attempts to express environmental values within the context of other human values. Widely Shared Values. Environmental values are increasingly important to Americans and, at the abstract level, most are widely shared.
Pure water is better than polluted water.
An unspoiled beach is more attractive than one littered with trash. Arriving at consensus in an abstract sense on these and other environmental issues is possible. In A Theory of Human Motivation , psychologist Abraham Maslow described a hierarchy of human values. Basic needs come first - for example, a hungry person seeks food above all else. Then there are still other desires - what public opinion expert Robert Worcester describes as the search for relations and meanings.