environmental ethics and its

types
scientist James Hansen warned That human burning of
fossil fuels that increase levels of carbon dioxide
(CO2).
The change is small, but even a few degrees of global
warming could melt enough of the polar ice caps to
raise the oceans enough to cause severe flood
damage.
Other effects include major disruptions in weather
patterns, such as increased drought, major shifts in
rain patterns.
In addition to global warming, environmental
challenges confront us at every turn, including
pollution, human-population growth,
extinction of species, destruction of
ecosystems, depletion of natural resources,
and nuclear waste.
That’s why engineers are now showing
leadership in advancing ecological awareness
 environmental ethics
(1) The study of moral issues concerning the
environment.
(2) Moral perspectives on those issues.
Businessmen don’t take account of damage to
environment
• Ecosystems are systems of living organisms
interacting with their environment—for
example, within deserts, oceans, rivers, and
forests.
 Engineers responsibility
Important is that all engineers should reflect
seriously on environmental values and how
they can best integrate them into
understanding and solving problems
 code
(ASCE) introduced into its code the statements
“Engineers should be committed to improving the
environment to enhance the quality of life.”
• “Engineers shall hold paramount the safety,
health and welfare of the public and shall strive
to comply with the principles of sustainable
development in the performance of their
professional duties.”
 Human-Centered Ethics
• Human-centered, or anthropocentric,
environmental ethics focuses exclusively on
the benefits of the natural environment to
humans and the threats to human beings
presented by the destruction of nature.
 Sentient-Centered Ethics
• nature-centered ethics recognizes all sentient
animals as having inherent worth.
• Sentient animals are those that feel pain and
pleasure and have desires
• Singer’s view, animals deserve equal consideration,
their interests should be weighed fairly
• in building a dam that will cause flooding to
grasslands, engineers should take into account the
impact on animals living there.
 Biocentric Ethics
• A life-centered ethics regards all living
organisms
• Reverence (respect) for life.
 Biocentric Ethics
Paul Taylor, provides discussed four duties:

(1) nonmaleficence: which is the duty not to kill other living

things
(2) noninterference, which is the duty not to interfere
with the freedom of living organisms
(3) fidelity, which is the duty not to violate the trust of wild
animals (as in trapping)
(4) restitution, which is the duty to make amends for violating
the previous three duties.
 Ecocentric Ethics
obligation to promote the health of ecosystems

A thing is right when it tends to preserve the

integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic
community