Environmental Ethics?

BECG

LECTURE 8

Prof Soumitra Mookherjee

-.
What is Environmental Ethics?

The moral relationship of

human beings to the moral
status of the environment

- Study of the ethical basis of

environment and its protection
What is Environmental Ethics?

Environmental ethics deals with the

ethical problems surrounding
environmental protection.

It aims to provide ethical justification

and moral motivation for the cause
of global environmental protection.
What is Environmental Ethics?

Three basic pairs of principles: 

1. Justice and sustainability

2. Sufficiency and compassion
3. Solidarity and participation.
Why study Environmental Ethics?

To answer the following questions.

1. What are the environmental damage

caused by the present generation?

2. What acts must be sacrificed to

reduce damage?
Environmental Damage
1) Pollution:

• Air pollution

• Water pollution

• Land pollution

• Soil/ Sound
Environmental Damage

2) Resource depletion:

• Depletion of Species & Habits

• Depletion of Fossil fuels

• Depletion of finite essential

resources like water, oil
Environmental Ethics Principles

 Respect for nature

 Respect for species and wildlife

 Everyone should take responsibility

for this impact on nature.
Environmental Ethics Principles
 Environmental knowledge should be
respected.

 We must plan for the long term

sustainability and development
The Ethical Values for Pollution
Control
 Vital Needs for survival

 Preservation of environment

 Pollution free for sustaining

ecological balance
Ethical Values for Conserving
resources
Proper allocation and utilization
of resources
i.e. the people should maintain
Ecological balance.

Adopt voluntary measures to

conserve resources
Ethical Values for Conserving
depletable resources

Preserve enough scarce resources,

so that future generation can
maintain satisfactory quality of life
 ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS

• Moral Standing:
▫ If you have moral standing:
Your continued welfare is valuable in itself
(intrinsic value)
Your interests and well- being must be weighed
when deciding what is permissible to do.

▫ Example: humans of all kinds

 Children, adults, old people, etc.
 Women, different races, different
cultures
 Ideas on Criteria for Moral Standing
• Being part of nature

▫ Therefore extend moral standing to the

 earth
 ecosystems
 rocks
 rivers
 plants, animals
 the entire natural world
Environmental Attitudes
• Development

• Conservation

• Preservation

• Societal

• Global

• Individual
 Protection of livelihood
▫ We can best protect nature by looking out for
human needs.

Saving the rainforests will provide Oxygen and

medicines for humans.

Arguments against deforestation and

environmental impact

A sense of responsibility to manage and care for

the environment
Responsibility towards nature

• We can cause permanent damage to

natural landscapes, resources and
ecosystems

• We can prevent or remedy them

• Preserve ecological balance and stability

Types of environmental ethics

• Anthropocentrism: Earth and its resources exists for

human consumption. people who hold this view believe
that we ought to protect the earth for future generations.

• Fixing the problem of limited resources through the use

of technology rather than a reduction in
consumption.
Types of environmental ethics

• Biocentrism views animals as important beings.

• Against harming other life forms for their own ends.

• Ecocentrism: Idea that humans are only one part of the

complicated system that is the earth.

• Ecocentrism believes that everything has intrinsic value

and emphasized the interconnectedness of all life.
Corporate Examples
1. Avoiding Water and Soil Contamination
2. Reduction of carbon footprints
3. Wastage of resources
4. Recycling of plastics and paper as examples
5. Preserving finite resources
6. Reducing emissions as per standards
7. Avoid maintaining industrial productivity at
the cost of breathable air, clean water, wildlife,
parks, etc

Drives profitability and enhances consumer image

and perception