ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICAL ISSUES

Environmental Ethical Issues

Environmental Ethical Issues

Introduction

Over the last twenty years there has been a remarkable theoretical flourishing in the field of environmental philosophy, with the development of biocentric ethics, animal rights theories, deep ecology, ecofeminism and theories drawing on numerous religious and cultural traditions. The development of these theories has been tremendously valuable. It has helped to explore the intellectual and moral causes for the environmentally destructive practices of the dominant western industrial and economic culture, and proposed alternatives that might avoid these practices. But this symposium raises a worthy question: have these theories landed on the ground? Can they? I come to this question as a lawyer and not a philosopher. (Kaufman,2003)

My interest in environmental philosophy has grown out of the belief that environmental law cannot and will not succeed unless there is strong public commitment to conserving non-human nature. Therefore I am convinced that environmental law will not endure or have lasting effect unless environmental philosophy does indeed come down to earth successfully. Many of the participants in this symposium have contributed over the years to the important work of trying to ensure that it does, and I will argue why that is vitally important for the future of environmental law as well as for the success of environmental philosophy itself. (Weston, 2001)

Discussion

The inspiration for environmental ethics was the first Earth Day in 1970 when environmentalists started urging philosophers who were involved with environmental groups to do something about environmental ethics. An intellectual climate had developed in the last few years of the 1960s in large part because of the publication of two papers in Science: Lynn White's "The Historical Roots of our Ecologic Crisis" (March 1967) and Garett Hardin's "The Tragedy of the Commons" (December 1968). Most influential with regard to this kind of thinking, however, was an essay in Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanac, "The Land Ethic," in which Leopold explicitly claimed that the roots of the ecological crisis were philosophical. (Palmer,1997)

The government should find ways in which both humans can live harmoniously in nature and can earn profitability as well. In the following analysis the two contradictory factors are whether the environment will improve and the economy will suffer due to the stringent environmental restrictions OR whether there is an environmental crisis and that the “brownlash” opponents of environmentalism are peddling worthless ideas in the face of facts. (Martin, 2003)

Environmental ethics relies heavily on the business's commitment to minimizing environmental harm. As the assistant to the Vice President (VP) you have an ethical obligation to your boss, the company, and the community. As an employee, you must decide how to handle the information you overhear the Vice President discussing with the companies environmental consultant.

Finally, sustainability may be a particularly strong starting point for reaching people who are interested in the environment and open to new ethical directions. Results of a recent survey showed that the top reason people identified for caring about protecting the environment was for future ...