Environmental Ethics. Definition

Environmental Ethics

Environmental Ethics

Environmental ethics represents a discipline in philosophy which studies moral relationships of human beings to, and also the moral status and value of, the environment and its non-human contents (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2008).This paper will determine whether the human race has a responsibility to all biological life in the environment. This paper will also determine whether the environment should be managed exclusively in the interests of humans or whether society should alter its practices to protect other species from extinction. This paper will define biological life and the environment and explain the responsibility of the human race regarding the environment and the negative effects of human activity. It will examine the notion of deontology or ecocentric ethics. However, it will also consider the teleological, consequentialist ethical view. Furthermore, it will argue that society should alter its practices to protect other species from extinction rather than manage the environment exclusively in the interests of human beings. Ecocentric ethics relate to the ecosystem as a whole and take into consideration all species in favour of their own intrinsic value which is not necessarily in the interest of the human race alone. Teleological ethics, also known as anthropocentrism, relate to the benefits and well-being of the human race and sees humans as being the principal species in the environment. (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2008). The American Heritage Science Dictionary (2005) defines Biological Life as;

‘The properties or qualities that distinguish living plants and organisms from dead or inanimate matter, including the capacity to grow, metabolize nutrients, respond to stimuli, reproduce, and adapt to the environment.’

The Oxford Dictionaries online defines the environment as ‘the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal or plant lives or operates.’

Every day humans are playing a more important, and larger, role in the environment and sustainability of this environment is becoming a more prominent issue. An increase in population growth has contributed to a lack of resources and a higher rate of extinction in a number of species. All things in the environment, be they human or nonhuman, help to promote and support diversity and vibrancy in life and in turn, signifies their inherent value and the subsequent reliance on them by the human race. Human interference with the environment over time has caused more harm than good as the human race seems to not realise the capability of ecosystems to self-regulate and restore themselves without human intervention (Ambrosius, 2005). Anthropocentrism has aided in environmental degradation as this approach focuses mainly on humans and their interests and well-being rather than the well-being and importance of all living things and the whole environment (Elliott, 2012). This view is of major concern for future generations as further degradation will greatly impact the quality of life they are able to sustain. In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s knowledge of environmental degradation became more readily available and caused the beginning of several ecological movements including deep ecology, animal rights and ecofeminism. The main ideas of deep ecology are humans are a part of the earth and finding ways to help sustain and protect the environment from further degradation (Johnstone, 2008). Deep ecology follows a set of eight core principles which include the right for all living things to be considered as having their own intrinsic value and the right to flourish regardless of its usefulness to the human species, everything is interconnected, intrinsic value is only reducible by vital needs, a decrease in the human population, human interference in nature is excessive, a change in environmental policies, appreciating a quality of life and not abusing this and lastly, a moral obligation by all to care for the environment (Ambrosius 2005, pp2). These principles can be applied to several environmental issues.

The increase in human population has contributed to the Earth becoming a human dominated planet. Thus resulting in a growth in the amount of natural resources being used and aids in contributing to some of these environmental issues (Lubchenco, 1998). Environmental change can have severe consequences to the human race. Ecosystems provide essential goods and services to humanity and inadvertent abuse of these ecosystems causes future implications for man-kind. The goods and services include air and water and land, which provide food. Without basic resources required for survival the human race would cease to exist and the importance of these resources is widely overlooked (Lubchenco, 1998). This relates to the principles of the deep ecology theory for a decrease in human population and human intervention in the environment.

One of the most documented environmental issues is Global Warming. Global warming refers to a rise in the average temperature of the globe caused primarily by greenhouse gases like Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and methane gas (Shah 2012, n.p). Greenhouse gases are related to the greenhouse effect which is a natural process enabling heat to be trapped in the atmosphere keeping the Earth warm. However, if the Greenhouse Effect becomes stronger the Earth may become less habitable. The difference between the natural process and human generated climate change is that the human generated change is swift. This means that ecosystems have less chance of adapting to the changes that will result and so the effects will become more intense if things remain following the current pattern. Warmer temperatures lead to climate change which in turn leads to a decrease in the ability for ecosystems to adapt and leads to more species to become extinct (Shah 2012, n.p). Global warming and greenhouse gas emissions have an immense effect on ecosystems in the instance that it is becoming harder for species to adapt to the higher levels of CO2 being absorbed into the ocean hence making oceans more acidic and resulting in a depletion of carbonate ions which many marine organisms use as the building blocks for their formation (Shah, 2012). Although the importance of marine organisms may be overlooked, some of these marine organisms play a vital role in the food chain and marine biodiversity and can be linked to a cause in more “oceanic dead zones” and essentially contribute to a decrease in the growth of essential coastal plants such as mangroves which help in carbon absorption (Shah, 2012). This issue also relates to the deep ecology theory principles of every living thing having its own intrinsic value and the right to flourish regardless of its usefulness to the human species and the principle that everything is interconnected.

Based on the aforementioned issues, if the human race responsibility to the environment is of high importance one would argue society should change its practices in order to protect other species from extinction and feel a moral obligation to care for nature and the environment they are so reliant on.

In conclusion, this paper explained the responsibility of the human race towards all biological life in the environment. It argued that society should alter its practices in order to protect other species from extinction. Furthermore, in modifying certain practices, such as voluntarily limiting population growth and cutting back on carbon emissions will aid in improving a sustainable environment which in turn, will benefit future generations and the world as a whole.

References
Shah, A 2012, “Climate Change and Global Warming Introduction.” Global Issues, viewed 26 Apr 2012. http://www.globalissues.org/article/233/climate-change-and-global-warming-introduction
Brennan, A., Lo, Y S 2011,"Environmental Ethics", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2011 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), viewed on 05 May 2012. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-environmental/
Houghton Mifflin Company 2005, ‘’Biological Life’’, The American Heritage Science Dictionary, Viewed 06 May 2012. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/biological+life
Oxford Dictionaries 2012, ‘Environment’, viewed 06 May 2012. http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/environment?q=environment
Ambrosius, W 2005, “Deep Ecology: A Debate on the Role of Humans in the Environment”, UW-L Journal of Undergraduate Research VIII, viewed on 04 May 2012. http://www.uwlax.edu/urc/jur-online/pdf/2005/ambrosius.pdf
Elliott, L 2012, “Environmentalism”, Encyclopædia Britannica Online, viewed 08 May 2012. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/189205/environmentalism
Johnstone, C 2008, “WHAT IS DEEP ECOLOGY?”, Encyclopedia of Earth, viewed 08 May 2012. http://www.rainforestinfo.org.au/deep-eco/johnston.htm
Lubchenco, J 1998, Entering the Century of the Environment: A New Social Contract for Science, Science Magazine, Vol. 279 no. 5350 pp. 491-497, viewed 09 May 2012. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/279/5350/491.full#ref-21

References: Shah, A 2012, “Climate Change and Global Warming Introduction.” Global Issues, viewed 26 Apr 2012. http://www.globalissues.org/article/233/climate-change-and-global-warming-introduction Brennan, A., Lo, Y S 2011,"Environmental Ethics", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2011 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), viewed on 05 May 2012. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-environmental/ Houghton Mifflin Company 2005, ‘’Biological Life’’, The American Heritage Science Dictionary, Viewed 06 May 2012. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/biological+life Oxford Dictionaries 2012, ‘Environment’, viewed 06 May 2012. http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/environment?q=environment Ambrosius, W 2005, “Deep Ecology: A Debate on the Role of Humans in the Environment”, UW-L Journal of Undergraduate Research VIII, viewed on 04 May 2012. http://www.uwlax.edu/urc/jur-online/pdf/2005/ambrosius.pdf Elliott, L 2012, “Environmentalism”, Encyclopædia Britannica Online, viewed 08 May 2012. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/189205/environmentalism Johnstone, C 2008, “WHAT IS DEEP ECOLOGY?”, Encyclopedia of Earth, viewed 08 May 2012. http://www.rainforestinfo.org.au/deep-eco/johnston.htm Lubchenco, J 1998, Entering the Century of the Environment: A New Social Contract for Science, Science Magazine, Vol. 279 no. 5350 pp. 491-497, viewed 09 May 2012. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/279/5350/491.full#ref-21