Environmental Ethics And Environmental Safety

Environmental Ethics And Environmental Safety
Environmental ethics can be formally defined in many sources as the study of human interaction with nature. In a business sense, however,
environmental ethics is concerned with the business' duty or responsibility to protect our overall environment. Our society is beginning to become
more involved with the environmental movement. Because of this, people are more concerned with the companies and businesses that they support in
regards to their concern towards our environment. Some argue that businesses should be attempting to protect our environment over and above what is
required by United States Law. Doesn 't it seem the only 'ethical' thing to do? In this paper I will elaborate about environmental compliance obligations,
businesses and environmental ethics movements, as well as what companies have been trying to do to become more ethical when it comes to our
environment that goes above and beyond the law. The survival and growth of 'green businesses' in the U.S. is increasingly large. Environmental
compliance obligations are monitored by the EPA, or the Environmental Protection Agency. Their basic mission is quite simplistic in that they need to
protect human health and the overall environment. "EPA, state, local and tribal agencies work together to ensure compliance with environmental laws
passed by Congress, state legislatures and tribal governments" (Introduction: Environmental Enforcement and Compliance, n.d.). These groups all work
together to ensure
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Value Of Environmental Ethics
Ethics is a moral principle that governs a person. As humans, we all share a common ethics that we use to guide us in our everyday life. However
when it comes to Environmental ethics, we all have different point of views. Environmental ethics according to the Stanford encyclopedia of
Philosophy is defined as "the discipline in philosophy that studies the moral relationship of human beings to, and also the value and moral status of, the
environment and its non–human contents". The reason why there is such a different point of view is because of education or just human greed. Not
everyone in the world has access to education and so, it is hard to expect them to be fully educated on the topic of the importance of different types of
natural resources.
On another factor, human greed especially in the industrialized world, has become the driving force to get work done. An example could be cutting
down trees, polluting different water resources, and hunting down endangered animals. The question then is "Is it morally acceptable for farmers to
practice slash and burn techniques to clear areas for agriculture? Do mining companies have a moral obligation to restore the landform and surface
ecology of a land they used? Does the natural environment and/or its various contents have certain values in their own right so that these values ought
to be respected and protected in any case?"(Andrew).These question are the central point of environmental ethics. Environmental Ethics is a concept

Environmental Ethics Essay
Environmental Ethics
It is a strong belief of mine that the responsibility of protecting the environment is much greater on today's generation than is was for past generations.
The reason that I feel the way that I do is because at this point a substantial amount of damage has already been done and in order to prevent any further
environmental destruction intervention on our part is necessary. After all, we (humans) are themain cause of the problems; shouldn't we also be a part
of the cure. If we had always taken the environment into consideration prior to our actions we would not be faced with some of the environmental issues
we are facing today. The problem started with the past generations but the solution now has to start...show more content...
This is due to the rise of contraceptive use in third world countries. In more economically stable countries couples are waiting until later age to start
families and are choosing to have fewer children than their parents. But on the other hand the population is getting older with the advances in modern
medicine and the availability of vaccinations and medical treatments.
I believe that due to our (people) past carelessness regarding the environment and our ongoing search for convenience in the present we are hurting
our selves in the long run. Reports show that today skin cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death. We have to go to somewhat extreme
measures on a daily biases to protect ours skin from the suns harmful ultra violet rays which was not the case for past generations. Sun block did
not even exist decades ago and now we can't imagine life with out it. What needs to be done is we need to take measures to make changes in our
actions to prevent worse conditions for future generations. It was the actions of past generations that lead to the current damage of the ozone layer
that is causing the serious skin conditions of the present generation. It will only get worse if we do not take measures to protect what is left of the
ozone layer. For if we don't I can not imagine what will have to be done just to be able to go out into the sun, or what new skin

Environmental Ethics Essay example
"At the current rate, we're headed for and environmental disaster," many say, but how much truth does that statement hold. Have humans really
destroyed, pillaged, and polluted enough to cause a serious, wide scale, disaster? If not, then can we continue on without changing, and not learn from
our mistakes? If so, then can we do anything today that will bring about a tomorrow available to us? All of these questions hold great pertinence for our
current situation. Humans don't exactly hold the best track record for environmental protection and preservation. Throughout time we have exploited
nature and its creatures for our own benefit. We have made technological advances that threaten and disrupt the environment with total disregard...show
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We produce an inert, easily producible propellant for aerosols; and then realize it?s only inert on the ground. Once it?s bombarded by UV ray in the
upper atmosphere it releases a highly destructive ion that wreaks havoc on the protective ozone layer shielding us from those same deadly UV rays,
creating a hole in the layer allowing the radiation through, increasing cancer and other genetic defects. We build rockets capable of going into space
and breaking the earth?s gravitational pull; and then immediately start to pollute this new environment with spent rockets and boosters along with
other miscellaneous particles of debris (Curran and Haw 3). Michael Crichton writes, ?What we call nature is a complex system of far greater subtlety
than we are willing to accept. We make a simplified view of nature and then botch it all up. ?You have to understand what you don?t understand. How
many times must the point be made? How many times must we see the evidence? We build the Aswan Dam and claim it is going to revitalize the
country. Instead, it destroys the fertile Nile Delta, produces parasitic infestation, and wrecks the Egyptian economy? (Jurassic Park 91). To the common
person our current situation contains little hope. All the advancement and improvements have done little to further our species. With each one has
come a new environmental issue. You almost need to evaluate each situation in terms of positives and negatives. However, at the root of all

The Need for Environmental Ethics
"Unless humanity is suicidal, it should want to preserve, at the minimum, the natural life–support systems and processes required to sustain its own
existence" (Daily p.365). I agree with scientist Gretchen Daily that drastic action is needed now to prevent environmental disaster. Immediate action
and changes in attitude are not only necessary for survival but are also morally required. In this paper, I will approach the topic of environmental ethics
from several related sides. I will discuss why the environment is a morally significant concern, how an environmental ethic can be developed, and what
actions such an ethic would require to maintain and protect the environment.
The most obvious...show more content...
The cost of controlling pollution is that we give up certain consumer goods and services, such as a new washing machine or hospital, up to the point
that we decide that the having the washing machine or hospital is more important than the environment. Yet, even Baxter admits that it is nearly
impossible to assign values and costs to such different items. Considering modern science, it would also be difficult to ignore the effect pollution has on
many plant and animal species on which humans depend.
However, a human–centered ethic can be a strong foundation for environmental concern when taken in context. Human beings are completely
dependent on natural ecosystems for survival, though we have only recently recognized this fact. Despite advances in science and technology, there is
still much about the functions and interaction of different elements of the environment that we just do not understand. We do realize, however, that our
actions impacting the environment will always affect other humans as well as future generations. Furthermore, we know that to attempt to replace the
natural environment with an engineered one is completely beyond our technological ability, not mention impossibly expensive. Thus, it becomes
imperative to human survival that we develop an environmental ethic.
Peter Singer's Practical Ethics seeks to extend human–centered Western ethics to include all sentient creatures (all beings who can

To keep our environment healthy, all these element need to work together. There are no global laws protecting the environment and that is why
everyone should practice good ethics when it comes to the environment. Environmental ethics is the part of environment philosophy which considers
extending the traditional boundaries of ethics from only including hum and to non–humans. There are many ethical decisions that human beings make
with respect to the environment. Humans are been considered of rational agents because they have clear preference, models uncertainty via expected
values, and always to perform the action with the optimal expected outcome of itself. The action of the rational agent performs depends on the...show
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It will influence the future generations to why we consider environment has been important, create opportunities for generation to come, a culture that
can be passed on and sense of appreciation of such an experience (Singer, 2011). This point may not so readily apply to a wider consequentialist
approach, which attributes intrinsic value not only to pleasure or satisfaction, but also to various objects and processes in the natural environment
(Singer, 2011).
John Rawls states that the principle of fairness is important as it applies to individuals the principle of fairness are a link between the two
principles of social or political justice and individual obligations to comply with specific social practices (Pogge, 2007). By expanding the scope
of what one considers to be an 'end' to include both aspects of nature as well as future generations, one can transform the implications of Rawls'
theory (Pogge, 2007). Rawls advances his theory of justice through what is called the Original Position which is a hypothetical situation in which all
individuals are granted perfect equality and are asked to choose a principle of justice behind a veil of ignorance, which eliminates their biases
(Pogge, 2007). The hypothetical persons in the Original Position, ignorant of who and what they will be in society and perfectly equal to one another,
are able to truly come to a consensus as to what a just society would be (Pogge, 2007). Justice

Essay on Environmental Ethics
Ethics is the study of what is right and wrong in human conduct. Environmental ethics studies the effects of human's moral relationships on the
environment and everything within it (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2008). The ethical principles that govern those relations determine human
duties, obligations, and responsibilities with regard to the Earth's natural environment and all of the animals and plants that inhabit it (Taylor, 1989). The
purpose of this paper is to reveal environmental issues that are threatening the existence of life on Earth, and discus our social obligations to refrain
from further damaging our environment, health and life for future generations. I will discus the need for appropriate actions and the ethical...show more
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These perspectives are anthropocentric or human centered and view all non–human life as less important than humans themselves. Environmental ethics
challenges these beliefs by questioning the assumed moral superiority of human beings to members of other species on earth (SEP, 2008). Preservation
of the environment is essential to the preservation of the human race. Global Warming is the number one concern threatening the very existence of
humans and everything within the environment today. The human race is to blame for the destruction of the natural world. The environmental issues
that are threatening all human and non–human life today, started in the industrial revolution and the discovery of oil The need to improve the quality of
life resulted in the construction of factories to mass produce products for consumers. These factories were powered by fossil fuels such as coal, oil and
gas. The combustion of these fossil fuels emitted great quantities of pollutants that remain in the Earths atmosphere to this day and is the number one
cause of global warming. However, in ethics one cannot evaluate just one thing. In ethics, as in nature, everything is connected to everything else
(Partridge, 1998). Deforestation for agricultural purposes and the expansion of human habitats is happening around the world. This

Our modern industrial society provides us with great physical and psychological comfort. We live not with a fear for our lives, we are politically
stable and dominant; even the terrorist attacks against us cannot strip us of our safety bubble. We live with the luxury of convenience provided by our
technologies, such as household appliances, personal computers, indoor heating and plumbing, personal automobiles with "endless fuel" the list is
infinite. We live in a disposable society, where it is not commonplace to have material goods fixed, but rather replaced. We have disposable everything,
diapers, water bottles, contacts, paintbrushes... again, our convenience is never–ending. This convenient lifestyle coupled with our massive...show more
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Thus we will not wrong future generations, as we have been wronged by members of past generations whose thoughtless actions have deprived us of
the possibility of seeing such animals as the dodo, Steller's sea cow, or the thylacine, the Tasmanian marsupial 'tiger'. We must take care not to inflict
equally irreparable losses on the generations to follow us." (p.273) Singer discusses the question of intrinsic value and to whom it pertains. Are humans
the only sentient beings who have interests that matter or do we as a society also perceive value in non–human beings? To answer this, we need to
examine the meaning of intrinsic value. Something of intrinsic value is good or desirable in itself and in contrast, instrumental value is a means to
some other end or purpose. An example of intrinsic value would be our own happiness because we desire it for its own sake. Money, on the other
hand, is of only instrumental value to us because we want it only for the thing we can buy with it. With this in mind, Singer seems very realistic in
the push for economic prosperity, but states several very good arguments against the trade of our resources for dollar bills. An argument that I found
to be particularly strong grew from the standpoint that economists have been taught to apply a discount rate to all future goods. For example, if I had
a thousand dollars today, I could invest it so that it would be

The Ethics Of Environmental Ethics
The writings for the week covered different approaches to what environmental ethics is and how it is obtained. Different approaches in the value in
environmental ethics are found due to the different approaches. In terms of value one must find what value means to them and how they measure it.
Dobel and Frendel came to the approach that religion is a basis of environmental ethics. This is due to the fact that roots of both Christianity and
Judaism discussing the need to care for the earth in some way. Frendel states that God's statement to Adam in the Garden of Eden was to work and
watch over it (Freundel) Other Western religious writings express that man has dominion over the fish, birds, cattle, and creepy things of earth.
Many people, such as Lynn White Jr., take these writings as the source of the environmental crisis that is upon us today. While there are a many
writings that are similar to the one above there are also ones that support the earth such as I Tim. 4:4 which states that God created the world in love
and freedom and valued it as good thus all creatures shall share in its goodness. (Dobel, 1977)
Shue doesn't go as far as describing what is environmental ethic but as what is fair and equal to the rich and the poor. He discusses three principles
that can lead to fair and equitable actions across the board. The three principles are fundamental fairness and acceptable inequality, unequal burden, and
guaranteed minimum. Each one of the principles provides lead to

History of the Origins of Environmental Ethics
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...show more content...
Most debate among philosophers until the mid–1980s was focused on refuting Passmore. In 1975 environmental ethics came to the attention of
mainstream philosophy with the publication of Holmes Rolston, III's paper, "Is There an Ecological Ethic?" in Ethics.
Arne Naess, a Norwegian philosopher and the founding editor of the journal Inquiry authored and published a paper in Inquiry "The Shallow and the
Deep, Long–Range Ecology Movement" in 1973, which was the beginning of the deep ecology movement. Important writers in this movement include
George Sessions, Bill DeVall, Warwick Fox, and, in some respects, Max Oelschlaeger.
Throughout the 1970s Inquiry was the primary philosophy journal that dealt with enviornmental ethics. Environmental ethics was, for the most part,
considered a curiousity and mainstream philosophy journals rarely published more than one article per year, if that. Opportunities for publishing
dramatically improved in 1979 when Eugene C. Hargrove founded the journal Environmental Ethics. The name of the journal became the name of the
field.
The first five years of the journal was spent mostly arguing about rights for nature and the relationship of

Anthropocentric Environmental Ethics
A critique against the Western anthropocentric environmental ethics, using the treatment of animals and their rights as an example.
Brennan (1984) defined environmental ethics as the discipline in philosophy that studies the moral relationship of human beings to and also the value
and moral status of the environment and its non–human contents. This essay will look at environmental ethics as a discipline, its development and
challenges, the anthropocentric and non–anthropocentric approaches, the critiques of anthropocentrism, the use of animal rights as an example of the
importance of non– anthropocentrism
Contemporary environmental ethics only emerged as an academic discipline in the 1970's (Dasgupta, 2001). According to Brennan (1984),...show more
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The answer is that suffering is suffering and love is love and we cannot wipe out human suffering without addressing the suffering of all living beings.
The person who would brutalize an innocent animal is the same person who would brutalize his or her closest relative. Any place that suffering can be
addressed is a good place to focus attention. Many humans have an attitude that restricts their ability to understand or empathize with non–human
animals and other life forms and has some serious implications for all life on this planet. Animals or other life forms that don't express themselves in
human ways by language or in terms easily comprehensible by common human standards are often considered less developed, inferior, more primitive
or mechanistic, and usually of less importance than humans (Dominick, 1998). This viewpoint has been used to justify using animals as objects for
human ends. Since humans are the superior creatures, "dumb, unfeeling" non–humans can be disregarded, mistreated, killed or whole species
eliminated without much concern for their existence in itself, only their usefulness or lack of it to humankind (Harvey, 2005). Many humans, as they
see other animals are more like them in patterns of behavior and expression of intelligence, begin to respect them more and treat

Utilitarianism Vs Environmental Ethics
An individual will be considered virtuous if he/she is able to make appropriate moral actions or carry himself/herself in an ethical way that is in
accordance to his/her personality (Mosser, 2013). These decisions are solely based on serving others and therefore it is contrary to utilitarian
perspective. Possessing virtues is paramount in discussing issues surrounding environment, for instance, making the environment the comfortable habit.
Also, virtues will help an individual make moral decisions that will aim at coming up with lasting solutions to environmental issues. There are two
categories of people: those who are conversant and appreciate their contribution to the better environment and those holding contrary views on the
betterment of the environment.
Aristotle highlighted virtues which are important to a person. These virtues are as follows: temperance, proper judgment, and courage. For an
individual to be virtuous he/she has to put into practice these qualities in a balanced manner, and this person is referred as phronesis (Mosser, 2013).
When these values are applied in real life situation, it will be of great help to an individual especially environmentalists who aim at making the
environment a better place in which environment constituents live. According to Hill, (2013), we as human are the...show more content...
Therefore there is need to educate the general public on the proper utilization of environment and also be enlightened about the importance of the good
environment to the future generation. In doing so, they will use self–control and proper judgment as an approach to avoid causing environmental
hazards. Also, they put into practice the virtue of courage in putting across the reasons for maintaining a better environment for them and future
generation. Finally, through justice, an individual will establish equality and fairness for

"If we each take responsibility in shifting our own behavior, we can trigger the type of change that is necessary to achieve sustainability for our race or
this planet. We change our planet, our environment, our humanity every day, every year, every decade, and every millennia."–– Yehuda Berg
The state of our environment has been deteriorating for centuries. Every part of the planet has been negatively impacted by man. Environmental
degradation was greatly accelerated by the industrial revolution that took place in the 19th century. The industrial revolution mechanized the production
of goods and introduced the use of machinery and other heavy equipment which were fueled by dirty sources of energy. At first, wood and coal
powered the...show more content...
The environment provides many valuable resources for human beings including but not limited to many necessary elements for sustaining life. It can be
argued, therefore, that when a person protects the environment for his own good and that of future generations, he may justify his actions under the
principle that human life is sacred and must be protected. Without air, clean water, and healthy plants and animals on which to feed, the human race,
along with many other races, would die out.
Those who do not feel they are morally obligated to protect the environment may read another meaning into what the Bible states. "Dominion" can also
imply that man is free to do whatever he pleases with the assets which have been allocated to him. However, if "man," in general, has been given the
environment to share with all other humans, we must respect the fact that we are only entitled to do what every human is entitled to do. We must
realize that our rights only exist to the point at which they infringe on the rights of others.
To appeal to the utilitarian approach, one person's disrespect for the environment – by spilling toxic waste to use a drastic example – may enable him
/her a small amount of happiness due to the fact that he/she is free to be irresponsible and carefree. However, this action holds the potential to cause
enormous amounts of unhappiness through loss of health, a decrease in the availability of natural resources, and a decline

Environmental challenges as business opportunity
I. INTRODUCTION "Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed." – Mahatma Gandhi The above quote rightly
points out the role of environment for the mankind and the responsibility we need to shoulder for its sustenance. We've come a long way in
recognizing that and now almost every business has a statute of doing something good for the environment as part of their CSR initiative. But
companies who think of the environment as a social responsibility and not as an imperative are not going in the right direction. The global climate
changes and the gradual scarcity of resources have come to light as major disruptions in the business environment. These challenges...show more
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This view tries to develop people's value and belief towards environment and manage the way people think. There's a major difference between the
conventional and modern views of Environment ethics in that that attention now swings from the person who wants to preserve the world to the one
who wants to interfere with it. Religion and Environment Does religion really influence our attitude towards nature? Well there is ample evidence
around us that provides a link between the two. Judeo–Christian traditions have shaped the way the western world thinks about nature. Western
Christianity assumed an Anthropocentric view in the sense that they separated humans from nature and encouraged exploitation of nature for the
benefit of man. "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the
fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth"– Book of Genesis, verse 1:26 In
contrast, ancient Hindus adopted Biocentrism and felt God's presence in everything around them, humans and plants and animals alike. They
considered the nature around them as a manifestation of the Almighty himself, the Brahmaan. Hence, they felt that in order to please God, they must
live in harmony with His creations. The Bhoomi Poojan, for example, is a ritual performed in order to worship Mother Earth and seek forgiveness for
violating

In today 's global environment, environmental ethics has become a necessary practice all around the world as environmental problems cross cultural
boundaries. However, creating effective strategies for safeguarding and conserving the environment often bring about ethical issues. In these issues of
how to reduce or get rid of pollution and hazardous waste, ethics is at the forefront, especially when there is an absence of laws to governor the issue
or lack of adherence to the law. The benefit of employing ethics is that ethics are more likely to be effective in bringing about significant behavioral
changes in people. World religions contain ethics and standard of conduct that suggests how humans should behave towards each other and nature.
...show more content...
In the environmental context, early Islam was characterised by its simplicity and high regards for nature. As Islam spread into Africa, Asia and Europe
in the seventh century, it maintained its naturalistic roots.
For Muslims, the Qur'an (a revelation from Allah which expresses the will of Allah) and the Sunnah (a historical record of the ProphetMuhammad's
sayings and deeds), are the primary and secondary sources of Islamic principles embedded in the Shari'ah (Islamic law). Muslims and many scholars
believe these sources provide the answers for all ethical questions, including environmental ethics. From these sources, three fundamental principles:
tawhid, khilafah and al–akhirah are known as the conceptual basis of the Islamic life concerning Islamic environmental ethics. Tawhid is the concept of
unity, balance and harmony and the foundation of Islamic faith. On one hand, unity refers to the singularity of God, which implies that the whole
universe is designed accordingly to the craftsmanship of one divine being. Humans and the ecosystem are part of the same universe, with Allah as the
unifying thread that guides God–human, human–human, and human–universe relationships. On the other hand, unity is also understood through the
concept of equilibrium. In Islam, the universe is maintained in balance, as God created everything in proportion and measure. The idea of equilibrium
extends beyond nature to encompass the essential character of Muslims such that

Kant's Principle and Environmental Ethics
1.All of the three approaches to environmental ethics use Kant's principle to various extents. The differences between them lie in their individual
definitions of moral categories. It's like looking at the same slide under three different powers on a microscope. Each approach relies on Kant's
principle to protect the interest of that which they deem worthy.
Baxter's anthropocentric approach clearly states that our obligations regarding the environment are to be determined solely on the basis of human
interests. Our welfare depends on breathable air, drinkable water and edible food. Thus, polluting the environment to the extent that it damages the air,
water and land is unacceptable...show more content...
Another adjustment to the microscope, and we can examine Leopold's biocentric opinion of how environmental ethics should be governed. His
approach enlarges the moral category to include soils, waters, plants and animals and claims our obligation is to preserve the integrity, stability and
beauty of the biotic community. Philosophers Devall and Sessions further define the biocentric view with the concept of deep ecology. Devall and
Sessions argue that "the well–being and flourishing of human and non–human life have value in themselves. These values are independent of the
usefulness of the non–human world for human purposes." (503)
2. Autonomy and liberty have almost the same definitions and I believe that both Nielson and Hospers were trying to convey the same point, but at
the same time have different views of the two shown by the context they used them in. Nielson states, "An autonomous person is a person who is able
to set her ends for herself and in optimal circumstances is able to pursue those ends". (359) In Hospers explanation of his second classification of
human rights, the right to liberty, he states "there should be no laws compromising in any way freedom of speech…There should be no
censorship…by government". (353) Comparing these two interpretations, we see that both are essentially stating that a person has the right to do
anything they please, and in the case of liberty,

Environmental ethics The Industrial Revolution fundamentally shifted the relationship of human beings to nature. Once, human beings were relatively
vulnerable and helpless before the forces of the natural world. Now, in the age of industrialization, humanity is able to change and shape nature, as well
as simply try to survive its onslaught. With the ability to alter nature has come unexpected consequences, however, that forces our species to
continually reevaluate how it relates to the environment. Global warming is often seen as the consequences of human beings attempting to dominate
nature, through the construction of fossil fuel–burning machinery, industrialized agriculture, and the clearing of national habitats. The question of how
to live in a state of balance with nature has generated the branch of philosophy known as environmental ethics, a form of applied ethics that studies the
relationship of humans to the environment and often provides prescriptive advice about how human beings should live in nature. The central debate
between environmentalists is how human beings should relate to nature. Should the general health of the planet be the focus, with human life viewed
as merely one species amongst many, as advocates of the Deep Ecology movement purport? A similar view is advocated by utilitarian philosophers
such as Peter Singer: "the interests of all the sentient beings (i.e., beings who are capable of experiencing pleasure or pain) –– including nonhuman
ones ––

The challenge facing humanity today, is to bring our activities into the carrying capacity of the Earth's supporting ecosystems while improving the
quality of life today and for future generations. We live in a world of limits. Our natural resources will not last forever as we have discovered when
our forests started disappearing and when droughts limit our water supply. Leaders in the following fields provide the platform for the theoretical
discussion of environmental global change. Economies exist within, and rely upon ecological systems for natural resources and ecological economics
applies principles of ecology and systems science to the analysis of economic systems. Environmental science studies how the natural world works,
how our environment affects us, and how we affect our environment and applies ethical standards to relationships between people and aspects of the
environment. Social science disciplines address human interaction and institutions and ethics is a branch of philosophy of moral principles held by a
person or a society. Environmental ethics are normative or prescriptive; they are do's and don'ts regarding your interactions with the environment. Since
human society clearly affects the environment in numerous ways already, environmental ethics would involve evaluative judgments regarding how
humans are affecting the environment; what is good or bad in our collective behavior. Based on such judgments, environmental ethics would also
include recommendations

Environmental Ethics And Pollution
Pollution is a growing concern for some people, but for others it is of no importance. The way humans treat the environment is such a controversial
topic that people began to examine the topic from a moral standpoint, so much so that three approaches were developed. The Anthropocentric
Approach, the Sentientist Approach, and the Biocentric Approach are the main theories people get examine when debating about environmental ethics.
People who have an anthropocentric view believe that nature is there to satisfy human interests, harming the environment is only bad if it also harms
humans. For example, cutting down a tree to build a house would be a positive thing because it is valuable to humans. However, if cutting down the
tree did not bring about a positive outcome the action would be negative. William Baxter is one of the most vocal ethicist that strongly believe in the
anthropocentric approach. As stated before, William Baxter focuses on human interests. He believes that theenvironment is just a means, a stepping
stone to satisfy humans wants and needs. In addition, Baxter believes living in a "clean environment" is not as achievable as others believe it to be
because it is such a broad goal. Baxter argues that clear goals are needed to address moral questions about the environment because the where, when,
why, and how are never fully covered when discussing the topic. There is never a clear and concise goal when deliberating environmental issues. For
example, if someone

Environmental Ethics And Environmental Safety

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