What is meant by ‘environmental ethics’? Why is it important to study? Discuss any one environmental issue from the viewpoint of environmental ethics.
Environmental ethics is the philosophical discipline that consider the moral and ethical relationship of human beings to the environment. In other words it considers the ethical basis of environmental protection. Its emergence was the result of increased awareness of how the rapidly growing world population was impacting the environment as well as the environmental consequences that come with the growing use of pesticides, technology and industry. It aims to provide ethical justification and moral motivation for the cause of global environmental protection. Environmental ethics helps define man’s moral and ethical obligations towards the environment.
Environmental ethics provides moral grounds for social policies aimed at protecting the earth‟s environment and remedying environmental degradation. That is why it can be viewed that environmental ethics involves ecological consciousness amongst us. Ecological consciousness is a growing spirit that speaks of tolerance, interdependence etc. It also show path to a sustainable future. Ecological consciousness makes a bond in nature creating ecological balance. Otherwise the concept of ecological imbalance will emerge. Therefore, it can be opined that we are in a chain in environment if one knot is displaced from another the whole chain will be useless. Similarly it can be asserted that nature is an umbrella of all beings under which each and every being develop forms of life according to their own nature. Arne Naess, who proposed a theory known as “Deep Ecology” says “modern ecology has emphasized a high degree of symbiosis as a common feature in mature ecosystems, an interdependence for the benefit of all.” Naess listed some deep-ecology platform that may be summarized as follows:
- All life has value in itself, independently of its usefulness to humans.
- Richness and diversity contribute to life‟s well-being and have value in themselves.
- Humans have no right to reduce this richness and diversity except to satisfy vital needs in a responsible way.
- The impact of humans in the world is excessive and rapidly getting worse.
- The diversity of life, including culture can flourish only with reduced human impact.
- Basic ideological, political, economic and technological structure must therefore change.
This six fold deep ecology platform shows that it emphasises not the rights of human but the interdependence of all ecosystem and sees the environment as a whole entity, valuable in itself. This is often known as ”eco-holism”.
Example - Excessive global warming has come out to be major problem and is impacting the lives of everyone across the globe. We have violated our moral responsibilities towards environment by:
– Cutting forests indiscriminately on large scale
– Releasing green house gases in atmosphere for industrial products
– Excessive use of fossil fuels like coal, petrol etc
These raise major ethical issues for humankind:
– Responsibility towards other species: Extinction of species due to excessive warming, change in monsoon pattern is also impacting them. Their natural habitat has been destroyed to high extent.
– Responsibility towards other humankind: It impacts poor indiscriminately and people from other countries who are not responsible for it are also impacted. Food quality and quantity is also at risk because of increased global warming.
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