ENVS 1100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Environmental Ethics, Ozone Depletion, Clearcutting
3 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Environmental Ethics
September 18, 2014
We can choose to wreck the natural world by using it non-sustainably, or to
conserve it to benefit people and other species…our choices are guided by our
ethics.
Humans and the Environment
Anthropogenic influences degrade the quality of the environment in various ways:
• By over-exploiting natural resources (less available to be extracted from the
environment for future generations)
• By causing pollution and climate change (toxic pollution, increasing
concentration of greenhouse gases, ozone depletion)
• By destroying indigenous biodiversity (deforestation; destruction of natural
habitats)
In aggregate, the damages as now severe enough to be characterized as an
environmental crisis. The damage is caused by inappropriate choices, but much of
it could be avoided or repaired if individuals, corporations and society made the
right choices that didn’t impact our environment negatively.
Human actions affect the environment quality through:
• Industrial pollution
• Agriculture
• Urbanization and consumerism
• Forestry
Choices that affect environment quality are influenced by two basic considerations:
1. Knowledge and Understanding – refer to information and insight about the
natural world
• Considerations are mostly objective and empirical so they reflect a
scientific approach
• Knowledge and understanding allow informed predictions to be made
of the causes and consequences of choices that may cause
environmental change
• Nevertheless, it must be recognized that much scientific
understanding is inexact and imperfect so there is much uncertainty
about issues and a need for precaution
2. Morals and Ethics – perceptions of right and wrong
• Non-objective but normative considerations that are influenced by
varying ideals, beliefs and values
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Understanding vs. Ethics
Knowledge provides objective guidance about the consequences of alternative
choices of action, for both human society and the natural world.
• Including social and/or environmental damage that might be caused
• As well as actions that could be taken to avoid or repair the potential
degradation
Ethics influences how people perceive various choices as being right or wrong
The influences of both knowledge and ethics on environmental choices are vital.
This is because humans now have enormous power to utilize and damage the
natural world
• We can choose among various alternatives:
o Individuals can decide what attitude to hold with the natural world
and make decisions with large impacts
▪ Purchasing a bike or vehicle, living in condo or house, drinking
alcohol or smoking
o Society can decide on very large scale issues that have a larger impact
on our environment
▪ Whale/seal hunting, clear-cutting forests, nuclear power plants
constructed, legalization of marijuana
• These choices we make have implications for resource consumption,
pollution, biodiversity, health and other aspects of environmental quality
We have many environmental choices including our diet (vegetarian/free-range).
Environmental Values
Perceptions of values (merit/importance/worth) profoundly influence how people
interpret:
• The consequences of their individual choices of action
• As well as those of their larger society
Environmental values may be divided into two classes:
1. Instrumental value- bases on the importance or usefulness of something to
human welfare
• From this perspective, environmental components are considered
important
• By providing resources, sustaining employment/profit or contribute
to the support system for human life
• Can be used directly or indirectly
o Resources harvested from the natural world
o Environmental services
o Aesthetic, spiritual, recreational values
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
We can choose to wreck the natural world by using it non-sustainably, or to conserve it to benefit people and other species our choices are guided by our ethics. In aggregate, the damages as now severe enough to be characterized as an (cid:498)environmental crisis(cid:499). The damage is caused by inappropriate choices, but much of (cid:498)right choices(cid:499) that didn"t impact our environment negatively. Human actions affect the environment quality through: it could be avoided or repaired if individuals, corporations and society made the. Industrial pollution: agriculture, urbanization and consumerism, forestry. Knowledge provides objective guidance about the consequences of alternative choices of action, for both human society and the natural world. Including social and/or environmental damage that might be caused: as well as actions that could be taken to avoid or repair the potential degradation. Ethics influences how people perceive various choices as being right or wrong. The influences of both knowledge and ethics on environmental choices are vital.
