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Environmental Ethics

Global warming: (GHG-N2O, CFC, CO2, Methane)due to carbon dioxide emission & Methane(US emit 20 tonnes of CO2 per capita, Europe 10 tonnes, China 4-5 tonnes,India 1-2 tonnes, Ozone depletion, Air pollution, Water pollution, Sound pollution, Land pollution, Acid rain(SO2+NO+water vapour), Nuclear waste, solid waste, deforestation Ecological imbalance, E wasteEnvironment protection is a global issue

William Blackstone-environment Protection is a state responsibility

Environment refers to the combination of external or extrinsic physical conditions affecting and influencing the growth and development of the living organisms including the human race

India is losing10% of its annual GDP due to environmental damage and degradation of natural resources

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The Earth

"We have not inherited the Earth from our fathers.

We are borrowing it from our children."

    Native American saying

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Is Nature Fragile or Resilient*?

Nature seen as powerful in past

Nature seen as a delicate balance as technology increases our ability to disrupt

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Science as a Way of KnowingA Faustian Bargain?

Technology can create power to save and destroy life

Dr. Faustus sold his soul to the devil in exchange for power and wealth.

On a deeper level, this shows the decay of a person who chooses material gains over spiritual belief and in doing so, loses his/her soul.

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Current Environmental Conditions

Half the world’s wetlands were lost in the last 100 years.

Land conversion and logging have shrunk the world’s forests by as much as 50%.

Nearly three-quarters of the world’s major marine fish stocks are overfished or are being harvested beyond a sustainable rate.

Soil degradation has affected two-thirds of the world’s agricultural lands in the last 50 years.

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Major Causes of Environmental Degradation

Population Growth

More than 6 billion people now occupy the Earth, adding about 85 million more each year.

In the next decade, most population growth will be in the poorer countries - countries where present populations already strain resources and services.

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More than 1.3 billion people live in acute poverty, with an income of less than $1 per day. These people generally lack access to an adequate diet, decent housing, basic sanitation, clean water, education, medical care, and other essentials.

Four out of five people in the world live in what would be considered poverty in the U.S. or Canada.

The world’s poorest people are often forced to meet short-term survival needs at the cost of long-term sustainability.

Human Dimensions of Environmental Degradation

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Resource Extraction and Use Burning of fossil fuels Destruction of tropical

rainforests and other biologically rich landscapes

Production of toxic wastes If the air that we breath is

polluted, the water that we drink is contaminated and the earth that grows food has toxins, then something must be terribly wrong with the way we work, produce food and live,

Environmentally related ethical questions What is the extent of environmental

damage produced by the present and projected technology?

How large is the threat from potential damages posed to our welfare?

Whose rights are violated by creating or promoting pollution?

Who should be responsible for paying the cost of pollution?

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Environmentally related ethical questions What values and importance must be

given or attached to halt or slow down environmental damage?

What obligations do the industry and business have to the future generations in terms of preserving the environment and conserving scarce natural resources?

How long will the natural resources last and what could be possible alternatives?

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Environmental ethics In an industrialized world, man’s life

revolves around what the firms produce and supply in the market. What theses firms do has a great impact on the environment

The production of goods for the consumption and for the leisure activities of man involves processing of raw materials that generates waste in solid, liquid and gaseous forms and is let off in the atmosphere to the detriment of the environment

Environmental ethics Maintenance of machinery, packaging and

transport puts great pressure on the environment

Consumption of fossil fuels add to air pollution and real estate development adds to noise pollution

Modernized, complex and complicated urban lifestyle has exploited far too many resources and mindlessly wasted them. we cannot sustain them. The resources are failing

Water is depleting, garbage is mounting Pollution is taking toll on health of people

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Management Ethics and the Environment Objective of environmental

ethics is to safeguard ourselves

Anthropocentric Approaches– Corporate Social

Responsibility• Stakeholder• Normative• Social Contract

Green Management– Ecocentricism– Adjusted Stakeholder– Sustainability– Resource Based

Approach

Environmental ethics extends to: Human beings; pollution diminishes our health,

resource depletion threatens our standard of living, climatic changes put our homes at risk, reduction in biodiversity results in the loss of potential medicines

Animals they are live-our obligation to protect them

Living organisms: compassion must be shown to all living organisms

Holistic entities: land ethics-stop exploiting land Ecosophy(ecological philosophy) aims at

raising the human consciousness to ecological values

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Environmental ethics extends to: Social ecology: there is no dominance

of species within the ecosystem. The relationship is mutual-abandon hierarchy and promote mutual interdependence

Eco-feminism; the distinction between man and nature should be obliterated-no exploitation of environment

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Environmental Ethics and Business Western Society - Objectifies Nature

– Locke - “Something in a state of nature has no economic value and is of no utility to the human race”

Ethics - a concern with actions and practices directed to improving the wellbeing of people.

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Economic Fundamentalism and Ethics“The corporate social responsibility of a

business is to increase profit.” M. Friedman

Those things that cannot be traded on the market have no value.

Where does the environment fit in these definitions for environmental ethics?

Will people and corporations do environmentally responsible things on their own? What happens if they do?

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Corporate Social Responsibility

By doing socially responsible things, businesses better human life.

Hopefully ..good ethics is good business.

Is this true? Is enlightened self interest a good way?

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Incorporating Environmental Ethics into Management

Environmental Ethics is a starting point

– Expanding ethics to include nature.

– Natural objects have intrinsic value and morally relevant in their own right.

– Deep Ecology: nature has an ethical status at least equal to humans.

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Green Management Eco centricism views industrial relationships

in a cycle, and a whole set of philosophies. Closed technological cycles, zero emissions to the environment. How radical is this?

Sustain centric - going beyond sustainability of “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.– Human and economic relationships

inextricably linked with natural systems.

Sustainable development as corporate strategy Customers want pollution- free

environment- industry should use clean technologies, clean energy from sources such as sun, wind and hydrogen instead of coal and oil

Resource management through recycling. Steve Morris close the loop co. producing environmentally friendly cartridges by reusing empty ones: zero- waste company

Sustainable development as corporate strategy Competitive advantage strategy : new

technologies, focus on customer needs, innovation and commitment to best practices and improvement.

Business ethics and corporate governance Shifting nature of competition in Emerging

Economies Sustainability definition: meeting the

needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

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Drivers for sustainable development in emerging economies

Drivers Development

Economic and business opportunities

• Increased productivity and product differentiation

• Lean thinking and TQM• Ethically, environmentally responsible

investment

Population • Population decrease in developed economies and increase in emerging economies

• Urbanization and migration

Technology Clean technology and renewable energy

Environmental crisis

Restoration natural capital, management environmental disasters

Inequality Refugees, service to the poor, trade barriers

Ethics. Staying ahead of regulation

Corporate best practices, ethical investing, marketing

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New opportunities for product differentiation Reduced emission levels of toxic material Measurement of prosperity by less activity and

less use of what is environmentally damaging Going beyond the compliance levels of

regulation and setting new benchmarks Smaller amounts wasted no wastes, but

100 % recycling

Increasing profitability and minimizing risk: Not merely survival in the competition but excellence through sustainability principles-regeneration of resources and the saving of ecology

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Indian legal framework for environmental protection 42nd amendment-state responsibilities, rights, duties of

all citizens Factories Act, 1987-to counter hazardous industrial

waste Atomic energy Act, 1962: to control radiation protection Insecticide Act, 1968; to monitor pesticide residue-soft-

drinks, foodstuff, bottled water Wildlife Protection Act 1972 The water Prevention and Control of Pollution Act, 1974 Forest Conservation, 1980 Air prevention and control of pollution act, 1981 Environment Protection Act, 1986

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Environmental policy Objectives: Conservation of critical environmental

resources Intra-generational equity, livelihood

security for the poor Integration of environmental concerns in

economic and social development Efficiency in environmental resource

use Environmental governance

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Ascribing Responsibilities: Definitions Moral Agents

– Those who have the freedom and rational capacity to be responsible for choices

– Those capable of moral reflection and decision.

– Example: adult humans of sound mind

• Infants and mentally infirm adults are NOT moral agents

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Definitions

Moral Standing– Have moral standing means

that• your existence or

welfare is valuable in itself (intrinsic value)

• your interests and well-being must be respected

– Example: humans of all kinds

• babies, children, adults, old people, dement people, mentally sick people, etc.

• women, different races, different cultures, minority groups

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Definitions

Moral Duties– That which is owed

by moral agents to those with moral standing.

– Example: It is wrong to kill children because we have a moral duty toward them

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Philosophical Issues Who or what has moral

standing, and why?– Does the

environment have moral standing?

– Must look at criteria for moral standing

What moral duty do we (moral agents) have toward those with moral standing?– Different ethical

positions suggest different moral duties.

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Ascribing Moral Standing Membership in the species

Homo sapiens – Humans are moral

agents and are responsible for knowing right from wrong

– Humans are intelligent – Humans have

personhoodand self-

consciousness – Humans have ability to

communicate and learn

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Moral Standing

Sentience, the ability to feel pain– Therefore extend

moral standing to animals

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Moral Standing Being alive

– Therefore extend moral standing to animals and plants:

– All living things.

[However, it seems reasonable to expect that saving life of a virus and saving life of a human is not seen as equally urgent. ]

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Moral Standing

Being part of nature– Therefore extend

moral standing to the • earth• ecosystems• rocks• rivers• plants animals • the entire natural

world

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Ethical Positions Anthropocentrism-

Human centered morality– Only humans

have intrinsic value and moral standing.

– The rest of the natural world has instrumental value (use to humans).

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AnthropocentrismWe can best protect

nature by looking out for human needs. • Ducks Unlimited

preserves wetlands• Saving the

rainforests will provide O2 and medicines for humans.

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Ethical Positions Sentio-centrism: Sentient-

being centered morality– All and only sentient

beings (animals that feel pain) have intrinsic value and moral standing.

– The rest of the natural world has instrumental value.

– Both humans and sentient animals have rights and/or interests that must be considered

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Ethical Positions Biocentric Individualism:

Life-centered morality– All and only living beings,

specifically individual organisms (not species or ecosystems) have intrinsic value and moral standing.

– Humans are not superior to other life forms nor privileged, and must respect the inherent worth of every organism

– Humans should minimize harm and interference with nature: eat vegetarian since less land needs to be cultivated.

http://www.ecologicalinternet.org/

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Ethical Positions Eco-centric Holism:

ecosystem centered morality

Non-individuals (the earth as an interconnected ecosystem, species, natural processes) have moral standing or intrinsic value and are deserving of respect.

Individuals must be concerned about the whole community of life/nature,

Humans should strive to preserve ecological balance and stability.

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Traditional Patriarchal Dualisms Greek, Roman, Hebrew:

– Humans are separate from

and superior to nature– Human, mind, rationality, and

man

are linked and superior – Nature, body, feelings, and

woman

are linked, and inferior– Justifies domination by men

over• Nature (“Mother Nature”)• Women

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Ecofeminism Rejects Patriarchal

Dualisms

– The domination of nature by men is wrong, is similar to and related to the domination of women by men.

– Must break the pattern of "power over" relationships, will benefit both humans and the natural world.

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Environmental Effects of War Genetic Engineering Nanotechnology Cloning Resource Allocation Animals and Vegetarianism Air and Water Pollution Radiation Ozone Crisis and Global Warming Population and Environment Indigenous Peoples

Related ethical concepts:common good | communitarianism | consequentialism | ecology | environmentalism | ethics: deontological | ethics: virtue | feminist (interventions): ethics | rights

Topics in Applied Environmental Ethics

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Deep Ecology Deep ecology is a recent

branch of ecological philosophy that considers humankind as an integral part of its environment.

Deep ecology places greater value on non-human species, ecosystems and processes in nature than established environmental and green movements.

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Deep Ecology The core principle of deep

ecology as originally developed is Norwegian philosopher Arne Næss's doctrine of biospheric egalitarianism — the claim that all living things have the same right to live and flourish.

Deep ecology describes itself as "deep" because it is concerned with fundamental philosophical questions about the role of human life as one part of the ecosphere, and aims to avoid merely utilitarian environmentalism.

Arne Næss

The Roots of Environmental Degradation

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Humans Dominating Nature– Genesis: God commands humans to "fill the earth and

subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing...”

– After the great flood God says to Noah: " the animals will dread and fear you, and I will give you dominion over everything that creeps on the ground, and over all the fish of the sea.“

Christians and Jews respond: traditions promote a care-giving stewardship not domination of nature. (Noah story)

Both religious traditions are currently converging towards

forms increasingly concerned with the environment

Western Religions

– Animists believe that every part of the environment, living and non-living, has consciousness or spirit. Therefore, all beings deserve reverence.

– Pantheists warship Nature as a goddess. Nature is sacred or holy and is worthy of peoples respect.

Rejection of Old Animism & Pantheism

Western Philosophy

Critics blame its “dualism,” viewing humans as separate from and superior to nature

the culprit - den skyldige, boven i dramat

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Rene Descartes Mind-Body Dualism Rene Descartes (1596-1650) is blamed for mind-

body dualism. In his dictum “I think, therefore I am” thought

signifies not only existence, but also human superiority over other living beingsand inanimate substance.

For Descartes, humans are separate from nature and superior.

The nature (physical world) is an objectified "thing" separate from “mind”.

Some believe that this objectification of nature is a key to science and ‘progress’.

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Francis Bacon Nature as a Machine Francis Bacon (1561-1626), father of the

scientific method, promoted a view of nature as a machine [New Atlantis "a mechanistic utopia"—1624]

He thought nature was like women and slaves: They should be bound into the service of men

Many scholars think such thinking shaped the anti-nature views and formed human-nature relations in the west

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Worldviews and Ethical Perspectives Individual beliefs towards ecology

depend on ethical perspectives Most people have set of core values or

beliefs Environmental concerns are a source

for comparisons among different values and perceptions

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Worldviews and ethical perspectives A comparison

Philosophy Intrinsic Value Instrumental Value Role of humans

Anthropocentric Humans Nature Masters

Stewardship Humans & Nature Tools Caretakers

Biocentric Species Abiotic nature One of many

Animal rights Individuals Processes Equals

Ecocentric Processes Individuals Destroyers

Ecofeminist Relationships Roles Caregivers

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Environmental Justice

Combination of civil rights and environmental protection that demands a safe, healthy life-giving environment for everyone

Most people of low socio-economic position are exposed to high pollution levels

Holistic Approaches Criticisms

Individuals get hurt when you ignore them in favor of wholes– This is the key

criticism of all ends-focused theories

– In environmental ethics, the common charge is of "eco-fascism"!

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The Gradual Extension of Moral Concern..

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Environmental ScienceEnvironment - the circumstances and conditions that surround an organism or a group of organisms

Environmental science - the systematic study of our environment and our place in it

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IntentionIntention ActionAction ConsequenceConsequence

DutyDutyDeontological EthicsDeontological Ethics

What ought I to do?

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IntentionIntention ActionAction ConsequenceConsequence

Consequentialist EthicsConsequentialist Ethics

What ought I to do?

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http://www.envirolink.org/Environmental Resources

www.earthcharter.org A declaration of fundamental principles for building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society for the 21st century.

Sustainable Global Development