- "Environmental ethics is an established field of practical philosophy... Ethics exerts influence on a large range of disciplines including environmental law, environmental sociology, ecotheology, ecological economics, ecology and environmental geography."
The study of values, beliefs, and principles that guide human behavior towards the environment, and the moral responsibilities that individuals and societies have towards nature.
The Value of Nature: Explores the different values humans place on nature, from instrumental value (value based on usefulness to humans) to intrinsic value (value that exists independent of human use).
Anthropocentrism vs. Biocentrism: Compares and contrasts two different ethical perspectives: anthropocentrism, which places humans at the center of moral concern, and biocentrism, which argues that all living things have inherent value.
Deep Ecology: A philosophy that advocates for a fundamental shift in how humans view themselves in relation to nature, emphasizing the interconnectedness of all living things and the need for a radical shift in values.
Ecofeminism: Explores the connection between oppression of women and the domination of nature, arguing that both stem from a patriarchal worldview that places value on domination and power rather than cooperation and empathy.
Environmental Justice: Examines how social, economic, and political factors contribute to environmental problems, focusing on how marginalized communities (e.g. low income, minority populations) are disproportionately affected by environmental degradation.
Sustainability: Explores how humans can live within the limits of the natural world without degrading it, emphasizing the need to balance economic, social, and environmental considerations for long-term well-being.
Climate Change Ethics: Examines the ethical implications of climate change, including questions of responsibility, justice, and how best to respond to the crisis.
Conservation Ethics: Explores how best to manage and conserve natural resources, focusing on questions of preservation, restoration, and sustainability.
Animal Ethics: Examines the moral status of animals, exploring questions of animal rights, welfare, and how humans should treat non-human animals.
- "The main competing paradigms are anthropocentrism, physiocentrism (called ecocentrism as well), and theocentrism."
- "These decisions raise numerous questions."
- "Should humans continue to clear cut forests for the sake of human consumption?"
- "Why should humans continue to propagate its species, and life itself?"
- "Should humans continue to make gasoline-powered vehicles?"
- "What environmental obligations do humans need to keep for future generations?"
- "Is it right for humans to knowingly cause the extinction of a species for the convenience of humanity?"
- "How should humans best use and conserve the space environment to secure and expand life?"
- "What role can Planetary Boundaries play in reshaping the human-earth relationship?"
- "The academic field of environmental ethics grew up in response to the works of Rachel Carson and Murray Bookchin and events such as the first Earth Day in 1970..."
- "Two papers published in Science had a crucial impact: Lynn White's 'The Historical Roots of our Ecologic Crisis'... and Garrett Hardin's 'The Tragedy of the Commons'..."
- "An essay by Aldo Leopold in his A Sand County Almanac, called 'The Land Ethic,' in which Leopold explicitly claimed that the roots of the ecological crisis were philosophical."
- "The first international academic journals in this field emerged from North America in the late 1970s and early 1980s..."
- "The US-based journal Environmental Ethics in 1979..."
- "The Canadian-based journal The Trumpeter: Journal of Ecosophy in 1983."
- "The first British-based journal of this kind, Environmental Values, was launched in 1992."