- "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."
A consideration of how we ought to treat nature and the environment.
Environmental Ethics: This topic is the foundation of the field, and it deals with the provisions of ethical guidelines to solve environmental problems.
Ethical Theories and Concepts: In this topic, you will learn about major ethical theories, including consequentialism, deontological ethics, and virtue ethics, and how they apply in environmental issues.
Environmental Justice: This course discusses how environmental degradation disproportionately affects marginalized communities and how we can address this injustice as a society.
Sustainability: This topic emphasizes how people can utilize resources adequately, and still meeting the present and future needs of the environment and the human race.
Climate Change: These courses discuss the causes, effects, and mitigation of climate change, as well as the ethical implications of this phenomenon, such as intergenerational equity.
Biodiversity: This topic focuses on the preservation and protection of biodiversity and ecosystem services, as well as ethical concerns associated with altering ecosystems.
Animal Rights and Animal Welfare: This topic considers the ethical implications of the use of animals in food production, research, and entertainment, as well as the ethical concerns associated with hunting and wildlife management.
Environmental Philosophy: This is the study of the philosophical underpinnings of environmental concerns, such as the relationship between humans and nature, and environmental ethics.
Applied Environmental Ethics: This topic is concerned with the real-world application of ethical principles to contemporary environmental issues.
Environmental Law and Policy: Courses in this topic cover environmental laws and regulations at the local, state, and federal levels, as well as the ethics surrounding environmental regulatory processes.
Anthropocentrism: A belief that humans are the most important species on Earth and that other species and the environment should be valued only for their usefulness to humans.
Biocentrism: A belief that all living organisms have inherent value and rights, and that humans should consider the well-being of all species in their decision-making.
Ecocentrism: A belief that the environment as a whole has intrinsic value and that humans should protect and respect it for its own sake, separate from their own interests.
Deep Ecology: A branch of environmental ethics that takes a holistic view of the Earth, considers humans as part of an interconnected system rather than superior to it, and advocates for significant changes in societal values and behavior.
Ecofeminism: An ethical approach that links the oppression of women, the oppression of other marginalized groups, and the exploitation of the environment, advocating for a shift towards more caring and nurturing relationships with nature.
Green Virtue Ethics: An approach that emphasizes personal virtues like sustainability, conservation, respect, and responsibility towards the environment, with the belief that individuals who embody these virtues can inspire others to do the same.
Environmental Pragmatism: An approach that takes a practical, empirical view of environmental issues, and advocates for solutions that work best in a given context, rather than adhering to strict ethical principles.
Eco-socialism: An ethical approach that combines environmentalism with socialist values, advocating for a more equitable distribution of resources and greater public control over industry to reduce environmental harm.
- "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."