- "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 moral values and principles that guide human behavior towards the environment.
The Ethics of Nature: Understanding the principles of environmental ethics and how they relate to the natural world.
The Human Role in Nature: Understanding the impact of human activities on the environment, and how to mitigate or prevent negative effects.
Sustainable Development: Understanding the principles of sustainable development and how to balance economic, social and environmental goals.
Climate Change: Understanding the science behind climate change and the ethical implications of climate action.
Ecological Systems: Understanding the role of ecosystems, biodiversity and ecosystem services in environmental health.
Environmental Justice: Understanding the ethical dimensions of environmental justice and the principles of equal distribution of environmental goods and harms.
Animal Rights and Animal Welfare: Understanding the ethical considerations surrounding the treatment of animals and the use of animals in scientific research and industry.
Green Business and Corporate Social Responsibility: Understanding the ethical implications of business practices on the environment and society, and the role of business in promoting sustainability.
Environmental Communication and Education: Understanding how to communicate and educate about environmental issues in a way that promotes ethical decision-making.
Environmental Policy and Law: Understanding the legal and regulatory frameworks that shape environmental action, and the ethical implications of policy decisions.
Anthropocentrism: This is the belief that human beings are the most important species on the planet and that their needs and interests should have priority over all other species.
Biocentrism: This concept advocates for the intrinsic value of all living things, including plants and animals, and that they all have the right to exist for their own sake.
Ecocentrism: This is the belief that the well-being of the whole ecosystem is more important than that of any individual species, including human beings.
Deep Ecology: This concept views humans as just one part of a larger ecological system and promotes a profound connection with nature, emphasizing personal change and individual responsibility.
Ecofeminism: This ethical perspective highlights the similarities between the oppression of women and the oppression of nature, seeing both as interconnected problems that need to be addressed together.
Social Ecology: This perspective sees the degradation of nature as a symptom of social inequities and advocates for social justice and a complete restructuring of society to promote ecological sustainability.
Environmental Virtue Ethics: Based on the Aristotelian notion of virtue ethics, this concept emphasizes the development of personal virtues such as wisdom, compassion, and prudence to ensure ethical environmental behavior.
Technological Optimism: This perspective asserts that technology can solve environmental problems and promote sustainability, emphasizing the need for technological innovation and solutions.
Environmental Utilitarianism: This ethical perspective focuses on maximizing the overall good for the largest number of people while minimizing harm done to the environment.
Environmental Justice: This perspective advocates for the fair distribution of environmental benefits and burdens across all communities, regardless of race, ethnicity, or economic status.
Conservation Ethics: This concept centers on the practical management of natural resources, emphasizing the responsible use and preservation of these resources for future generations.
Terraforming Ethics: This approach aims to transform planets, moons or other celestial bodies to make them habitable for humans, but raises ethical questions about what impact we have the right to make on other planets.
Green Anarchism: This is a political philosophy that values personal freedom, decentralized organization, and social and environmental justice. It opposes centralized power structures and advocates for a stateless society based on environmental harmony.
Animal Rights: This ethical perspective focuses on extending moral consideration to animals, viewing them as having intrinsic value in their own right and requiring ethical decisions based on their interests.
Buddhist Environmental Ethics: This concept promotes the importance of mindfulness, right behavior, and a compassionate interconnectedness with nature and all living beings.
- "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."