The Environmental Ethics - Research Paper Example

?Environmental ethics refer to the relationship between human beings and nature from a position of morality. With this in mind, it is the role of this paper to analyze environmental ethics found in the 21st century. This is concerning the moral convictions on the conservation and degradation of nature, earth and the environment, as we know it. The earth has its own rights that must be observed in order to maintain the balance that should sustain life in the environment. The rights of the earth are enshrined in the Universal Rights of Mother Earth, and depict that legal rights are given to the natural world, and are represented in legal systems. However, in light of this, humans form part of the world and are, therefore, included in the legal system governing Mother Nature. For this reason, the rights of the earth are followed for the nature, but not for the benefits and value that nature and the laws have towards humans. This means that representations of the legal rights of the earth are determined by the value that nature bears independently, and without influence from the interests of humans. In addition, all aspects of nature that fall in the sphere of moral concern and moral relevance bear a considerable amount of influence on decisions made about the environment. For this reason, they are crucial for ethics that are affiliated to the environment concerning the care that all humans should give to it. This is in addition to legal action and frameworks affiliated with the environment in cases of violation of requirements put in place to safeguard the environment and all its affiliated aspects in relation to sustenance of life (Philos 316). It is for the legal status of the environment that ethics are observed to the point of passing legislation on a global scale aimed at protecting the interests of nature and its constituent parts as are similarly held for humans. This translates to individual legal representation of the earth’s interests that are similar to the universal declaration of human rights. The other aspect of environmental aspect is the religious angle affiliated to it in regard to the problems that the environment faces according to the guilt associated with it due to a number of substantial reasons. These include the destructive alliance formed by science, technology, and democracy, which have seen the destruction of the earth (environment) in the name of development. The Christian religion in the west has pioneered the destruction through cosmology, where man views himself as a separate entity from nature. In turn, this has led to the domination of the earth by man in a quest to attain their destiny (Jenkins 284). In relation to the aspect of religion and environmental ethics, man takes himself as taking precedence over nature due to their perceived differences, which is an aspect that is condemned by some religions and especially Buddhism and the philosophies for which it stands. Buddhism, concerning environmental ethics, stands for the belief that since the world will decline it is crucial to safeguard it. It does this by showing its followers how important the different aspects of nature are to the existence of humanity thus addresses issues of ecology and the environment (Keown 97). This also occurs through the cosmic beliefs based on tradition. For this reason, Buddhism’s ethics area call for prudential measures to conserve the environment for harmonious coexistence and support life, which makes it a moral obligation to look after the environment as is the case with the universal declaration of the rights of mother earth. However, religion as a whole does not support its ethics sufficiently due to the constant conflict between issues of technology, science, and religious beliefs. Climate and resource management is also an ethical issue that affects the environment on multiple scales. This is concerning the challenges that policymakers, scientist and researchers are faced with in creating solutions to overcome environmental problems. In addition, they grapple with issues of biodiversity and service that different species and ecosystems provide, the main issue being how to maintain biodiversity and sustain a functional ecosystem. For this reason, humankind is placed in a difficult situation of choosing between some tough and unfortunate choices that may see the world undergo a paradigm shift (Schwartz et al 732). The issues involved are sitting back and waiting species of nature face extinction and the manipulation, intentional, of species distribution aimed at maintaining biodiversity and preventing extinction. The choices are ethical dilemmas owing to the strict rules of nature and the better judgment that humankind has. This is in relation to the repercussions that will appear later and haunt the same people that made the decisions messing with nature and its rules. In addition, the issues are evident in cases of relocations, which appear to have significant challenges, especially with all the parties involved. Some parties are of the opinion that it is acceptable following the noble cause, but the rest are against due to undesirable consequences (Schwartz et al 733). With this in mind, ethics must be observed, where the greater good must be taken to mind and assessed appropriately to benefit both the environment and humankind. This means that issues of the environment take precedence over all human interests, as humans are part of nature that supports life. Economic ethics also pose a threat to nature and the environment in which we live. This is in relation to how certain parties in the economy are willing to degrade the environment in an attempt to improve their financial situation. This occurs mainly with the violation of rules and regulations that bear legal backing, revealing lack of morality and sheer disregard of the law. This occurs through unauthorized access to restricted access, which leads to deliberate or accidental introduction of species hazardous to the new environments and the already existing species (Rozzi et al 231). It is in such cases that the interests of nature and earth come first; implying that unregulated access to certain areas is a human issue. This issue is common in unexplored lands especially in the islands in the higher southern latitudes with unauthorized cruise ship docking for tourists. This attracts enormous profits for the operators but serious consequences for the ecosystem in the lands through contamination of the biodiversity. With this in mind, ethical issues are taken care of through integration of ecological sciences and environmental ethics. This is aimed at filling the geographical knowledge gap between the economic and environmental conservation aspects. With this in place, outright practice of ethics is bound to be more evident due elimination of ignorance. This also makes research on such land noneconomic, meaning that the human component in decision-making is included; thus, the interaction between man and nature takes precedence in such cases. This is by man showing how much he values nature through harmonious coexistence and the role of science in providing information for man to make decisions affecting nature responsibly. The other issue on environmental ethics regards pollution that leads to environmental degradation. The use of nonrenewable fuel sources has seen an increase in carbon emission and concentrations in the atmosphere, which makes the problem both political and ethical. This is due to the absence of alternative energy sources and the costs affiliated with the production of the alternative energy sources (Hale 370). Nonrenewable energy sources that emit large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere have a lower cost of production. With this in mind, those that are affected are left to bear the burden of the impact that it has on the environment. This means that accountability is not an issue to be considered by the producers and consumers of the nonrenewable fossil fuels; thus, the appropriate, ethical channels are not followed. This has led to finger pointing for state of the environment and climate change that is now affecting all of humankind irrespective of consumer, producer, or the victim. Therefore, all are expected to take into account the impact of their actions and activities on themselves, nature, and the rest of humanity by following simple logic and interventions of the conscience. In addition, those that have a stronger sense of environmental responsibility look into ethical products (Luchs et al 18). This is in light of the creation of being ethical consumers and going green, as well as sustainable solutions to environmental problems. This appears as the right thing to do as it does little harm, if any, to the environment and is only aimed at improving it from the ruins that others before them have created. Architecture plays a crucial role in environmental ethics in relation to design, where it values environmental ethics based on biocentric individualism, which stands for the moral respect for all living things (Delancey 150). With this in mind, the life of an organism is morally good; thus, the flourishing of the organism works towards a better environment and situation. Therefore, architecture and all that it entails does not inhibit nature, but rather works for its betterment. In addition, the interests of any given individual may not be in the best interests of the ecosystem that the individual is interested in meaning that the environment and nature deserve more moral respect, as opposed to that which is granted to man. It also calls for noninvasive species tendencies of humankind, where man is not meant to take preference over the wellbeing of nature. This is because when nature is at “ease”, then the wellbeing of humankind can be secured thus, the need to maintain a healthy environment. This also meets the issue of development, where development must not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their needs (Delancey 150). The issue of development is observed from an anthropocentric angle similar to that of religion, which is based on the value of other organisms in the ecosystem. In conclusion, environmental ethics are a hot topic that affects diverse fields of life ranging from social, biological, economic, aesthetic, and religious angles among others. Therefore, it is crucial for humanity to have moral convictions on that which is best for nature and all organisms that coexist in it. References Alexandre(Alex)Lenferna, G. (2012). The Universal Declaration's Problematic Rights Justification. South African Journal of Philosophy, 31(2), 314-327. Delancey, C. (2004). Architecture Can Save The World: Building and Environmental Ethics. Philosophical Forum, 35(2), 147-159. Hale, B. (2011). Nonrenewable Resources and the Inevitability of Outcomes. Monist, 94(3), 369-390. Jenkins, W. (2009). After Lynn White: Religious Ethics And Environmental Problems. Journal of Religious Ethics, 37(2), 283-309. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9795.2009.00387.x Keown, D. (2007). Buddhism and ecology: A virtue ethics approach. Contemporary Buddhism, 8(2), 97-112. doi:10.1080/14639940701636083. Luchs, M. G., Naylor, R., Irwin, J. R., and Raghunathan, R. (2010). The Sustainability Liability: Potential Negative Effects of Ethicality on Product Preference. Journal of Marketing, 74(5), 18-31. doi:10.1509/jmkg.74.5.18. Rozzi, R., Armesto, J. J., Gutierrez, J. R., Massardo, F., Likens, G. E., Anderson, C. B., And ... Arroyo, M. K. (2012). Integrating Ecology and Environmental Ethics: Earth Stewardship in the Southern End of the Americas. Bioscience, 62(3), 226-236. doi:10.1525/bio.2012.62.3.4 Schwartz, M. W., Hellmann, J. J., Mclachlan, J. M., Sax, D. F., Borevitz, J. O., Brennan, J., & ... Minteer, B. A. (2012). Managed Relocation: Integrating the Scientific, Regulatory, and Ethical Challenges. Bioscience, 62(8), 732-743. doi:10.1525/bio.2012.62.8.6 Read More