Environmental ethics

Environmental ethics concerns human beings’ moral relationship with the natural environment. It seeks to help people and their leaders to act responsibly when they do things that impact the natural world. Need for Ethics: The emergence of the field of environmental ethics was due to the increasing awareness in the 1960s of the effects that technology, industry, economic expansion and population growth were having on the environment. It is all the more relevant today as most environmental problems are the result of the unethical actions of individuals or organizations. E. g.: Water quality degradation in the Yamuna river where some polluting sources are discharging polluted effluent in drains joining the river. The Mithi river receives domestic wastewater from areas like Sakinaka to Kurla, Chunabhatti, Mahim. Social Ethics: As population continue to increase, the various problems caused by too many people naturally increase in both their number and seriousness. Of course, pollution and the depletion of natural resources are not only environmental concerns but dwindling plant and animal biodiversity, the loss of wilderness, the degradation of ecosystems, and climate change are all part of a raft of “ green” issues that have implanted themselves into both public consciousness and public policy over subsequent years. There are many ethical decisions that human beings make with respect to the environment. For example: – Should we continue to clear cut forests for the sake of human consumption? – Should we continue to make petrol and diesel powered vehicles, depleting fossil fuel resources while the technology exists to create zero-emission vehicles? – Destruction of Ozone layer due to the human-created chemicals? – What environmental obligations do we need to keep for future generations? – Is it right for humans to knowingly cause the extinction of a species for the convenience of humanity? Recommendations: The interests of the global good should always outweigh those of the short-term monetary or other gains produced by unethical or unsustainable practices and leadership decisions. – Respect and care for the environment – Avoid threatening the integrity of nature or the survival of other species – Conserve biodiversity – Avoid action or activities that will damage the quality of the environment such as polluting the air, water or land. The mutual dependence of corporations and society implies that ” both business decisions and social policies must follow the principle of shared value. That is, choices must benefit both sides. If nothing changes, half of the earth’s species are expected to become extinct in the next 75 years. “ After all, the environment is not something one can remove oneself from”