Question

Ethics emphasizes happiness, justice, human rights, and equality. How do these ideas relate to the environment and future generations? Support your perspective using ethical theorie(s).

Answer 1

Environmental ethics is related to the ethical relationship of human ethics with the natural environment. Nature if preserved now will fulfill the needs of the future generations. This can only happen if every human takes care of the environment from their end. Hence environmental ethics concerns formulating our moral obligations regarding the environment. The moral ethical standards with respect to the present generation to safeguard the environment for the future generations has been considered necessary because of many environmental problems, such as climate change and resource depletion, will affect future humans much more than they affect present ones. Moreover, it is evident that the actions and policies that we make or undertake now will have a great impact on the well-being of future individuals.

According to anthropocentric perspectives, environmental concerns are to be directed towards bettering of humans meaning animals, ecosystems and plants only hold value if they are useful to us . We should not think about just ourselves. I think my view of the environment falls closer to ecocentrism. Ecocentrists hold that we ought to regard nature withadmiration and respect because nature and natural beings have intrinsic value, not just humans . Philosopher Aldo Leopold said we should think about the lane as a“fountain of energy flowing through a circuit of souls, plants and animals” . Looking at things from a bigger picture, everyone and everything on this planet is dependent of one or the other. If we destroy that now, then the outcome will be bad for our planet.