The concept of Environmental Ethics and its different types
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is the study of general and fundamental questions about values that attempts to systematize, defend and recommend concepts of right and wrong conduct. Environmental ethics is a special concentration of this field which professes that humans are a part of the nature and it fundamentally has several interdependent systems in place. The ecological balance depends on the well-being of its entire species. In such a situation, environmental ethics play an important role to rest the responsibility of respecting the mother Earth, protecting its life-supporting systems, biodiversity, caring for the needs of other countries and future generations. Environmental ethics can be argued to be the “right” of the planet to environmental protection which is a natural extension of the concept of human rights. Without environmental ethics it is not easy to attain a common future and to sustain common needs.
There are mainly two ways that environmental ethics can be categorized.
On the basis of their philosophy, there are three types:-
(i) Development ethic: The development ethic is a philosophy which is strengthened by the idea that, “if it can be done, it should be done.” Development in any sector is inevitable, but the development should not crop up at the cost of environmental failure.
(ii) Preservation ethic: This considers nature as a special entity in itself. Some preservationists have an almost religious outlook regarding nature. They believe that nature is beautiful place to live in and it should be maintained for feeding, breeding, enjoyment and peace. On the other hand scientific outlook argue that the human species depends on and has much to learn from nature. Rare and endangered species and ecosystems, as well as the more common ones, must be preserved because of their known or assumed long-range, practical utility.
(iii) Conservation ethic: The conservation ethic works towards a balance of resource use and resource availability while recognizing the desirability of decent living standards.
On the basis of their level/scale, there are three types:-
(i) Industrial environmental ethics: This kind of ethics usually comes into play when an industrialist compromises upon the quality of a product or the disposal of the waste in order to maximize profit. CER (Corporate environmental responsibility) is one way to tackle this issue which makes it the duty of the company to cover the environmental implications of their operations, products and facilities. Essentially, these ethics encourages the development of sustainable practices by the industries to protect the health of both the humans and nature, so as to minimize the impact it has on the future generations.
(ii) Individual environmental ethics: These ethics hold individuals accountable to the environmental protection and maintain the quality of the environment. Apart from its presence in the national laws, they need to be ingrained in the socio-comical fabric of the society for a profound impact.
(iii) Global environmental ethics: The impact of environmental degradation is not merely a regional phenomenon and demands a global cooperation, for example through UNEP, to solve the common environmental issues.
