Environmental Ethics

Lecture Notes

Environmental Ethics focuses on moral questions related to the natural environment

Two types of value:

  • Intrinsic Value: value for its own sake.

  • Instrumental Value: value for its usefulness.

Does the natural environment have its own value, or only value for our benefit?

Anthropocentrism: Value of the natural environment is based on use or benefit to people

  • Environment has instrumental value only.

  • Only human interests count (may be broad or narrow).

Cost-Benefit Analysis: Judges environmental concern on comparative goods and burden for people.

Non-Anthropocentrism: Environment has its own value, deserves consideration for own sake.

  • Nonhuman living things also have intrinsic value.

Viewpoints:

  • Ecocentrism: Biotic communities should be valued.

  • Biocentrism: Individual living things (plants and animals) should be valued.

Social Environmental Philosophy: Relationship to environment is based on social patterns and structures.

  • Deep Ecology: looks at social/cultural causes of environmental degradation.

  • Ecofeminism: Environmental issues caused by male-centered, dominating views of nature.

  • Social Ecology: Environmental issues are related to capitalism and social hierarchy.

Figueroa and Mills, “Environmental Justice.”

Environmental Justice: examines relationship between environmental issues and social justice.

Two aspects:

  • Distributive justice

  • Participatory justice

Distributive Justice: how are environmental benefits and burdens distributed?

  • Benefits: Clean air and water, access to nature, etc.

  • Burdens: Exposures to toxic waste and pollution, lack of natural resources, etc.

Environmental Discrimination: Unfair distribution of benefits/burdens based on irrelevant characteristics

  • Frequently environmental racism.

  • Also often based on economic class or other characteristics

Participatory Justice: Who decides distribution of environmental benefits and burdens?

  • Who gets to participate in these decisions?

Discriminatory Environmentalism: Exclusionary representation in environmental policies

  • Includes intentional and unintentional exclusion, systemic racism

Environmental justice requires both:

  • Fair distribution of benefits and burdens.

  • Equitable participation in environmental decisions.