Environmental Ethics - Study Notes

Mission and Vision of PSHS

  • Mission: provide scholarships to secondary students; education that is humanistic, global, and patriotic; for well-rounded individuals; prepares students for careers in science and technology for nation-building.
  • Vision: a leading science high school in the Asia-Pacific Region; preparing scholars to become globally competitive Filipino scientists equipped with 21st century skills and imbued with core values of integrity, excellence, and service to the nation.

Environmental Science: Definition

  • Environmental Science is the study of the interactions between the earth's natural systems and the human systems.
  • It focuses on how natural and human systems affect each other and how to manage those interactions.

Environmental Science Practices

  • Using Mathematics
  • Asking Questions
  • Using Models
  • Conducting Investigations
  • Collecting Data
  • Analyzing Data
  • Constructing Explanations
  • Connecting Explanations to Knowledge

Ethics and Environmental Ethics

  • Ethics is a discipline that deals with how we value and perceive our environment; ethics influence our decisions and actions.
  • Environmental Ethics is the study of the ethical basis of environmental discussion and protection; the term ethos derives from a Greek word meaning customs or behaviors.
  • The practical purpose of Environmental Ethics is to provide moral grounds for social policies aimed at protecting the Earth’s environment and remedying environmental degradation.

Worldview

  • Worldview is a person’s or group’s beliefs about the meaning, purpose, operation, and essence of the world.

Key Environmental Ethics Questions

  • Should the present generation conserve resources for future generations?
  • Is it okay to destroy a forest to create jobs for people?
  • Is it okay for some communities to be exposed to more pollution than others?
  • Are humans justified in driving other species to extinction?

Moral Concepts

  • Moral: the distinction between right and wrong; Latin moris.
  • Values: the ultimate worth of actions or things; Latin valere; intrinsic value vs instrumental value.

Instrumental vs Intrinsic Value (Video)

  • Instrumental value: value as a means to an end.
  • Intrinsic value: value in itself.

Wisdom and Moral Reasoning

  • Wisdom is the capacity to judge long-term values by weighing future benefits against momentary pleasures.
  • This reflects a view attributed to Plato on wisdom and value judgments.

Environmental Ethics: Moral Relationships

  • Focuses on the moral relationships between humans and the world around us.
  • Questions include: do we have special duties or responsibilities to other species or nature in general? are our dispositions toward humans different than toward nature? are there moral laws objectively valid independent of context?

Teleology vs Deontology (Moral Reasoning)

  • Teleology (consequentialist reasoning) vs Deontology (duty-based reasoning) as approaches to moral decision making.

Major Ethical Theories and Worldviews (Overview)

  • Universalists
  • Relativists
  • Nihilists
  • Utilitarians
  • Worldviews: Ecocentric, Biocentric, Anthropocentric

Three Ethical Worldviews (Video Reference)

  • Ecocentric
  • Biocentric
  • Anthropocentric

Environmental Perspectives (Overview)

  • Worldview = beliefs about the meaning, purpose, operation, and essence of the world; many different perspectives exist.
  • Environmental perspectives include Domination, Stewardship, Anthropocentrism, Sentientism, Biocentrism, Holism, Ecocentrism, Ecofeminism.
  • Topic outline includes: value concepts, instrumental vs intrinsic value.

Environmental Perspectives: Detailed Spectrum

  • Domination
  • Stewardship
  • Anthropocentrism
  • Sentientism
  • Biocentrism
  • Holism
  • Ecocentrism
  • Ecofeminism
  • These perspectives shape moral reasoning about nature and how humans should relate to nonhuman entities.

Domination and Stewardship

  • Domination: humans claim dominion over nature, often citing interpretation of scripture (example Gen 1:28).
  • Stewardship: responsibility to manage and care for a place; view resources as custodianship to sustain life; humility and reverence are essential.

Anthropocentrism

  • Environmental obligations are determined by human interests.
  • Arguments: human welfare depends on a healthy environment; it is a basic human right to live in a livable environment.
  • Example: a factory that provides jobs but pollutes the environment.
  • Key question: how to weigh economic and environmental interests?

Sentientism

  • Environmental obligations are determined by the interests of all sentient beings.
  • Sentient: capable of feeling or perceiving things, such as pain; extends beyond humans.

Biocentrism

  • Life-centered: all organisms have intrinsic values and rights; biodiversity is the highest ethical value in nature.
  • Individuals and populations are the basic units of biodiversity.

Holism

  • Rejects strict anthropocentric ideas; nature is composed of holistic natural communities operating in ecologically stable relationships; humans can harmonize with the whole
  • Emphasizes looking at Earth as a system rather than as a collection of independent parts.

Ecocentrism

  • Ecologically centered; emphasizes processes and systems over individual organisms; the whole ecosystem is more important than individual members; moral value is assigned to ecological processes and systems.

Ecofeminism

  • Links Western civilization to domination of nature; emphasizes interconnected life; promotes maintenance of biodiversity; calls for restructuring human society toward cooperation and networked relationships rather than isolated egos.

References and Foundational Works

  • References include Audi, Britannica, Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, works by Bentham, Mill, Kant, Protagoras, Schopenhauer, and others cited for various positions.

Individual and Corporate Ethics

  • Individual ethics: a person’s beliefs about right and wrong; guides decisions in and out of the workplace; typically internalized and may not always manifest outwardly.
  • Corporate ethics: usually articulated in a company’s ethics code; foundational for both corporate and individual behavior.

Ethical Issues

  • Ethical issues are often presented as dilemmas with trade-offs; there may be positives and negatives to consider; different moral frameworks can be internally valid.
  • Contemporary ethical issues are discussed in sources such as Drew 2024 (examples include various ethical issues).

Environmental Standards: Definition and Purpose

  • Environmental standards are criteria, rules, and guidelines to protect the environment and promote sustainability.
  • They require compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations.
  • Example: RA 8749, the Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999, aimed at protecting and improving air quality.
  • Next slides include examples of environmental standards and best management practices.

Environmental Standards Areas and Best Practices

  • Industrial wastewater, domestic sewage, storm water, and biosolids management
  • Air emissions
  • Energy management and conservation
  • Hazardous materials storage, handling, and transportation
  • Solid waste and hazardous waste
  • Each area includes standards and best practices to minimize environmental impact and ensure compliance.

Industrial wastewater, domestic sewage, storm water, and biosolids management

  • Standards include:
    • All discharges must comply with company effluent standards and permit limitations; local laws and regulations
    • Discharges must be properly treated
    • Must have all required permits and authorizations
    • Septic systems must be designed and operated properly
    • Biosolids must be handled and disposed of properly
    • Testing must be performed by certified labs
    • Practices to minimize storm water pollutant exposure
  • Best practices include:
    • Develop a water balance
    • Implement a Water Conservation Plan
    • Identify opportunities to reduce pollutants in waste streams and other water bodies

Air Emissions

  • Standards include:
    • All discharges must comply with permit limitations and local laws; use controls to meet limits if necessary
    • Must have all permits and authorizations in place
    • Must calculate total annual air emissions for the facility and major equipment (NOx, SO2, CO, PM, VOCs, HAPs, GHGs)
    • Maintain records for at least 2 years
    • Waste streams from air pollution control equipment must be properly managed
  • Best practices include:
    • No open burning of wastes
    • Calculate total Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions
    • Identify opportunities to reduce pollutants and toxics in air discharges

Energy Management and Conservation

  • Standards include:
    • Must have energy usage data available for the previous 2 full calendar years; data should include quantity used, heat content, sulfur content for fuels, and electricity usage
  • Best practices include:
    • Develop and implement an Energy Management and Conservation Program
    • Program should include goals, plans for improving energy efficiency, and regular performance comparisons to goals
    • Program should cover all processes and areas of energy and fuel usage at the factory

Hazardous Materials Storage, Handling, and Transportation

  • Standards include:
    • Handling, storage, and transportation must comply with permits and local regulations
    • Procedures must be in place for safe handling, storage, and transportation
    • MSDSs for all chemicals must be on file
    • Adequate spill response equipment and training must be available
    • Up-to-date lists of ASTs and USTs must be maintained
    • Regular inspections and safe filling procedures must be in place
    • Regular employee training
  • Best practices include:
    • Secondary containment for all ASTs and other hazardous materials

Solid Waste and Hazardous Waste

  • Standards include:
    • Handling, storage, and transportation must comply with permits and regulations
    • Maintain records of amounts and types of wastes generated, including disposal records
    • Keep records of materials recycled and reused by type and quantity
    • All wastes must be sent to properly permitted facilities; ensure transporters and receiving facilities have permits
    • Maintain good housekeeping in waste areas; regular inspections
  • Best practices include:
    • Develop a Waste Minimization and Source Reduction Plan

Up Next and Assessments

  • Up next: The Case of Love Canal (FA); Mining
  • Second Long Quiz: Journal Article Review; tips and rubrics are provided in reference materials

Connections to Foundations and Real-World Relevance

  • Environmental ethics links moral philosophy to policy and practical decision making
  • Concepts of justice, rights, and duties connect to real-world policy decisions on pollution, biodiversity, and sustainability
  • Standards and best practices translate ethical considerations into enforceable actions in industry and governance
  • Case studies like Love Canal illustrate historical consequences of environmental neglect and the importance of precautionary approaches