GS IV (Ethics) (Hattrick)

What is meant by environmental ethics? Why is it important to study? Discuss any one environmental issue from the view point of environmental ethics ?

Best answer

Kunal Aggarwal wrote the best answer for this question and got a score of 4/10. The answer is being reproduced below for everyone’s convenience. Of course these answers can always be improved. (Best answer  of a particular only involves those given on that day, later answers may not have been checked)

Environmental ethics refers to the values attached with environment. It studies the moral relationship of humankind with its environment. Environment plays an important role by
– providing resources
– sustaining life
– waste management

It is important to study environment ethics as it brings us closer and the help us understand the relationship. It will help in many ways:
– Provide better quality living to current generation
– Protect environment for future generation through regulated use of environment
– It will help spread awareness among people and thus protect the environment
– It sustains other species as well which is moral responsibility of one species i.e. humankind towards all others

Excessive global warming has come out to be major problem and is impacting the lives of everyone across the globe. We have violated our moral responsibilities towards environment by:
– Cutting forests indiscriminately on large scale
– Releasing green house gases in atmosphere for industrial products
– Excessive use of fossil fuels like coal, petrol etc

These raise major ethical issues for humankind:
– Responsibility towards other species: Extinction of species due to excessive warming, change in monsoon pattern is also impacting them. Their natural habitat has been destroyed to high extent.
– Responsibility towards other humankind: It impacts poor indiscriminately and people from other countries who are not responsible for it are also impacted. Food quality and quantity is also at risk because of increased global warming.