Ch 2

Environmental Ethics and

Economics: Values and
Choices

Part 1: Foundations of
Environmental Science
PowerPoint Slides prepared by
Jay Withgott and Heidi Marcum

Copyright 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings

Copyright 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings
This lecture will help you understand:

Culture and worldviews

Environmental ethics
Classical and neoclassical
economics
Economic growth,
economic health, and
sustainability
Environmental and
ecological economics

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Central Case: The Mirrar Clan Confronts the
Jabiluka Uranium Mine
Uranium deposits in Australia often occur on sacred Aboriginal
land
- The Mirrar oppose the mine for cultural, religious, ethical,
health, and economic reasons

The mine will not be developed unless the Mirrar agree

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Ethics and economics

Both disciplines deal with

what we value

Our values affect our

environmental decisions
and actions

Copyright 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings

Culture and worldview

Our relationship with the environment depends on

assessments of costs and benefits
Culture and worldview also affects this relationship
- Culture = knowledge, beliefs, values, and learned
ways of life shared by a group of people
- Worldview = a persons or groups beliefs about the
meaning, purpose, operation, and essence of the world

Culture and worldview affect our perception of the

environment and environmental problems

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Worldviews differ among people

Different worldviews
result in different
perceptions
Aborigines saw the
negative environmental
impacts of the Jabiluka
mine
Others saw jobs, income,
and energy from the mine

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Many factors shape worldviews

Religions
Communities
Political ideology
Economics
Individual interests
- Vested interest = an individual with strong
interests in the outcome of a decision that results
in gain or loss for that individual

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Ethics
Ethics = the study of good and bad, right and wrong
- Relativists = ethics varies with social context
- Universalists = right and wrong remains the same
across cultures and situations
Ethical standards = criteria that help differentiate right
from wrong
- Classical standard = virtue
- The golden rule
- Utility = something right produces the most benefits
for the most people
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Environmental ethics
Environmental ethics = application of ethical standards
to relationships between human and non-human entities
- Hard to resolve; depends on the persons ethical
standards
- Depends on the persons domain of ethical concern
Should we conserve Is is OK to destroy a
resources for future forest to create jobs
generations? for people?

Should humans drive Is it OK for some

other species to communities to be exposed
extinction? to excess pollution?
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We have expanded our ethical consideration
To include animals, communities, nature

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Expanding ethical concern
Why have we expanded our ethical concerns?
- Economic prosperity: more leisure time, less anxieties
- Science: interconnection of all organisms
Non-western cultures often have broader ethical domains
Three perspectives in Western ethics
- Anthropocentrism = only humans have rights
- Biocentrism = certain living things also have value
- Ecocentrism = whole ecological systems have value
- Holistic perspective, stresses preserving
connections
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Western ethical expansion

Copyright 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings

 Environmental Worldviews
Planetary Management Stewardship
As the planets most important We are the planets most
species, we are in charge of the important species but we have an
earth. ethical responsibility to care for the
rest of nature.
Because of our ingenuity and
technology we will not run out of We will probably not run out of
resources. resources, but they should not be
wasted.
The potential for economic
growth is essentially unlimited. We should encourage
environmentally beneficial forms of
Our success depends on how economic growth and discourage
well we manage the earths environmentally harmful forms.
life-support systems mostly for
our benefit Our success depends on how well
we manage the earths life-support
systems for our benefit and for the
rest of nature
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Environmental Wisdom
Nature exists for all species and
we are not in charge of the earth.
Resources are limited, should
not be wasted, and are not all for
us.
We should encourage earth-
sustaining forms of economic
growth and discourage earth
degrading forms.
Our success depends on learning
how the earth sustains itself and
integrating such lessons from
nature into the ways we think and
act
 History of environmental ethics

People have questioned our relationship with the environment for

centuries
Christianitys attitude towards the environment
Anthropocentric hostility, or
Stewardship?
The Industrial Revolution increased consumption and pollution
People no longer appreciated nature
Transcendentalism = nature is a manifestation of the divine
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau

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The preservation ethic

Unspoiled nature should be protected for its own inherent value

John Muir (right, with President Roosevelt at Yosemite National
Park) had an ecocentric viewpoint

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The conservation ethic

Use natural resources wisely for the greatest good for the most
people
Gifford Pinchot had an anthropocentric viewpoint
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 The land ethic

Healthy ecological systems depend on protecting all parts

Aldo Leopold believed the land ethic changes the role of people
from conquerors of the land to citizens of it
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Deep ecology, ecofeminism, and justice
Deep ecology = humans are inseparable from nature
Since all living things have equal value, they should be
protected
Ecofeminism = male-dominated societies have degraded
women and the environment through fear and hate
Female worldview = cooperation
Environmental justice = the fair and equitable treatment
of all people regarding environmental issues
Wealthy nations dump hazardous waste in poorer
nations with uninformed residents
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Environmental justice (EJ)

The poor and minorities are exposed to more pollution,

hazards, and environmental degradation

75% of toxic waste landfills in the southeastern U.S. are in

communities with higher racial minorities

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Environmental justice and Native Americans

From 1948 to the 1960s, Navajo miners were not warned

of radiation risks, nor provided protection by the industry
or the U.S. government
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QUESTION: Review
An ecocentric worldview would consider the impact of
an action on ?
a) Humans only
b) Animals only
c) Plants only
d) All living things
e) All nonliving things

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QUESTION: Review
Which ethic holds that healthy ecosystems depend on the
protection of all their parts?
a) Preservation ethic
b) Land ethic
c) Conservation ethic
d) Deep ecology
e) Biocentrism

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QUESTION: Review
Which of the following is an ecosystem service?
a) Water purification in wetlands
b) Climate regulation in the atmosphere
c) Nutrient cycling in ecosystems
d) Waste treatment by bacteria
e) All of the above

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Cultural Changes and the Environment: Hunter-Gatherer
Culture

Hunter-gatherers

Nomadic: seasonal movement

Usually limited environmental impact

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Cultural Changes and the Environment: The Agricultural
Revolution

Agriculture
Slash and burn/shifting cultivation
Essentially sustainable resource use
Increased environmental impact

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 Agricultural Revolution
Good News Bad News

More food Destruction of wildlife habitats

from clearing forests and
grasslands
Supported a larger population
Killing of wild animals feeding on
Longer life expectancy grass or crops

Fertile land turned into desert

Higher standard of living for by livestock overgrazing
many people
Soil eroded streams and lakes
Formation of villages, towns,
and cities Towns and cities concentrated
wastes and pollution and
increased spread of diseases
Towns and cities served as
centers for trade, government, Increase in armed
and religion conflict and slavery
over ownership of land
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Cultural Changes and the Environment: The Industrial-
Medical Revolution

Industrial Revolution (mid-1700s)

Shift to dependence on non-renewable

resources

Dramatic increase in environmental

impact
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 Trade-Offs
Industrial-Medical Revolution

Good News Bad News

Mass production of useful and Increased air pollution

affordable products

Increased water pollution

Higher standard of living for
many
Increased waste pollution
Greatly increased agricultural
production
Soil depletion and degradation
Lower infant mortality

Longer life expectancy Groundwater depletion

Increased urbanization
Habitat destruction and degradation

Lower rate of population growth

Biodiversity depletion
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Cultural Changes and the Environment: The
Information/Globalization Revolution

Information Revolution
Rate of information increase and
speed of communication
Globalization
Decrease in cultural diversity

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 Trade-Offs

Information-Globalization Revolution

Good News Bad News

Computer-generated models Information overload can cause

and maps of the earths confusion and sense of
environmental systems hopelessness

Remote-sensing satellite Globalized economy can

surveys of the worlds increase environmental
environmental systems degradation by homogenizing
the earths surface

Ability to respond to Globalized economy

environmental problems more can decrease cultural
effectively and rapidly diversity

Copyright 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings